Lima, Peru — Peru’s Government announced it severed diplomatic relations with Mexico after the North American country granted political asylum to former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is accused of participating in Pedro Castillo’s attempted coup on December 7, 2022.
The announcement was made by Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela, who described Mexico’s decision as “an unfriendly and repeated act of interference in Peru’s internal affairs.” In an official statement, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry explained that the rupture responds “to the decision of the Government of Mexico to grant diplomatic asylum to a person facing criminal prosecution for serious and common crimes.”
Mexico, for its part, defended its decision and regretted the diplomatic break. President Claudia Sheinbaum called Lima’s move “disproportionate” and said that her country “has acted in accordance with international law and its long-standing tradition of humanitarian asylum.”
Former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez during her trial. Image courtesy of ANDINA.
What diplomatic asylum means and why Mexico has the final say
Former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez Chino faces a 25-year prison request from Peruvian prosecutors for the crime of rebellion, due to her alleged participation in the attempt to dissolve Congress alongside Castillo. According to the accusation, Chávez was aware of and involved in the failed attempt to dissolve Congress that ended with the president’s removal from office.
In recent months, Chávez failed to attend court hearings, citing health problems. However, the court questioned the validity of the medical certificate she presented and warned that it could order her arrest or compel her to appear by force if she missed the next session. Before that could happen, the former official entered the residence of the Mexican Embassy in Lima to request diplomatic asylum.
Criminal lawyer Carlos Caro explained in a statement that asylum is regulated by the 1954 Caracas Convention, which is in force in both Mexico and Peru, and that it is up to the asylum-granting state —in this case, Mexico— to determine the nature of the offense or the motives for persecution.
“It is not relevant whether Peru considers Betssy Chávez’s case to involve common crimes, but rather what Mexico determines, because ‘the qualification of the nature of the offense or of the motives for the persecution pertains to the asylum-granting state’ (Article IV),” said Caro.
Former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez when she was sworn into office. Image courtesy of ANDINA.
The expert also noted that the Mexican Embassy is not foreign territory, but enjoys diplomatic immunity, meaning Peruvian authorities cannot enter and arrest her. “Ecuador, for example, violated international law in April 2024 when police entered the Mexican Embassy in Quito to extract Jorge Glas, even though diplomatic asylum had already been granted to him,” he added.
Caro also warned that if Mexico formalizes the asylum in the coming hours, the Peruvian State must issue a safe-conduct, allowing Chávez to travel to Mexico “without being arrested anywhere within the national territory,” as established in Article XII of the Convention.
With this new crisis, Peru and Mexico are experiencing their worst diplomatic moment in decades. The embassies of both countries have suspended operations, and commercial and consular ties remain in limbo until further notice.
Meanwhile, the former prime minister remains sheltered inside the Mexican Embassy in Lima, awaiting the formalization of her asylum and the Peruvian government’s decision on whether she will be allowed to leave the country.
The Mexican Embassy in Lima had already sparked diplomatic tensions in December 2022, when it gave refuge to the wife and children of former president Pedro Castillo shortly after the attempted coup.
The government of then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador later granted them asylum and facilitated their transfer to Mexican territory, which led to a bilateral crisis and the withdrawal of the Peruvian ambassador from Mexico City at the time.
