Peru Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Mexico Over Asylum For Ex-Prime Minister

Peru announced on Monday that it has severed diplomatic relations with Mexico after the country granted asylum to former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, who is under investigation for her alleged role in the 2022 attempted coup by former President Pedro Castillo.

“Today we learned with surprise and deep regret that former prime minister Betssy Chavez, the alleged co-author of the coup attempt by former president Pedro Castillo, is being granted asylum at the Mexican embassy residence in Peru,” Peru’s Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela said at a press conference.

He added, “Given this unfriendly act, and considering the repeated instances in which the current and former presidents of that country have interfered in Peru’s internal affairs, the Peruvian government has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Mexico today.”

Mexico criticised the move, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs describing Peru’s action as “excessive and disproportionate in response to a legitimate act by Mexico and in accordance with international law,” according to a statement issued Monday.

Relations between Lima and Mexico have been strained since Castillo’s ouster. Castillo, a former rural schoolteacher and trade unionist often called Peru’s “first poor president,” was impeached in December 2022 after attempting to dissolve Congress amid a months-long standoff.

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Peru had previously expelled Mexico’s ambassador after Mexico granted asylum to Castillo’s wife and children. Castillo’s successor, former President Dina Boluarte, also temporarily recalled Peru’s ambassador to Mexico, accusing then-left-wing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of meddling in Peru’s internal affairs by expressing support for Castillo.

Castillo was arrested en route to the Mexican embassy in Lima while attempting to request asylum for himself and his family. He was charged with rebellion and abuse of authority. Chavez, charged alongside him, was released on bail, while Castillo has remained in preventive custody since his impeachment.

Prosecutors have sought a 25-year prison term for Chavez for allegedly participating in Castillo’s plan to dissolve Congress and a 34-year sentence for Castillo. The former president denies the allegations, asserting that he “never took up arms against the state because the military refused to obey his orders.”