The protests against Pedro Castillo’s ouster are feared to escalate with the Supreme Court’s decision.
The Supreme Court of Peru has ordered that the ousted president last week Pedro Castillo remains in pretrial detention for 1.5 years before trial.
The Supreme Court did not take a position on the charges brought against Castillo, but only on whether he should be imprisoned while the prosecutors conduct their investigation.
Castillo’s actions are being investigated as at least an attempted revolution and a rebellion.
After Castillo’s ouster, a former vice president became the president of Peru last week Dina Boluarte.
At least eight people have died and more than 200 have been injured in the protests against Castillo’s ouster. The protests are feared to escalate with the Supreme Court’s decision.
Castillo, a leftist, enjoys his strongest popularity in the Andes, while in the coastal capital of Lima, he has faced strong opposition. However, in recent days, the protests supporting Castillo have also spread to Lima.
Earlier this week, four South American nations led by leftist presidents — Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico — issued a joint statement calling Castillo a “victim of undemocratic harassment.”
Tourists stuck in the Peruvian Andes due to protests
Dozens of foreign tourists have been stranded in the Peruvian Andes as roadblocks have been set up by protesters opposing the ousting of the former president.
A total of about six buses and 60 people have been stuck since Tuesday in the mountain town of Checacupe in the Cusco region, one of the passengers told news agency Reuters.
According to him, there are children and elderly among the passengers and that they have had to spend the night in buses.
Reuters has confirmed that the stranded Checacupe includes tourists from Argentina, Chile, Japan, England, Peru and the United States.
Sources: Reuters, AFP, STT