Prosecutors seek 34-year sentence for Peru’s Pedro Castillo

Just over a year after former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was removed from office and arrested for attempting to dissolve Congress in late 2022, prosecutors officially requested a 34-year prison sentence for the left-wing rural teacher, charging him with “rebellion, abuse of authority, and serious disturbance of public order.”

They also accused Mr. Castillo of “perpetrating a coup d’état” on that fateful December 7 in 2022 and sought lighter sentences for other members of his cabinet. The list includes former prime ministers Aníbal Torres and Betssy Chávez, among others. 

The former president’s legal representatives appealed, arguing that the case should be permanently shelved because their client’s actions “do not constitute a crime.” The Criminal Chamber of Peru’s Supreme Court will consider the appeal and is expected to offer a verdict on January 22, following a hearing with Mr. Castillo, his lawyers, and prosecutors.  

The 54-year-old former president is serving a provisional three-year sentence on the outskirts of Lima in Barbadillo prison, which became famous for holding former Peruvian heads of state, including the far-right Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), who was released last month after serving a lengthy sentence for human rights violations, and the centrist Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), who was extradited from the U.S. last year to face corruption charges in Peru.

These names are just a few in a longer list of former leaders who have fallen from grace after their...