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. In addition, it requested that the Peruvian government provide, within six months, information on any difficulties it might encounter in implementing the “recommendations” issued by the international body.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) evaluated the detention of former President Pedro Castillo following the failed self-coup of December 7, 2022, as well as the Peruvian government’s defense, concluding that the process did not take place within the legal framework, that judicial immunity and the right to a preliminary hearing were not respected; and the right to a fair trial was not respected.
Immediate Release
The WAD recommended his immediate release and the granting of reparations, and also called for a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances of his deprivation of liberty.
“The Working Group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Castillo immediately and grant him the effective right to obtain compensation and other forms of reparation, in accordance with international law,” the Working Group stated in a 19-page report dated June 4, 2026.
The body found that the arbitrary detention violated Articles 3, 9, 10, and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, specifically the rights to liberty, freedom from arbitrary detention, the presumption of innocence, the right to be tried by a competent court, and the right to an adequate defense.
It should be noted that last May, the vice president of Fuerza Popular (Fujimorism), Miguel Torres, admitted in an interview “that the party led by Keiko Fujimori coordinated with Congress, the Prosecutor’s Office—then headed by Patricia Benavides—and other sectors to remove former President Pedro Castillo from office.”
Possible Pardon?
The GTDA’s resolution comes at a time when President José María Balcázar is evaluating the possibility of a pardon for former President Pedro Castillo Terrones; meanwhile, President-elect Keiko Fujimori, who will take office on July 28, has stated that any pardon must be granted within the framework of the law.
