UN committee urges Peru to report on Pedro Castillo case within two months

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has formally requested that Peruvian authorities provide an update by September 24 regarding the implementation of recommendations issued in 2023 concerning former President Pedro Castillo. The committee's previous findings emphasized the need for fair trial guarantees in Castillo's case.

Yvonne Donders, the committee's special rapporteur for follow-up on observations, sent a letter on June 29, noting that Peruvian authorities had not yet responded to a prior request for information on compliance. The committee has extended the deadline from the original March 24 date to September 24.

In its 2023 report, the committee specifically called on Peru to ensure Castillo's legal proceedings adhered to the principles of due process and a fair trial. It also recommended that the presidential vacancy process be conducted in full accordance with these same principles.

This development follows a recent opinion from another UN expert group, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which declared Castillo's detention after his attempted self-coup to be "arbitrary" and recommended his immediate release. However, on July 22, the Supreme Court of Peru confirmed the extension of Castillo's pre-trial detention by 12 months.

Castillo is currently serving an 11-year and 5-month sentence for the failed coup attempt on December 7, 2022. He also faces ongoing investigations for alleged organized crime, influence peddling, and collusion during his presidency from 2021 to 2022, for which his pre-trial detention is in effect. He is detained at the Barbadillo prison, known as the "presidents' prison," alongside former leaders Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala, and Martín Vizcarra.