Peru: IACHR Delegation Visits Former President Castillo in Jail

Just a few hours before finishing its visit to Peru, a delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) held a meeting with the ousted president Pedro Castillo, who remains in pretrial detention for 18 months.

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Castillo, who was removed by Congress on Dec. 7 and is accused of rebellion, had requested an urgent interview with IACHR officials on Wednesday night.

The IACHR Secretary Tania Reneaum and other officials met with Castillo this Thursday morning.

“We accompanied the IACHR technical team on a visit to the Barbadillo prison where former President Castillo is being held,” the Ombudsman's office tweeted.

The tweet reads, "After the removal and imprisonment of former President Pedro Castillo, a series of protests against Congress began in various regions of Peru. The protesters demand the closure of Congress and early elections."

“We met with the ex-president and his defense team and verified that the prison conditions are in line with those set forth in the Criminal Enforcement Code,” it added.

Castillo's defense attorney Wilfredo Robles, however, said that the former president was not alerted by prison authorities about the IACHR visit and denounced that Castillo is incommunicado and does not have access to telephones, television news, or newspapers.

The IACHR mission arrived in Peru on Dec. 20 to document the political crisis the country is experiencing as a result of Castillo's dismissal. The Army and the Police have strongly repressed the protests, leaving 27 citizens dead and dozens of injured and detained.