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Peru’s government has announced the country is severing diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum claim of the former Peruvian prime minister Betssy Chávez, who is under investigation for rebellion.
The Peruvian foreign minister, Hugo de Zela, told reporters Mexico’s decision to grant Chávez asylum at its embassy in Peru’s capital, Lima, constituted an “unfriendly act” that added to the existing tensions between the two countries. The office of Peru’s president, José Jerí, issued a statement accusing Mexico’s government of repeated interference in his country’s internal affairs.
Authorities have accused Chávez of participating in a failed effort in 2022 by the then president, Pedro Castillo, to declare a state of emergency and dissolve Peru’s parliament as legislators prepared an impeachment vote against him. Castillo failed to get the military’s support for his move, and parliament swiftly deposed him. He was arrested after prosecutors accused him of trying to promote a coup and he remains in custody.
The Peruvian attorney general’s office has accused Chávez of being an accomplice in the crime of rebellion against the powers of the state, and is seeking a jail term of up to 25 years. Chávez has denied knowing about Castillo’s plan to dissolve the legislature.
“Today we learned with surprise and deep regret that the former prime minister Betssy Chávez, the alleged co-author of the coup attempted by the former president, Pedro Castillo, is being granted asylum at the residence of the Mexican embassy in Peru,” De Zela told reporters.
The Mexican government said it regretted Peru’s decision, noting Mexico granted Chávez asylum in compliance with international law.
“Mexico rejects Peru’s unilateral decision as excessive and disproportionate in response to a legitimate act by Mexico consistent with international law, which in no way constitutes intervention in Peru’s internal affairs,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Castillo’s wife and children are in Mexico, where authorities have expressed sympathy for the former Peruvian president, who came to power on a leftist platform.
Mexico’s left-leaning president, Claudia Sheinbaum, reaffirmed her support for Castillo last month, insisting he had been the victim of a coup. She called for his release from jail and and for him to receive a fair trial.
The Peruvian foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that since the events of December 2022, “the Mexican government has been interfering in an inadmissible and systematic manner in Peru’s internal affairs”.
It said Mexico had not changed its “unacceptable position” despite the Peruvian government repeatedly demanding respect for its sovereignty.
