In brief
Peru's Congress has voted to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum a 'persona non grata'. This decision follows Peru's severance of diplomatic ties with Mexico due to asylum granted to former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is facing serious allegations related to a coup attempt. The declaration passed with a 63-33 vote, marking a new low in the relationship between the two nations, also fueled by accusations of drug trafficking connections allegedly tied to Sheinbaum.
Peru's Congress has voted to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as persona non grata - or unwelcome in the country. The decision comes days after Peru severed diplomatic ties with Mexico, after the Mexican government granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister facing charges for a 2022 coup attempt. Betssy Chávez denies allegations that she played a role in ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo's plan to dissolve congress. She has taken refuge in the Mexican embassy in Lima.Mexico says it has offered Chávez asylum in accordance with international law and rejected Peru's accusation that it was an 'unfriendly act'. The declaration, passed in a 63-33 vote in the Peruvian Congress, marks the latest escalation in worsening ties between the two Latin American nations. During the vote, Peruvian legislators also accused the Mexican leader of having close ties to drug trafficking - a claim they provided no evidence for. Chávez had been imprisoned in June 2023 over her alleged role in Castillo's plan to dissolve Peru's legislature. She was released by a judge on bail in September and has denied the charges against her, with prosecutors seeking a 25-year sentence for her.Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela stated that legal experts were reviewing the 1954 Caracas Convention on diplomatic asylum, which Mexico cited to justify their offer of asylum. Earlier this week, de Zela remarked that Mexico had tried to portray the authors of the coup attempt as victims. He emphasized, 'In reality, Peruvians live and want to continue living in democracy, as recognized by all countries in the world, with the sole and lonely exception of Mexico.' Peru has also accused Mexico of repeated interference in its internal affairs, citing the expulsion of Mexico's ambassador in 2022 for granting asylum to Castillo's family. Additionally, a proposal to declare Sheinbaum persona non grata was presented by Peru's Foreign Relations Committee last September due to her failure to condemn the coup attempt.
