At least 15 dead in Peru amid protests calling for the reinstatement of former President Pedro Castillo to office

The death toll in Peru rose to 18 while protests over the deposition of the former president Pedro Castillo are already in their second week.

A judge in the South American country issued 18 months of preventive detention against Castillo, detained since last 7 December for allegedly trying to dissolve the Congress of his country in the midst of a failed coup d’état.

Judge Juan Carlos Checkley determined that there are elements that support the accusation for the crimes of rebellion and conspiracy. The ruling implicates Castillo and some of his collaborators.

The former president must remain confined in the facilities of the Barbadillo prison in the Ate district, east of Lima.

The magistrate It also required the periodic appearance of former Prime Minister Aníbal Torres, who is free on bail.

According to the evaluation, Castillo, together with former Prime Minister Betssy Chavéz, former Interior Minister Willy Huerta and Torres agreed to dissolve Congress and intervene in the Justice system.

Checkley, of the Supreme Court, also poses a possible flight risk for the former president.

The court decision has sparked protests across the country. Due to the above, the administration of the interim president, Dina Boluarte, declared a state of emergency for 18 days and a curfew for at least 15 provinces.

The protests demand the reinstatement of Castillo in his position.

In the pretrial detention period, prosecutors will continue to investigate the merits of the criminal charges against the member of the political party Peru Libre.

Castillo has rejected the charges against him and insists that he is still legally the president of Peru.

Some of the demonstrators in the massive protests reached the outside of the prison where the former rural teacher remains detained.

The protesters demand the release of Castillo and the closure of Congress.

“We want the voice of the people to be heard. The people demand that they bring back their president,” one of the participants identified as Gloria Machuca told Reuters.

For its part, the newspaper El Comercio reported this Thursday that The National Prosecutor’s Office initiated preliminary proceedings against Castillo for the crime of bribery as a result of the alleged bribes that the businesswoman Sada Goray delivered to Salatiel Marrufo at the request of the former president. The investigation includes former ministers Geiner Alvarado (Housing) and Félix Chero (Justice). This is the eighth investigation that the National Prosecutor’s Office has opened against the former president. In addition to Goray’s alleged bribery, Castillo is being investigated for the following cases: MTC (Puente Tarata) and ‘Los Niños’, Anguía (Housing), Shadow Cabinet, Petro-Peru, irregular promotions of the Armed Forces. and the PNP, and Mariano González.