Peru’s Congress voted to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata, intensifying a diplomatic rift between the two countries.
The motion, which was approved on Thursday with 63 votes in favor and 33 against, came just days after Peru broke diplomatic relations with Mexico over its decision to grant asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who faces charges related to an attempted coup in 2022.
Chávez, who denies the accusations, has taken refuge in the Mexican embassy in Lima. She was imprisoned in June 2023, but was later released on bail. Peruvian prosecutors are asking for a 25-year prison sentence against him.
Mexico said it offered Chavez asylum “in accordance with international law” and dismissed Peru’s accusation that the move was “a hostile act.”
During the debate in Congress, some Peruvian legislators also accused President Sheinbaum of having ties to drug trafficking, although no evidence was presented to support the accusations.
Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela told Reuters that legal experts were reviewing the 1954 Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum, which Mexico cited to justify its decision.
Earlier this week, De Zela accused Mexico of trying to “present the perpetrators of the coup attempt as victims,” adding:
“We Peruvians live and want to continue living in democracy, as recognized by all countries in the world with the sole and solitary exception of Mexico.”
Peru has also accused successive Mexican administrations of interfering in its internal affairs. In 2022, Lima expelled Mexico’s ambassador after granting asylum to the wife and children of ousted President Pedro Castillo, who was arrested after his failed attempt to dissolve Congress.
Last September, the Foreign Relations Commission of the Peruvian Congress had already proposed declaring Sheinbaum persona non grata for not condemning Castillo’s actions and calling for his release.
(BBC News)
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