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Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo on Thursday reiterated his request for asylum in Mexico, reported on Twitter That country’s foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard.
Ebrard wrote at the beginning of his letter: “Ambassador Pablo Monroy of Lima informed me that he was able to meet Pedro Castillo at the Correctional Center at 1:20 p.m.
The foreign minister added that “Castillo approved the asylum application that was received at the Mexican embassy this morning (2 am).” He also published a note dated Wednesday that it was sent on behalf of the former president to the diplomatic headquarters.
Ebrard closed his post saying that they had “initiated consultations with the Peruvian authorities”.
CNN is trying to contact Castillo’s defense and the Peruvian authorities to get more information about what the Mexican official posted.
This Thursday, in his morning conference, Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, mentioned that Castillo called his office on Wednesday to tell him he was seeking asylum.
“Then he spoke here to the office so that they would notify me that he was going to the embassy, but surely his phone was already wiretapped, that he would ask for asylum, and if they would open the door of the embassy for him. I looked for Marcelo Ebrard, informed him and asked him to speak with the ambassador, and he opened the door of the embassy. Lopez said. Obrador “Sticking To Our Traditions”.
This Thursday, the Peruvian judiciary ordered the initial detention of Castillo for 7 days, after a hearing in which the Public Prosecution Service said there was a risk of flight by the former official.
Castillo’s defense denied the charges of insurrection and conspiracy against him and dismissed the charges from the attorney general’s office.
Castillo was arrested on Wednesday, after members of Congress approved the vacancy in the presidency. Hours earlier, the former president had tried to dissolve Congress, a measure that experts, the Constitutional Court, and the international community have classified as a coup attempt.
Jimena de la Quintana contributed to this report