MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru: Castillo gets 11 years for failed coup attempt

Castillo has been held at the Barbadillo prison since 2022

Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo Terrones was sentenced on Thursday to 11 years, 5 months, and 15 days in prison for the crime of conspiracy to commit rebellion, stemming from his failed attempt to dissolve Congress in December 2022.

The Supreme Court ruled to “convict José Pedro Castillo Terrones as a co-author of the crime against the powers of the state and the constitutional order,” concluding that while there was no “effective armed uprising,” an attempt to undermine the constitutional regime was carried out.

Castillo, a rural schoolteacher and trade unionist who served as president from 2021 to 2022, was arrested in flagrante delicto after his televised message to the nation on December 7, 2022, in which he ordered the temporary dissolution of Congress, the intervention of the judiciary, and rule by decree. The Armed Forces and National Police refused to support his actions, leading to his swift removal and arrest.

The court noted that Castillo was convicted of conspiracy to rebel but acquitted of the charges of abuse of power and disturbing public order, for which the prosecution had initially sought a total sentence of 34 years.

Justice Norma Carbajal explained that Castillo attempted to “suppress the constitutional regime” by dissolving Congress without following the proper procedures, thereby committing an unconstitutional act.

Additionally, several former officials involved in the coup attempt were also convicted, including then-Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who has sought political asylum at Mexico's Embassy in Lima.

Also convicted was Willy Huerta. All three defenders received the same sentence, while Aníbal Torres -also a former Prime Minister- got a suspended sentence of 6 years and 8 months, with no actual incarceration due to his age.

Castillo, who has been held at the Barbadillo prison since his 2022 arrest, received the sentence calmly alongside his lawyer. However, he immediately dismissed the proceedings, labeling them a “political trial.”

With this ruling, Castillo joins the growing list of convicted former Peruvian presidents, including the late Alberto Fujimori, Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala, and the recently convicted Martín Vizcarra, all of whom are already housed at Barbadillo.