Former Peruvian President Castillo is tried for failed attempts to dissolve Congress
LIMA, Peru (AP) – Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was tried Tuesday for a rebellion, serious abuse of authority and disruption of public tranquility, as the case polarized South American countries.
The allegations stem from efforts by Castillo to declare a state of emergency and disband Peru’s Congress as lawmakers voted on him in December 2022.
Castillo failed to get support from the military and was quickly removed by Congress after prosecutors accused him of trying to promote a coup. But Peru’s first indigenous president, Castillo, sparked massive protests in the south of the country, with at least 49 people killed in the weeks after the president’s removal.
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Castillo was replaced by Vice President Dina Boluarte, who now leads a conservative government and establishes alliances with legislators from traditional American political parties. The former president’s trial took place at a police base and has been in jail since his failed attempt to dissolve Congress and call for a new election.
Prosecutors say they are jailing 34 years in prison for Castillo, a former union leader and rural school teacher, who won the 2021 general election in Peru, defeating the country’s political institutions with a stunning victory.
Castillo survived two improvisation votes before the failed Congress attempt on December 7, 2022.
He and his supporters believe that Congress’ Conservative Party is blocking his policy initiatives and making it impossible for the Castillo administration to work hard to increase government spending and bring education and infrastructure to neglected rural areas.
Castillo’s opponents accused him of undermining democracy by trying to dissolve Congress.
A similar move by then-President Alberto Fujimori led to years of authoritarian rule in the early 1990s.
Castillo said at a pretrial hearing that he had committed no crime and that he believed the Congressional decree he read on state television had never been implemented.
“I read only one document with no consequences,” Castillo said in May. “When did I start reading a speech become a rebellion? When did the speech start the same as using ammunition?”
Castillo also faces another investigation into corruption in which he is accused of irregularly providing promotions to military members and avoiding standard procurement practices to award bridge contracts.
