Peru breaks diplomatic relations with Mexico over asylum for former prime minister

What Peru announced

Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela told a press conference on Monday that Peru had decided to sever diplomatic relations with Mexico. He said Peru had learned with surprise and deep regret that former prime minister Betssy Chavez, whom he described as the alleged co-author of the attempted coup by former president Pedro Castillo, was being granted asylum at the residence of the Mexican Embassy in Peru.

De Zela called Mexico's decision an unfriendly act. He said that, taking into account repeated occasions on which the current and former presidents of Mexico had interfered in Peru's internal affairs, the Peruvian government had decided to break diplomatic relations with Mexico that day.

Who Betssy Chavez is and what she faces

Chavez served as prime minister under Castillo in November and December 2022. She is under investigation in Peru for her alleged role in Castillo's failed attempt in December 2022 to declare a state of emergency and dissolve Congress ahead of an impeachment vote. The plan collapsed when the military refused to support it, leading to Castillo's removal by Congress and his arrest.

Peru's Attorney General's Office has charged Chavez with being an accomplice in the rebellion against state authorities and is seeking a prison sentence of up to 25 years, according to reports. Chavez has denied the charges, according to one report. She was imprisoned in June 2023 over her alleged role and was later released by a judge on bail in September, that report said.

Mexico's response

Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry said it regretted Peru's move and stated that the asylum was granted in accordance with international law. In its statement, Mexico said it rejected Peru's unilateral decision as excessive and disproportionate in response to a legitimate act by Mexico consistent with international law, which in no way constituted intervention in Peru's internal affairs.

The Peruvian Foreign Ministry, by contrast, said Mexico had interfered in an inadmissible and systematic manner in Peru's domestic matters since December 2022, adding that repeated calls for respect of Peru's sovereignty were ignored. The two accounts therefore dispute not only the break in relations but also whether granting asylum amounted to interference at all.

A longer-running rift

The break is the latest chapter in tensions between the two governments since Castillo's ousting in December 2022. Peru previously expelled Mexico's ambassador after Mexico granted asylum to Castillo's wife and children, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has previously described Castillo as a victim of a coup and called for his release and a fair trial, according to reports.

What practical steps follow the severing of relations, including arrangements for citizens and for Chavez herself, was not set out in the reports reviewed for this article. The announcement itself, and the competing characterisations of it by Lima and Mexico City, are the confirmed facts so far.

Editorial disclosure

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