Argentina and three other countries take diplomatic turn and ask for Castillo’s restitution in Peru — MercoPress

Argentina and three other countries take diplomatic turn and ask for Castillo’s restitution in Peru

The governments of Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and Bolivia have changed their position regarding the political crisis in Peru, which worsened in the last days after the removal of former president Pedro Castillo from office by the Congress. The government of Alberto Fernandez supported in the last hours the former president, currently under arrest and requesting asylum in Mexico, after the Argentinean Foreign Ministry criticized Castillo for altering the “constitutional order” after attempting a self-coup in which he tried to dissolve the Parliament.

The four countries have signed a document urging Peru to honor the results of their presidential elections and therefore reinstate the deposed Castillo as President. The signatories also underlined that the impeached head of state had been a “victim of undemocratic harassment.”

Signing the document were Presidents Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, Gustavo Petro of Colombia, Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico, and Bolivia’s Luis Arce Catacora.

“Our governments call on all the actors involved in the previous process to prioritize the will of the citizens that was pronounced at the ballot box. This is the way to interpret the scope and meaning of the notion of democracy as set forth in the Inter-American Human Rights System. We urge those who make up the institutions to refrain from reversing the popular will expressed through free suffrage,” stated the communiqué released by the Mexican presidency and the Argentine Foreign Ministry.

The note stressed that “the governments of the Republic of Colombia, the United Mexican States, the Republic of Argentina, and the Plurinational State of Bolivia express their deep concern for the recent events that resulted in the removal and detention of José Pedro Castillo Terrones, president of the Republic of Peru.”

“It is not news to the world that President Castillo Terrones, from the day of his election, was the victim of anti-democratic harassment, in violation of Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights, Pact of Costa Rica, approved on November 22, 1969, to later be subjected to judicial treatment in the same manner in violation of Article 25 of the aforementioned convention,” the declaration went on.

“Our governments call on all the actors involved in the previous process to prioritize the will of the citizens that was pronounced at the ballot box. This is the way to interpret the scope and meaning of the notion of democracy as set forth in the Inter-American Human Rights System. We urge those who make up the institutions to refrain from reversing the popular will expressed through free suffrage,” the note also stated while calling Peruvian authorities to “fully respect the human rights of President Pedro Castillo and to guarantee him judicial protection in the terms set forth in the aforementioned article.”