Peru Cuts Ties With Mexico For Granting Ex-PM Asylum

Peru has announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Mexico after the Mexican government granted asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who faces charges linked to an attempted coup in 2022.

Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela said the Peruvian government was “surprised and deeply regretful” after learning that Chávez had taken refuge at the Mexican embassy in Peru.

“Given this unfriendly act, the Peruvian government has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Mexico today,” Zela declared in a statement.

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned Peru’s decision, describing it as “excessive and disproportionate”.

Chávez, a close ally of former President Pedro Castillo, was detained in June 2023 for her alleged participation in Castillo’s failed attempt to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government. She was later granted bail in September and has denied all charges.

Peruvian prosecutors are seeking a 25-year sentence for Chávez’s role in the crisis, while Castillo himself faces up to 34 years in prison for rebellion and conspiracy.

Castillo, who was arrested in December 2022, maintains that he never took up arms against the state, claiming instead that the military disobeyed his orders.

Peru accused Mexico of “repeated interference” in its internal affairs, citing what it called persistent efforts by Mexican leaders to portray “the perpetrators of the coup attempt as victims.”

“The truth is that Peruvians live and want to continue living in democracy, as recognised by all countries of the world, with the sole and lonely exception of Mexico,” Zela added.

The diplomatic fallout escalates a rift between the two nations that began with Castillo’s removal. In 2022, Peru expelled Mexico’s ambassador after Mexico granted asylum to Castillo’s wife and children.

A year later, Peru recalled its envoy from Mexico following public statements by then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had denounced Castillo’s removal as “illegal”.

Castillo, a former schoolteacher and union activist often referred to as Peru’s “first poor president”, came to power in 2021 as a political outsider vowing to uplift the country’s impoverished majority.

His presidency, however, quickly became plagued by political scandals, economic instability, and fierce opposition from Congress.

His downfall triggered widespread unrest and a wave of political turbulence that has continued to grip Peru.

Last month, Dina Boluarte, who succeeded Castillo as president, was removed from office by an overwhelming majority in Congress amid public anger over corruption scandals and rising crime.

Congress leader José Jeri has since been sworn in as interim president, vowing to restore political stability and public trust in government institutions.