The Permanent Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of Peru confirmed on Tuesday the arrest of the former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo for the crime of rebellion, after declaring unfounded the appeal filed by his defense against an amparo appeal rejected by another court.
Judge César San Martín read the resolution that rejects Castillo’s appeal and, therefore, confirmed his detention, which expires on Wednesday before 2:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT).
The magistrate said that Castillo faces a crime punishable by between 5 and 10 years in prison, and that, what was raised by the Prosecutor’s Office, So far, it is “sufficient” to be prosecuted for attempted rebellion or conspiracy, after the public pronouncement of December 7 in which he announced a series of measures considered a self-coup.
In this sense, he confirmed that the request for annulment in the first instance against the preliminary detention of the ex-president is inadmissible.
San Martín specified that it is an arrest in flagrante, after Castillo issued his message to the nation and went to the Embassy of Mexico in Peru, but was immediately arrested on the way to that location.
In addition, he indicated that there is a possibility of a flight risk because the person under investigation intended to resort to asylum, “whose first steps he had already taken,” according to the Mexican authorities who have agreed to be willing to grant him that status.
The magistrate explained that the other public powers “censored” the behavior and measures announced by Castillo, and that the Joint Command of the Armed Forces did not comply with them.
Publicly announcing the installation of an exceptional emergency government by “whoever had control of power” was “exercising an act of psychic violence on the citizenry,” said San Martín.
During the hearing, Castillo affirmed that he is “unfairly and arbitrarily detained” and blamed the new head of state, Dina Boluarte, “for the ferocious attack on her compatriots” in the protests of recent days, in which 7 protesters have died. and 130 police officers have been injured.
“I want to address the country to tell you that I am unfairly and arbitrarily detained, I am not a thief, a rapist, a corrupt man or a thug,” the president remarked when presenting his arguments at the hearing.
The ex-governor, who was connected virtually from the prison to which he was sent last Wednesday, stated that he was going to his country to tell him that he is “totally grateful for his trust, effort, his fight and his involvement”.
“I will never renounce or abandon this popular cause that has brought me here,” he said.
Castillo also urged “the Armed Forces and the National Police to lay down their arms and stop killing this people thirsty for justice,” in reference to the demonstrations and confrontations, with a large number of acts of vandalism, that have been taking place in the country since last weekend.