UN panel of experts calls for release of former President Pedro Castillo
Castillo has requested that the recommendation be followed and that he be allowed to resume his life. The Peruvian government, however, has stated that the report is not binding.
Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, center, arrives for his trial on a police base on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, March 20, 2025. Photo: AP
After a thorough analysis, a group of experts on Arbitrary Detention from the United Nations Human Rights Council called on the Peruvian government to release former President Pedro Castillo.
In response to the news, Castillo said on X: “In this historic decision, this international body has unequivocally determined that the Peruvian State flagrantly violated my human rights and that I was subjected to arbitrary detention while serving as president of the Republic on December 7, 2022.”
He added: “This decision unequivocally confirms that my imprisonment was never justified and that it was carried out in violation of fundamental principles of constitutionalism, political due process, due process of law, and international agreements.”
Finally, he demanded that the decision be respected: “I strongly call upon and urge all national and international human rights protection bodies, as well as Peru’s judicial authorities, to immediately comply with and implement the provisions of this United Nations body. Continuing to ignore this international ruling not only intensifies the political persecution against me but also places the Peruvian State in a position of open defiance and violation of international law.”
Imprisonment amid a chronic political crisis
Castillo has been detained since he attempted to convene a Constituent Assembly during his term in office. The opposition, which controlled the country’s Congress, ordered his removal from office, and he was then arrested by Peruvian National Police and imprisoned him for allegedly attempting a coup d’état – a charge Castillo has emphatically denied.
Following his removal, Vice President Dina Boluarte took office and launched a nationwide crackdown on the massive protests that lasted for several months between 2022 and 2023, demanding an end to her government and the restoration of the democratic order that had been endorsed at the polls. It is estimated that more than 50 people died in the protests, which is why the Peruvian justice system has launched investigations into alleged human rights violations against Boluarte.
A report that the establishment refuses to accept
The UN report concluded that Castillo’s detention was arbitrary because it violated Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, specifically regarding the “circumstances of the detention” and the questionable arguments used to keep the president in pretrial detention.
The report also states that Castillo was not afforded the guarantees of a fair trial, nor were the presumption of innocence or his right to a competent defense respected, since, according to the group of experts, the former president did not have access to a lawyer of his choosing.
In addition to the request for his release, the UN panel called for Castillo to be granted compensation, as well as other forms of redress in accordance with international law.
A few hours after the report was released, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry stated that it is merely “another opinion” and is therefore not binding, thereby rejecting its contents. And while the executive branch denied that Castillo would be released from prison immediately, it did state that it would take the report into account to review whether there is any solid legal basis for his release.
In fact, it is currently known that a request has been made for the current president, José María Balcázar, to pardon Castillo, and this request is being reviewed by the Presidential Pardons Commission. As a result, the UN report could pressure the current government to decide before Keiko Fujimori’s inauguration, scheduled for July 28, as she has declared herself an enemy of Castillo and his political agenda.
