Peru Judge Keeps Ousted President Pedro Castillo in Custody for 18 Months
A Peru judge granted tThursday he government's request for more time to prepare their case against ousted President Pedro Castillo by ordering him to remain in detention for 18 months.
According to the Associated Press News, the ruling came a day after the government proclaimed a police state to quell violent protests killing at least 14 as of press time.
Castillo was removed from office and placed under custody because he attempted to dissolve Congress before an impeachment vote, and his supporters began protesting last week.
Following a ruling by Judge Cesar San Martin Castro, Congress revoked Castillo's immunity from prosecution for crimes committed while seated as the president of Peru.
Castillo and his legal team chose not to participate in the virtual hearing on Thursday because they felt it lacked "fundamental guarantees." A public attorney represented Castillo.
The Supreme Prosecutor of Peru, Alcides Chinchay, told the jury on Thursday that ousted President Pedro Castillo might serve at least ten years in prison for the alleged rebellion.
Peru Judge Decision Ignites Large Protest
On Thursday evening, a large mass of demonstrators and police in riot gear gathered in central Lima as the nation awaited a judgment on Castillo's fate.
Protesters demand President Dina Boluarte to step down, that Castillo be released, and that general elections to determine a new leader and members of Congress be held as soon as possible.
They have burned police stations, commandeered a military airstrip, and targeted Arequipa's international airport's runway, which serves as a hub for several of Peru's key tourist attractions.
The protests harm thousands of tourists, said Spectrum News.
Service on the passenger train that takes tourists to Machu Picchu was halted, while roadblocks on the Pan-American Highway left trailer trucks detained for days, causing food headed for the capital to rot.
On Thursday, travelers in Cusco were stranded at hotels and the airport.
Twenty of them are Ecuadorians, according to a statement from the foreign ministry of that nation.
Karen Marcillo, 28, who has been forced to sleep at the Teniente Alejandro Velasco Astete airport in Cusco, said, "I was about to return to Ecuador on Monday, and unfortunately, they told us that all flights were canceled due to the protests,"
Peru's tourist sector is still recuperating from the pandemic's effects, which caused visits to drop from 4.4 million in 2019 to 400,000 last year.
President Dina Boluarte Is Doing a Good Job, Says Political Science Professor
Ousted President Pedro Castillo spent much of his time in office defending himself from criticism from a hostile Congress and inquiries into everything from plagiarism to corruption.
The future of Boluarte, who served as his running mate and vice president, is currently unknown. She is a newbie to politics like the ousted President Pedro Castillo, lacking a support network in Congress.
The San Diego Union-Tribune noted that Cynthia McClintock, a professor of political science at George Washington University and an expert on Peru, claimed that Boluarte is currently doing a terrific job, albeit a "big challenge.
According to McClintock, some protesters "seem to want kind of instability at any cost."
Still, others saw Castillo's removal as a chance to air long-held concerns about extreme inequality, poverty, and a lack of public services.
However, lawmakers hoping to save their jobs might offer Boluarte some breathing room.
If a general election for Congress is held as demonstrators demand, they will be unable to run for re-election and lose their jobs.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: Violent Protests In Peru After President Pedro Castillo Is Ousted - From Insider News
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