Mexico City, Mexico — “From our perspective it’s completely out of proportion, but it’s a decision they make,” said President Claudia Sheinbaum. She made the comment Tuesday adding that Mexico is waiting to receive official notification regarding the severing of diplomatic relations. That severing was determined by the government of the Republic of Peru, Sheinbaum clarified.
After noting that trade relations between the two countries continue, Sheinbaum reaffirmed her support for Pedro Castillo, democratically elected in 2021 to the Presidency of Peru, against the unfair and discriminatory treatment he received from the political class.
“We always stated it, we gave asylum to her family here and when this foreign minister [Betssy Chávez Chino] was imprisoned, she was released and decided to request asylum in Mexico, it was evaluated here in Mexico, as all such requests are evaluated and she entered the Mexican embassy in Peru, where she remains to this day.”
On behalf of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the Undersecretary for North America, Roberto Velasco Álvarez, reported that the agency informed the Peruvian government of the decision to grant asylum to Betssy Chávez, with the request to provide safe passage to leave the country, in accordance with the Mexican tradition of political asylum and international law.
He recalled that Article 4 of the Caracas Convention establishes that the State that authorizes asylum is the one that must define whether it is a case of political persecution; Article 11 of the Mexican Constitution establishes that every person has the right to seek and receive asylum in accordance with international treaties.
Because of this, both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) and the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) decided to grant asylum to Betssy Chávez, given that she stated she had been a victim of violations of procedural rights and political persecution.
He emphasized that United Nations General Assembly resolution 1967 stipulates that granting political asylum will never be considered an act of enmity.
“That is why we reject the decision made by the Peruvian government to break diplomatic relations with Mexico, but not consular relations; we are acting peacefully, with a humanitarian approach and in strict adherence to international law.”
The Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Raquel Serur Smeke, reaffirmed that Mexico has the right to grant political asylum or refuge, since it is a sovereign state that must be respected by other countries.
He indicated that both asylum and refuge are human rights that are guided, among other things, by the pro persona principle: “Laws must be interpreted and applied in a way that gives the broadest protection to the individual, and the right to the presumption of innocence. Every person is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.”
The Director General for South America, Pablo Monroy Conesa, recalled that Betssy Chávez was the highest-ranking public servant in Pedro Castillo’s cabinet.
He explained that Betssy Chávez’s case is also characterized by various irregularities, since she has stated that during the time she was in prison, she suffered repeated abuses. “Mexico found that there are sufficient elements to grant asylum, in strict adherence to national and international law.”
He pointed out that Mexico does not interfere in Peru’s internal affairs, despite the extreme and disproportionate measures that Peru has taken against our country.
“Mexico did not declare the Peruvian ambassador persona non grata in 2022, as Peru did with the Mexican ambassador at that time; Mexico has not declared any Peruvian president persona non grata, and Mexico maintained its diplomatic and consular relations with Peru, and this is due to the deep love and respect we have for the Peruvian people,” he said.
