Pedro Castillo, the former president of Peru, must continue to serve an additional 18 months in prison, the country's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. Last week's arrest of Castillo led to deadly riots in the South American nation.
After attempting to overthrow the legislature and declaring he would rule by decree, Castillo was impeached, removed from office, and placed in prison. His detractors claim that he used this action to avoid an impeachment vote while many corruption investigations were ongoing.
Public prosecutor Alcides Diaz claims that the left-leaning ex-teacher is facing charges of rebellion and conspiracy. If proven guilty, he may spend up to 10 years in prison.
After Castillo attempted to seek refuge at the Mexican consulate in Lima, prosecutors requested the Supreme Court to keep him behind bars because of his flight risk. Judge concurred. Until June 2024, the detention order will be in effect.
Protests against his removal from office have broken out across the nation, and the health ministry and local authorities report that 15 people have died as a result. Despite the emergency situation, thousands of people protest every day, including on Thursday in Lima, the country's capital.
When the military and Castillo's supporters clashed on Thursday in the southern city of Ayacucho, at least seven people were killed. The country's Ombudsman reports that fighting close to the airport claimed the lives of two additional persons.
340 individuals were harmed, according to the Ombudsman, and at least half of those were police officers, according to the police.
The dozens of Castillo's fans, who have camped outside the capital's prison where he is being imprisoned, aren't giving up.
After the court opted to keep Castillo incarcerated, 38-year-old Rolando Arana remarked in Lima, "I don't agree with the Peruvian legal system at all because everything is for sale."
“The president has been kidnapped. There is no other word for it,” said Lucy Carranza, who is 41 years old.
Thursday, about 300 people marched near the prison while shouting “Freedom for Castillo.” Police were there to keep an eye on them.
Dina Boluarte, the country’s former vice president who became president quickly after Castillo’s arrest, declared a 30-day state of emergency on Wednesday.
On Thursday, she urged Congress to pass a change to the constitution that would let her move elections from July 2026 to December 2023.
Pro-Castillo protesters, including Indigenous people from the Amazon regions in the centre and southeast of Peru, have been calling for new elections as one of their main goals.
Because of the protests, four airports have been closed, and more than 100 roads across the country are still blocked.
Train service to Machu Picchu, Peru’s most popular tourist site, was stopped, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded. Machu Picchu is an Inca citadel from the 15th century.
Protest leaders have said that they will hold more demonstrations on Friday. They want Castillo to be freed, Boluarte to step down, Congress to be shut down, and new elections to be held.
At Castillo’s release hearing, neither he nor his lawyers were there.
The judge said Castillo didn’t show up when he was told to, so his case was given to a public defender.
The hearing was supposed to occur on Wednesday when Castillo’s initial seven-day detention ended. However, it was pushed back by 24 hours because the former leader’s lawyers said that prosecutors needed to give them the documents they required in the case.
Castillo has said that his arrest was unfair and random and asked the police to “stop killing” protesters.
Vilma Vasquez, Castillo’s niece, spoke outside the prison where he is being held. She said that Castillo’s political opponents had started a smear campaign against him even before he became president last year.
“We were called terrorists from the day he took office and even during the election campaign,” said Vasquez.
“They didn’t let him govern; we were thieves and corrupt. We’re going to stay here until he leaves” prison.
Before Castillo was elected, his opponents tried to make it look like he was a dangerous communist and a supporter of the Shining Path rebels, who caused a lot of trouble in the 1980s and 1990s. Castillo says he fought against guerrillas who supported Mao Zedong.
He was in charge of Peru for only 17 months. Peru’s government is often unstable, and he was the sixth leader in six years.
During his short time in office, he and his family were investigated six times, mostly for corruption, and there was a power struggle with the opposition-led Congress.