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Screenshot of video footage circulated on the internet showing Peruvian military in Ayacucho, Peru firing live ammunition against protesters demanding the dissolution of Congress, the release of Pedro Castillo, and a new constitution. Photo: El Ciudadano.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, stated on a televised interview publicized on Saturday, December 17, that the president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, was the victim of political persecution that culminated in his ousting and subsequent arrest.
Petro asserted that in addition to Castillo’s political persecution, his humble origins were one of many factors that contributed to his removal from office.
“That president, [who was] popularly elected, is from the Sierra (the mountains). He was ousted because he is from the Sierra, because he is poor, among other motives,” said the Colombian president.
Petro estuvo en Lima hace un mes donde vio a un "presidente acorralado" bajo un intento de "golpe parlamentario". Importante escuchar su posición sobre lo que ocurre en Perú, el rol de la OEA y las implicancias para los gobiernos de izquierda en la región. pic.twitter.com/KIdYrbCRVS
— Marco Teruggi (@Marco_Teruggi) December 17, 2022
Petro acknowledged that, regardless of one’s assessment of Castillo, it is not easy to endure persecution of that level. “Who launched this? The oligarchy, that was their way of cornering the president.”
Parliamentary coup
“What I saw was a president cornered—that was a month, a month and a half ago—and I monitored the case. How did a parliament, very unpopular for many reasons, start going on the offensive to corner the president, to overthrow him? This is what is called a parliamentary coup,” said Gustavo Petro during the interview that circulated on many social media platforms.
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He added that the American Human Rights Convention that defended him when he was mayor of Bogotá outlined in Article 23, the “Right to Participate in Government,” that “no one can take away a citizen’s political rights unless by a judge’s sentence,” a right that, according to Petro, was violated when President Castillo was apprehended.
For the Colombian leader, Pedro Castillo should be considered a victim. “He is a popularly elected president has not been condemned by a judge, and yet, his own police escort ends up capturing him and putting him in jail.”
OAS involvement
Petro wondered if “the IACHR [is] acting in accordance with the American Convention, or is it in a political game connected with the OAS?” He pointed out that “if the leftist governments are winning, then the OAS has to change,” adding that a deceptive and easy mechanism to “fix” this is to overthrow left-wing governments legitimately elected by the people.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/KZ
