‘I refuse to participate in this political trial disguised as a legal trial,’ said Castillo, who faces up to 34 years in prison.

On Tuesday, Jose Neyra, the president of the Supreme Court’s Special Criminal Chamber, opened the trial against former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo for the attempted coup that took place on Dec. 7, 2022.

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Castillo arrived at the courtroom specially set up in the Barbadillo prison, where he has been held since 2022. Previously, however, he had announced that he was refusing to attend the trial, calling it a “farce.”

At the start of the hearing, the former Peruvian president stated that he did not have a lawyer and asked the presiding judge, Norma Carbajal, to publicly disclose his seven-page letter.

“As the constitutional president, I do not accept and will not submit to being tried in this ‘trial’ by this Special Criminal Chamber,” Castillo stated in the letter, adding that he is “being held hostage.”

When given the floor, Castillo told the judges that there was no reason for him to be represented by a lawyer because he could not submit to “a trial that is a charade.” He added that he does not accept the appointment of a public defense attorney and that he had dismissed the four lawyers he had previously accredited.

Also present at the hearing as co-defendants were former Prime Minister Anibal Torres, former Prime Minister Betsy Chavez, former Interior Minister Willy Huerta, and three former police officers—Manuel Lozada, Justo Venero, and Eder Infanzon—who are accused of being co-authors of the crime of rebellion.

“In patriotic protest, I inform this court, all participants, the country, and the world that, from this day forward, with just cause, I refuse to participate in this political trial disguised as a legal trial,” said Castillo, who faces up to 34 years in prison.

The Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of rebellion, abuse of authority, and serious disturbance of public order. It also seeks civil damages of approximately US$17 million.

Castillo claimed that his 2022 televised speech was not an official address to the nation because it was neither considered nor approved by the Council of Ministers, as required by the Constitution, and therefore, he has not committed the crimes the Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of.

“I am the only one responsible for what was said and done in that political speech on December 7, 2022. I did what the people asked me to do… None of my co-defendants, no one, had any direct or indirect involvement before, during, or after the events,” he said.

Castillo also asserted that there was no armed uprising because he did not ask anyone to carry one out, nor did he coordinate for it to happen. He thanked his previous lawyer, Luis Walter Medrano, for his professionalism and appointed attorney Iber Antenor Maravi as his replacement.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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