The judiciary issued five months of preventive detention and ordered the national and international capture of Betssy Chávez, former prime minister of Pedro Castillo, accused of being one of the architects of the failed self-coup of December 7, 2022. Chávez has been taking refuge in the Mexican embassy in Lima since November 2. The diplomatic asylum granted by the government of Claudia Sheinbaum triggered the official rupture of relations between two countries, which had practically no short circuits in 200 years.
The origin of the conflict dates back to the message to the nation with which Pedro Castillo decreed the end of his mandate. The then president of Peru appealed to the country to break the constitutional order and establish a government of exception. But the Armed Forces turned their backs on him, his attempt lasted a sigh and Congress vacated him due to moral incapacity. Mexico, in the figure of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, came to their aid. He granted asylum to Castillo’s wife and children and refused to recognize the investiture of his successor, Dina Boluarte.
In these three years the link between Mexico and Peru has been reduced to business managers. Starting in 2024, Peruvian tourists will have to apply for a visa to enter Mexican territory. The Peruvian Congress has declared both López Obrador and Sheinbaum persona non grata. And if that wasn’t enough, the Executive expelled Karla Ornelas, head of the Mexican embassy in Lima. For twelve days the diplomatic headquarters, located in the residential neighborhood of San Isidro, has been without a headquarters.
It is there, in a large space of 752 square meters, on Avenida Colonel Pedro Portillo, that Betssy Chávez awaits safe passage to travel to Mexico. But José Jerí’s government remains firm in its position to delay the delivery. He maintains that Chávez is not a persecuted politician, that it is his responsibility to face justice and that he will submit the matter to consultation with member countries of the Organization of American States. “It is necessary to carry out the necessary legal studies to proceed with a response,” said Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela, leaving the lawyer’s fate in limbo.
Betssy Chávez remained in prison for more than two years, but was released in early September thanks to a ruling by the Constitutional Court, in the midst of a hunger strike in which she denounced abuses at the penitentiary. The 36-year-old former official – who was also Minister of Labor and Culture – had her appearance with restrictions revoked this Friday and a new precautionary custody order was issued, this time for five months. The judge justified his decision by the absence of the suspect at the court summons and by the fact that he had not respected the marking of the biometric card. It has been established that the risk of flight is “palpable” and for this reason his national and international capture was ordered.
In the last few hours, a sector of the political class has asked José Jerí’s government to forcefully enter the Mexican embassy to arrest Betssy Chávez. “The Government must respect the sovereignty and autonomy of our country. We must make it clear to the Peruvian people: Betssy Chávez is not a politically persecuted person and, in this sense, the Government must make decisions so that she submits to justice. Even with force. There are precedents from other countries”, declared Lady Camones, president of the Subcommittee on Constitutional Accusations, referring to the invasion of the Ecuadorian Government to arrest the Mexican embassy in Quito. politician Jorge Glas in April 2024.
Prime Minister Ernesto Álvarez ruled out this possibility by underlining that “Peru respects international law and is not capable of exercising violence against any neighboring or brother country” and that “it would never violate international laws relating to the immunity of diplomatic offices”. Naturally, he made it known that the Executive will promptly denounce Mexico before international bodies for its interference in Peru’s internal affairs.
The Prosecutor’s Office is calling for a 25-year prison sentence against Betssy Chávez for the crime of rebellion. The sentence would be reduced if he were convicted of conspiracy. In his last hearing, former president Pedro Castillo defended Chávez, arguing that he had not participated in the events and that “the responsibility (for the self-coup) was clearly his.” Meanwhile, the Congress Permanent Commission has approved the ban on the former prime minister from holding public office for ten years. The motion must be approved in plenary. Meanwhile, police security is strengthened at the Mexican embassy. The press awaits what may happen in the next few hours.
