The ousted former president Pedro Castilloa prisoner accused of rebellion, asked the Justice this Wednesday to grant him access to a cell phone to use it from Barbadillothe prison inside the headquarters of the Special Operations Directorate of the Police (Diroes) where he is being held.
Sporting a grown mustache, the former head of state asked to be granted a line to contact his wife and two children, who left for asylum in Mexico last week.
“You must be aware, Supreme Judges, that, to date, I am incommunicado. I have not had access to a phone number to call my family. I ask you to reflect (…) this unjust prison has only served to polarize our country, ”he continued.
It may interest you: Pedro Castillo denied crimes against him: “it’s all about political revenge”
The former Minister of the Interior ruben vargassaid to The Republic that, in mid-December, Castillo would have had a cell phone at his disposal in his cell in Diroes to contact former prefects, sub-prefects, and figures related to social and political organizations.
“He, in person, would be directing these violent acts through some characters linked to Fenatep and Movadef. Pedro Castillo himself would be responsible for the acts of violence that are taking place in the Apurímac area, ”he told the newspaper.
In the virtual hearing this Wednesday, Castillo also denied having committed crimes when he tried to carry out a self-coup on December 7, for which he pleaded for his immediate release.
“I have not committed any crime of conspiracy, but the one who has conspired is Congress and other institutions in order to put together a plan for the fall of my government through successive vacancy requests and other tricks,” he said.
The message read in the quote was also later shared on the Twitter account of the ex-president, investigated for the crime of rebellion and conspiracy for trying to close Congress, intervene in public powers and govern by decree.
The maneuver had no institutional backing. The Police detained him hours after his dismissal, when he was trying to reach the Mexico’s embassy to apply for asylum. The government was assumed by its vice president, Dina Boluarte.
Castillo’s fall sparked violent protests that left 22 dead and more than 600 injured in clashes with security forces. The protesters called for the resignation of Boluartethe closure of Congress and the advancement of elections.
In an attempt to mitigate the crisis, Parliament approved a week ago to advance the general elections from 2026 to April 2024.
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