The former president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, requested that the delegation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that arrived in the Inca country urgently visit him in the jail where he is being held in Lima, following being accused of attempted rebellion.
The former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo requested this Wednesday that a delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) who has arrived in Peru visits him “urgently” in the Lima prison where he is serving 18 months in preventive detention following being dismissed for trying to close Congress and govern by decree.
The former president assured, in a message posted on his Twitter account, that he is “arbitrarily deprived” of his rights and that he decided to publish a statement, signed by his lawyer, Wilfredo Robles Rivera, “before the IACHR visit in Peru.” .
“I express my concern regarding what happened and I request that such an important meeting of the IACHR commission and my legal defense be carried out urgently”Castillo maintained.
In the statement, Robles addresses “the international community and the people of Peru” to point out that this Tuesday the IACHR was requested, through efforts of the organization Red Nacional de Derechos Humanos, “a meeting with President Pedro Castillo with the presence of from his defense attorney.
He added that the agency’s executive secretary responded that “within the agenda of the IACHR technical team, a visit is scheduled” to the imprisoned former ruler.
He indicated, however, that at the time of publishing his statement, the IACHR “has not contacted” Castillo’s defense “for the purpose of specifying the details of the meeting” and expressed his fear that this meeting “did not take place due to possible pressure policies”.
Robles also expressed his concern “at the silence and delay of this body” regarding a request for precautionary measure that he presented in favor of his sponsor.
The lawyer assured that he published the statement to make “this situation public, to be alert and not to politicize the visit of the IACHR in favor of the interests of the Government” chaired by Dina Boluarte, which he described as “de facto”.
IACHR visit to Peru following dismissal of Castillo
Boluarte replaced Castillo, by constitutional succession, on December 7, the same day that the former president was removed by Congress for trying to dissolve the Legislature, govern by decree, intervene in the Judiciary and convene a constituent assembly.
After the arrest of Castillo and his replacement by Boluarte, who was his vice president, protests broke out in various regions of the country, especially in the south, which last week unleashed violent demonstrations that have left 27 dead.
The demonstrators, who have carried out peaceful protests this week, are demanding the resignation of Boluarte, the closure of Congress, the advancement of general elections and the calling of a constituent assembly.
The Head of State received this Tuesday at the Government Palace, together with the Foreign Minister, Ana Cecilia Gervasi, and the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, José Tello, a delegation led by the IACHR Executive Secretary, María Claudia Pulido.
The Peruvian Government invited the IACHR to visit the country last Thursday, when the state of national emergency came into force for the Armed Forces to support the Police in controlling the “internal order” in response to the protests.
The Presidency of Peru indicated that the invitation to the IACHR sought to “contribute to peace, dialogue, and transparency of the acts of the State in light of the situation in the country.”
The IACHR pointed out, for its part, that the objective of the technical visit is to “dialogue regarding the current institutional crisis and the protests in the country.”