Peru’s Foreign Ministry Dismisses UN Resolution, Rejects Pedro Castillo’s Release

Peru’s Foreign Ministry formally stated that the recent report issued by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention lacks binding character for the state. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued that the ruling constitutes solely the opinion of a non-jurisdictional oversight mechanism aimed at promoting international cooperation, thereby denying the possibility of former President Pedro Castillo’s eventual release.

The multilateral organization emphasized through an official statement that this international report does not possess the legal nature of a judicial sentence. Government authorities indicated that the text does not produce direct effects on the internal legal system, nor does it modify current convictions adopted by national courts.

The executive’s stance rules out the eventual release of former President Pedro Castillo, who is serving a sentence of more than 11 years in Barbadillo prison. Nevertheless, current authorities indicated they would evaluate the technical elements presented to determine if there is any legal basis justifying a possible presidential pardon.

The government’s response immediately drew rejection from popular movements and the progressive party Juntos por el Perú, led by Roberto Sánchez. The political leader called for a press conference this Monday and mobilizations on July 15, denouncing that the former president remains under unjust institutional kidnapping.

For its part, the UN Working Group had previously established that the rural teacher’s capture, executed on December 7, 2022, was entirely illegal. The international body concluded that the judicial action violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights due to a lack of solid legal bases.

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Multilateral experts determined that the Peruvian state must apply immediate reparatory measures and order the former president’s release to rectify due process violations. The final technical report highlights that the deprivation of liberty affected the right to a trusted defense and the presumption of innocence.

(Telesur)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JRE/