Peru’s de facto government, led by Dina Boluarte, announced, on March 29, the “definitive withdrawal” of its ambassador from Colombia following statements from Colombian President Gustavo Petro in support of ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo.
The Peruvian Foreign Ministry stated that the decision was made in response to “the repetitive interventionist and offensive comments” from President Petro, arguing that he had been “distorting the reality” by ignoring what happened on December 7, last year.
On that date, Castillo was ousted in a legislative coup and subsequently arrested after he tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. He has since been imprisoned in the Barbadillo prison in Lima.
Boluarte’s March 29 decision came days after Petro lamented Castillo’s absence at the Ibero-American Summit, which took place on March 24 and 25 in the Dominican Republic. Petro said, “[Pedro Castillo] should have been here, [but] he is in prison. They took him out with a coup”.
Since Castillo’s forcible removal and illegal arrest, Petro has called several times for the former president’s immediate release and criticized the Boluarte government for violating his political rights. Petro has also been vocal against the brutal repression unleashed by the Boluarte government against the tens of thousands of Peruvians who have been in the streets for the past three and a half months demanding her resignation, the closure of the right-wing-dominated Congress, advanced general elections by the end of the year, and a referendum on a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution.
Leaders of other nations have also supported Castillo against the Peruvian right wing, including Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico and Argentina.
[Reprinted from Peoples Dispatch.]