The Peruvian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday its decision to grant a safe-conduct to former first lady Lilia Paredes and wife of former president Pedro Castillo, as well as their two children, so that they can travel to Mexico.
Through a press conference, the head of the Peruvian diplomacy, Ana Cecilia Gervasi, informed that the decision was based on international obligations and in coordination with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
However, the Peruvian government has informed the Mexican government that Lilia Paredes is currently under investigation for her alleged involvement in a crime of criminal organization, and therefore reserves the right to request her extradition in the future, should she be sentenced.
Likewise, the Government of Peru has affirmed that it will defend «with the utmost firmness the right of the State» to fight corruption and to ensure that «those responsible are judged with the guarantees of due process to avoid impunity».
«The Government of Peru emphatically reiterates that there is no political persecution in the country and that the rule of law, the separation of powers and respect for the guarantees of the administration of justice, including due process,» reads a note shared by the Peruvian Foreign Ministry.
The ministerial statement comes after the head of the Mexican diplomacy, Marcelo Ebrard, confirmed this Tuesday that Paredes and his two children, who are minors, have been granted political asylum as they are staying at the Mexican Embassy in Lima.
«The asylum has already been granted because they are in Mexican territory, that is, they are in our Embassy (…) It is an independent sovereign decision of Mexico», defended the head of Mexican diplomacy, according to ‘El Universal’.
Already on Monday, the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, affirmed that his country has «open doors» for Pedro Castillo, for his family and for «all those who feel harassed and persecuted» in Peru.
The President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, assured on Sunday that the Mexican Government had granted political asylum to Castillo’s wife and son, after the former Peruvian president had already tried to take refuge in the Mexican Embassy in Lima the day he was dismissed by the Congress.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
