Peru withdraws Honduran ambassador amid regional criticism | Protests News

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Peru has struggled with diplomatic isolation as leftist governments criticize its crackdown on protesters calling for the president’s resignation.

Peru has withdrawn its ambassador from Honduras, as Peru’s crackdown on protesters draws criticism from leftist governments across Latin America.

In a social media post on Thursday, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry said it was withdrawing Ambassador Jorge Raffo from Honduras due to the country’s unacceptable interference in Peru’s internal affairs.

As a result of the position adopted by Honduras, bilateral relations with the said country will be maintained, indefinitely, at the charge d’affaires level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter.

Left-wing leaders from countries including Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia and Colombia have criticized the government of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte as security forces use lethal force against protesters calling for her removal.

About 56 people have been killed as the government steps up its efforts to contain the protests, which began on December 7, when former President Pedro Castillo tried to dissolve Peru’s Congress as the legislature gathered to vote on its impeachment. Castillo’s move was widely decried as illegal, and he was impeached and arrested.

Protests over his detention sparked by poor, rural Peruvians who see Castillo as a victim of a corrupt establishment have called for the removal of Boluarte, who was sworn in after Castillos was removed from office.

Lawmakers allied with Castillo in the legislature introduced a motion to impeach Boluartes this week. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital Lima on Tuesday and were met with tear gas and pellets, despite Boluarte’s call for tensions to ease earlier in the day.

Speaking before the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Argentina this week, Honduran President Xiomara Castro called Boluartes’ presidency a coup.

We condemn the coup in Peru and the aggression against the Peruvian people, Castro said. Our solidarity [is] with the legitimate elected president, Pedro Castillo, and we demand his immediate release.

His concerns were echoed by other Latin American CELAC leaders, including Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who said there was an urgent need to change Peru because the result of the path of violence and repression is unacceptable.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also pushed for an end to the crackdown in Peru during his appearance at CELAC. He criticized the current Peruvian government and called Castillo the country’s rightful leader, offering the former president and his family sanctuary in Mexico.

In December, Peru declared the Mexican envoy persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country.

In a statement similar to that of the withdrawal of its ambassador from Honduras, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry said that the decision to expel the envoy from Mexico came amid repeated statements by the highest authorities of that country regarding the situation. politics in Peru.

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