The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights rejected the request for a pardon for former President Pedro Castillo Terrones, submitted by Congressman Elías Varas. The Office of Presidential Pardons reported that the filing did not specify the type of presidential pardon (pardon, commutation, or clemency) nor did it meet the basic requirements of the Internal Regulations of the Presidential Pardons Commission.
With the Ministry of Justice’s decision, the possibility of a pardon that President José María Balcázar could have granted before leaving office—one of the commitments he made to Castillo’s supporters—has been ruled out.
Former President Pedro Castillo is serving an 11-year sentence at the Barbadillo prison following his attempted coup on December 7, 2022, when he delivered a message to the nation in which he dissolved the Congress of the Republic. He was subsequently removed from office by Congress and arrested, until November 2025, when the court convicted him of conspiracy to commit rebellion but acquitted him of the charge of actual rebellion, since he did not take up arms.
One day before the Presidential Pardons Commission’s decision, the Supreme Court of Justice denied the appeal filed by Castillo Terrones’ defense team and upheld his 12-month pretrial detention.
Government Disregards UN Recommendations
It should be recalled that last July, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that the detention of former President Pedro Castillo Terrones is “arbitrary” and recommended his immediate release, giving the Peruvian government six months to report on any difficulties in implementing the recommendations. The government maintains a stance of non-compliance, arguing that the ruling is not binding.
