He former peruvian president Pedro Castillo (2021-2022) has been condemned this Thursday at 11 years, five months and 15 days in prison for the crime of conspiracy for rebellionfollowing the failure coup attempt who starred on the 7th December 2022. For the same case he has received same sentence the Spokesperson for Minister Betsy Chávezsheltered in the residence of the Mexican embassy in Lima.
The Special Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court has considered that the leftist ex-presidentwhich already has three years detaineddid not commit the crime of rebellion as his coup intentions did not materialize, which is why the Prosecutor’s Office changed during the trial application of punishment against the former head of state since 34 years in prison to the one finally ruled by the court.
The former president of Peru Pedro Castillo attends the verdict this Thursday in the Special Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, in Lima EFE/ Renato Pajuelo
The former ruler has been acquitted of the crimes of abuse of authority and serious disturbance of public orderbut they have imposed a disqualification from holding public office for two years, in addition to the payment of compensation of 12 million soles (3.5 million dollars) jointly with his co-defendants.
Regarding Chaveza new one has been issued search and capture order against her, who remains in the diplomatic headquarters of Mexico without the transitional government of Peru, with the right-wing interim president José Jerí at the helm, has been granted safe passage so you can travel to Mexico.
Former president of Peru Pedro Castillo attends the verdict at his trial in Lima on November 27, 2025 AFP/ ERNESTO BENAVIDES
The hearing was held in a Barbadillo roomthe prison for former presidents from Peru, where Castillo has been held since 2022 for this case, and where the former presidents Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) and since yesterday Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020), who was sentenced on Wednesday to 14 years in prison for receiving bribes when he was governor from the Moquegua region.
Several Castillo followers They have reached the doors of the police station where the Barbadillo prison is located to demand freedom of the former president and protest against a trial that they consider political.
A supporter of former president Pedro Castillo demonstrates at the gates of the place where he has been convicted of attempting a coup d’état in 2022 AP /Guadalupe Pardo
The case
December 7, 2022Castillo ordered to close Congress, intervene the Judiciary and govern temporarily by decreesfearing a new and imminent motion by the Congress, dominated by the opposition, to dismiss him after signs of alleged corruption in his administration that affected him directly.
After his orders did not take effect, Castillo left the Government Palace of Lima to apparently address the Mexican Embassybut before arriving was arrested still in office and then Congress expressly dismissed him, without enough votes to carry out the dismissal on the same day.
His wife and children were granted asylum in Mexico, a country with which Peru broke diplomatic relations after Chávez was granted asylum, and have remained in that country since then.
The president of Peru calls for an exceptional government: “Without a doubt it is a coup d’état”
The trial
The trial started in march of this year. Castle He went without a lawyer before the Special Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court.
Willy Huerta Olivasformer Minister of the Interior, has received the same penalty as Castillo and Chávez, but It will be suspended until the second instance in case you appeal and follow a series of rules of behavior. Aníbal Torresalso former prime minister and chief of Castillo’s advisors at the time of the events, has been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison which the court has left without applying for humanitarian reasons due to his age, 82 years.
For their part, the former police chiefs Manuel Lozada and Justo Venero have been acquitted of the charges.
A few days after the oral hearing began, Castillo announced that he was beginning a hunger strike through a letter published on his X social network account, which he signed as “president in captivity”. The former president stated that he is “unjustly detained” for acts “that never committed” and denounced that the court that is prosecuting him, “with a judge who has advanced her opinion,” has forced the crime of rebellion to accuse and condemn him.
“I have decided to abide (begin), as of today, a hunger strike, an act that leads me to take because of the injustices that have been committed against me,” he wrote in the letter signed by him and the lawyer Walter Ayala, who criticized that Castillo was prosecuted for rebellion because, as he added, the attempted coup d’état did not materialize and there was no uprising of arms, since it did not have the support of the Armed Forces.
