Vijay Prashad and José Carlos Llerena Robles explain the US role in the Peruvian coup.
The last phone call Castillo received before leaving the presidential palace came from the United States Embassy.
Vijay Prashad and José Carlos Llerena Robles, Globetrotter
On December 7, 2022, Pedro Castillo sat in his office on what would be his last day as president of Peru. His lawyers were analyzing spreadsheets that indicated a victory for Castillo over a motion in Congress to remove him from office. This would be the third time Castillo was facing impeachment proceedings in Congress, but his lawyers and advisors – including former president Aníbal Torres – said he had an advantage over Congress in the... opinion polls (His approval rating had risen to 31%, while that of Congress was only 10%).
Castillo had been under immense pressure the previous year from an oligarchy that despised the former professor. In a surprising move, he announced He told the press on December 7th that he would "temporarily dissolve Congress" and that he would "establish an exceptional emergency government." This measure sealed his fate. Castillo and his family they ran Those heading towards the Mexican embassy, but who could reach it, were arrested by the military on Avenida España.
Why did Pedro Castillo take the fatal step of trying to dissolve Congress when it was clear to his advisors – such as Luis Alberto Mendieta – that he would emerge victorious after that afternoon's vote?
Pressure has reached Castillo, despite the evidence. Since his election in July 2021, his opponent In the presidential election, Keiko Fujimori, along with her allies, tried to prevent his rise to the presidency. She worked with men who had direct links to the US government and its intelligence agencies. One of Fujimori's team members, Fernando Rospigliosi, for example, had tried... wrap The US embassy in Lima protested against Ollanta Humala, who contested the 2006 Peruvian presidential election. Vladimiro Montesinos, a former CIA agent who is serving a sentence in a prison in Peru, sent messages The order was given to Pedro Rejas, former commander of the Peruvian Army, to go "to the US embassy to talk to the head of intelligence at the embassy," with the aim of trying to influence the 2021 Peruvian presidential election. Shortly before the election, the US sent a mission to Peru. former CIA agentLisa Kenna, as its ambassador in Lima. She got together with the Minister of Defense, Gustavo Bobbio, on December 6th, and published a denunciation tweet In response to Castillo's attempt to dissolve Congress the following day (December 8th), the US government – through Ambassador Kenna – recognized the new Peruvian government, after the fall of Castillo).
A key figure in the pressure campaign against Castillo appears to have been Mariano Alvarado. operations officer From the Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG), which effectively acts as the US Defense Attaché. We are told that officials like Alvarado, who are in close contact with the Peruvian generals, gave them the green light to act against Castillo. It is also known that the last phone call Castillo received before leaving the presidential palace came from the United States Embassy. It is likely that they warned him to flee to the embassy of a friendly power, which would make him appear weak.
This article was produced for Globetrotter and translated by Pedro Marin for the Opera magazine.