Peru cuts diplomatic ties with Mexico over asylum granted to former PM

Peru has broken off diplomatic relations with Mexico after the Mexican government granted asylum to former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is accused of taking part in the failed coup attempt by former President Pedro Castillo in 2022.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela said at a press briefing on Monday that the government learned “with surprise and deep regret” that Chávez was being sheltered at Mexico’s embassy in Lima.

“In light of this unfriendly act, and taking into account the repeated occasions on which the current and former presidents of that country have interfered in Peru’s internal affairs, the Peruvian government has decided today to break diplomatic relations with Mexico,” de Zela said.

Chávez, who briefly served as prime minister under Castillo, is accused of co-authoring the December 2022 coup attempt in which the former president tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. The move led to Castillo’s arrest within hours and sparked months of political unrest and protests across Peru.

“The truth is that they have tried to turn the authors of the attempted coup d’état into victims, when in reality, what Peruvians lived, and want to continue living, is democracy,” De Zela added. “With this act, Mexico’s president now seeks to portray Betssy Chávez, Pedro Castillo’s accomplice, as a political victim. That is false. Both are facing judicial proceedings with all due guarantees.”

The foreign minister said the decision to sever diplomatic relations was immediate and final, though consular relations will remain in place to ensure the protection of nationals in both countries.

De Zela said Lima had not yet received formal communication from Mexico about Chávez’s asylum request but stated that the process would be governed by international conventions, including the 1954 Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum.

“There is no possibility of intervening in the Mexican embassy,” he said. “Such an action is not contemplated under international law.”

Tensions between Peru and Mexico have escalated since Castillo’s removal, with President Claudia Sheinbaum and former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador describing him as a political prisoner. Relations further deteriorated after Mexico granted asylum to Castillo’s family in late 2022.

The latest diplomatic dispute follows a similar episode in 2024 in Ecuador, when Mexico’s involvement in that country’s internal political crisis led police to storm its embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been granted asylum there.