Sawt Falasteen - Peru's ousted 'president of the poor' gets 11-year sentence for coup bid

Dubbed Peru's first poor president, the former rural schoolteacher, who had never held elected office before winning the presidency, was impeached by Congress and jailed following his attempted power grab in December 2022.

He had repeatedly clashed with an opposition-dominated Congress during his 16 months in power, accusing them of attempting to keep power in the hands of elites.

The verdict in his case comes a day after another left-wing ex-president, Martin Vizcarra, was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment for bribe-taking while serving as a regional governor.

Vizcarra joined two other former presidents already behind bars at a special penitentiary for ex-leaders at a police base east of Lima on corruption charges: Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) and Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006).

Castillo, 56, was also imprisoned at the facility pending the outcome of his trial, which was held in a courtroom next to the prison.

The former trade unionist, who won power in 2021 on a promise to uplift Peru's poor, took the shock decision to dissolve Congress to try to avoid impeachment for alleged corruption.

His stunt failed spectacularly, however, with members of his own government resisting what prosecutors called an attempted coup.

Delivering its judgement in an hours-long session, the Supreme Court convicted him of "conspiracy to commit rebellion" against "the powers of the state and the constitutional order."

The court acquitted him on separate charges of abuse of power and disturbing public order.

He was sentenced to 11 years, five months and 15 days in prison.

Prosecutors had sought a 34-year prison sentence.

Castillo was arrested while on his way to the Mexican embassy -- Mexico had then and still has a left-wing government -- with his family to seek asylum.

His wife and two children have been living in exile ever since.

Dozens of Castillo's supporters had gathered outside the gates of his prison on Thursday to await the verdict.

"We are suffering for our president because he didn't steal a single sol (the Peruvian currency). An innocent man is imprisoned here. We demand justice," Julia Buendia, 54, told AFP.

- 'Unfriendly act' -

Castillo's former prime minister, Betssy Chavez, accused of being his co-conspirator, was also sentenced to eleven-and-a-half years in prison.

She was however granted asylum by the Mexican embassy before the eight-month trial ended, infuriating Peru, which promptly broke off ties with Mexico over alleged meddling in Peruvian affairs.

Peru's interim president Jose Jeri has not ruled out the police storming the Mexican embassy to arrest her.

Castillo's arrest and impeachment sparked mass protests in 2022 among his working-class rural base.

The protests were harshly repressed, leading to at least 50 deaths.

His deeply unpopular successor, former vice-president Dina Boluarte, led the country for a tumultuous 22 months marked by a deep security crisis before also being impeached in October.

She was replaced by Jeri, then the speaker of Congress.

Peru is on its seventh president since 2016: three presidents were removed from office by Congress, two resigned to avoid a similar fate and one completed his interim term.

U.Shaheen--SF-PST