Peru Ends Diplomatic Relations With Mexico

‍ ‍(AP Foto/Martín Mejía)‍ ‍

On Nov. 3, Peru announced that it had cut diplomatic relations with Mexico following its government's decision to grant asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez. Chávez, who is on trial for her alleged role in the 2022 attempt by then-President Pedro Castillo to dissolve Congress, fled to the Mexican Embassy in Lima before the announcement. Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela said the asylum constituted an “unfriendly act” adding to what the government described as “repeated interference” by Mexico in Peru’s internal political affairs.

Chávez is accused of participating in Castillo’s failed effort to declare a state of emergency and shut down the legislature in order to prevent impeachment. When the military refused to support Castillo’s move, Congress swiftly removed him from office, and he was arrested on charges of rebellion. Prosecutors say Chávez acted as an accomplice in the attempted coup, and they are seeking a prison sentence of up to twenty-five years. Castillo, who has been in custody since his removal in December 2022, faces a potential thirty-four-year sentence.

The situation escalated when Peruvian authorities learned Chávez had taken refuge inside the Mexican Embassy residence. “Today we learned that former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, the alleged co-author of the coup d’état attempted by former President Pedro Castillo, is being granted asylum,” de Zela told reporters. He argued that Mexico’s actions were part of a larger pattern, claiming that its current and former presidents have repeatedly interfered in Peru’s domestic affairs.

Mexico rejected Peru’s decision as “excessive and disproportionate,” insisting that granting asylum to Chavez is a legitimate act under international law and “in no way constitutes intervention in Peru’s internal affairs.” In its statement, Mexico said it regretted the rupture but stood by its legal and diplomatic obligations, writing that it “regrets and rejects Peru’s unilateral decision to sever diplomatic relations in response to a legitimate act in accordance with international law”. 

Tensions between the two countries did not begin with Chávez’s case. Relations deteriorated sharply in December 2022, when Mexico granted asylum to Castillo’s wife and children after his arrest. Peru later expelled the Mexican ambassador over that decision, and the administration of Dina Boluarte, who succeeded Castillo as President, temporarily recalled its own ambassador in February 2023 after Mexican leaders publicly criticized Castillo’s removal. In October of this year, Mexico’s president again stated that Castillo had been the “victim” of a coup, further aggravating Peru’s government.

‍ ‍(José Jerí/X‍)

Chávez’s sudden flight to the embassy and Mexico’s decision to protect her pushed the already-frayed relationship to its breaking point. Peru’s government framed the decision to cut diplomatic ties as necessary to defend its sovereignty and the integrity of its judicial process, while Mexico framed its response as a matter of human rights and asylum law.

The rupture illustrates how unresolved fallout from Castillo’s 2022 attempt to dissolve Congress continues to shape Peru’s political landscape and foreign relations. What began as a failed constitutional power grab has evolved into one of the region’s most serious diplomatic disputes.