Ex-President Castillo’s prison sentence is extended by 18 months

• A judge in Peru has granted a request to extend former President Pedro Castillo’s imprisonment for 18 months.
• Authorities make their case against him on rebellion and conspiracy charges.
• Protesters want the jailed leader freed.

A judge in Peru has granted a request to extend former President Pedro Castillo’s imprisonment for 18 months as authorities make their case against him on “rebellion” and “conspiracy” charges. The decision is expected to further inflame political turmoil and protests that have roiled the South American nation since Castillo’s impeachment and detention last week.

Protesters want the jailed leader freed, new elections held, and his successor, Dina Boluarte, removed.

Boluarte’s administration issued a statewide state of emergency on Wednesday to suppress the uprising, which has killed at least eight people.

In Thursday’s verdict, a Supreme Court panel determined that Castillo will remain incarcerated while prosecutors investigate his criminal allegations.

The verdict did not address Castillo’s charges, but a judge emphasized his risk of escape.

Castillo says he’s being “unjustly and unlawfully held” near Lima.

This Monday, he called on his supporters to demand his release and asked the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to intervene.

“Stop! Mistreatment, indignation, and humiliation persist. Castillo said on Twitter that he was being held for 18 months pending trial.

I blame judges and prosecutors for the country’s problems.

Peru’s Castillo was impeached last Wednesday, hours after announcing plans to “temporarily” dissolve the legislature and rule by decree.

Boluarte, Castillo’s former vice president, was sworn in shortly after Castillo’s ouster.

Boluarte, the country’s first female president, has urged calm amid continuous protests in Castillo’s rural heartland.

“Peru cannot overflow with blood,” she stated Wednesday, as her administration proclaimed a 30-day state of emergency.

The move suspends civil liberties and gives police exceptional powers to disrupt protests.

Four airports have been closed, and hundreds of visitors are trapped at Machu Picchu when train service was suspended.

Local TV images showed dozens of vehicles trapped on a coastal highway south of Lima and hundreds of protesters placing stones on roadways in Puno, Cusco, and Arequipa.

Protest leaders plan to hold further rallies on Friday to demand Castillo’s release, Boluarte’s resignation, Congress’s shutdown, and new elections.

Boluarte stated last week that a new vote could be placed in April 2024 after earlier indicating she would fulfill Castillo’s term.

She moved the date to December.

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