A Peruvian court has sentenced former President Pedro Castillo to 11 years, five months, and 15 days in prison for attempting to dissolve Congress in December 2022, an act prosecutors described as rebellion and conspiracy against the state.

The verdict was announced Thursday, nearly three years after Castillo’s televised declaration on December 7, 2022, in which he announced the dissolution of Congress, a state of emergency, and a restructuring of the judiciary. Castillo made the announcement on the same morning lawmakers were preparing for a third impeachment vote. Congress swiftly removed him from office, and he was arrested within hours.

Prosecutors argued that Castillo’s speech constituted an effort to undermine Peru’s constitutional order in what many political analysts labelled a “self-coup.” Castillo, who faced up to 34 years in prison, denied the charges during his trial. He insisted he had merely read “a document without consequence” and claimed he had not attempted to subvert the Constitution.

The ruling comes at the end of a nine-month trial that also sparked diplomatic tensions, particularly with Mexico, which has publicly supported Castillo.

Castillo, a former teacher, union leader, and left-wing outsider from Peru’s rural Cajamarca region, won a surprise election victory in 2021. He was celebrated by supporters as Peru’s first “president of the poor,” reflecting his working-class background and strong support among rural and Indigenous voters.

His presidency, however, lasted only 16 months, marked by political deadlock, frequent Cabinet reshuffles, and clashes with an opposition-dominated Congress. By the time of his removal, Castillo faced multiple corruption allegations and repeated impeachment attempts.

His arrest triggered massive protests across the country, particularly in the rural Andes and southern Peru. Demonstrators demanded his release and decried what they called a politically motivated ousting.

Castillo’s downfall plunged Peru into deeper instability. His successor, then-Vice President Dina Boluarte, oversaw a harsh crackdown on nationwide protests, during which at least 50 people were killed according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The Commission accused security forces of using “disproportionate, indiscriminate, and lethal force.”

Boluarte herself was impeached in October amid growing public anger, corruption investigations, and surging crime. She was replaced by José Jerí, a right-wing politician and former head of Congress, extending Peru’s cycle of rapid leadership change. The country has had eight presidents in the past decade.

The court rejected Castillo’s request for house arrest, ordering him instead to serve his sentence at Barbadillo Prison in Lima, a special facility designed for former presidents due to security concerns.

He will join several former leaders held at Barbadillo Prison, including Ollanta Humala, who served as president from 2011 to 2016 and is serving 15 years for money laundering; Alejandro Toledo, president from 2001 to 2006, who is serving 20 years for bribery; and Martín Vizcarra, president from 2018 to 2020, who was transferred to the facility this week after receiving a 14-year sentence for bribery.

The sentencing also follows a diplomatic rift with Mexico, which granted asylum to Castillo’s former prime minister Betssy Chávez during the trial. In response, Peru declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum “persona non grata.”

Castillo’s legal team says it will appeal the ruling, arguing that the former president is a political prisoner targeted by entrenched elites. The government maintains that the verdict upholds Peru’s democratic and constitutional order. (ILKHA)