Former President Pedro Castillo stated on his X account that “the Peruvian state flagrantly violated his human rights and that he was subjected to arbitrary detention while serving as President of the Republic on December 7, 2022.”
Castillo Terrones made these remarks following the report by the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which issued Opinion No. 78/2025 concluding that his detention was arbitrary and recommending his immediate release.
“The officials of the justice system and the political organizations that orchestrated my arrest and my immediate removal from office acted in a completely illegal manner, violating presidential immunity by fabricating a nonexistent charge of flagrante delicto and an alleged ‘armed uprising’ that never occurred, thereby undermining the rule of law,” he stated in a post on his X account.
The former president demanded immediate compliance with the GTDA’s ruling, noting that “the GTDA adopted this determination based on its mandate and the universal principles established in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a binding international treaty to which the Peruvian State is a party and is obligated to comply in good faith, within the framework of its international commitments.”
Below is former President Pedro Castillo’s message to the national and international public:
“To the Peruvian people and the peoples of the world; to the organizations that defend the rights of individuals and peoples; and to the organs of the administration of justice:
I, José Pedro Castillo Terrones, as the constitutional president of the Republic of Peru, elected by the sovereign will of the people, address you with my moral integrity intact, my dignity unblemished, and the resolve granted to me by historical truth and the rule of law, to announce a momentous milestone in the struggle for justice in the face of the collapse of the democratic system in our country—a collapse of which I, along with my people, have been a victim over the past few years.
I hereby make it public that the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has officially issued Opinion No. 78/2025 regarding my case. In this historic decision, this international body has unequivocally determined that the Peruvian State flagrantly violated my human rights and that I was subjected to arbitrary detention while serving as President of the Republic on December 7, 2022.
This decision unequivocally confirms that my imprisonment was never justified and that it was carried out in violation of fundamental principles of constitutionalism, the political preliminary hearing, due process, and international agreements. The UN Working Group reached this determination based on its mandate and the universal principles established in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a binding international treaty to which the Peruvian State is a party and which it is obligated to comply with in good faith, within the framework of its international commitments.
The world is now aware of the findings contained in this opinion and can see how officials within the justice system and political organizations that orchestrated my arrest and immediate removal from office acted in a completely illegal manner, violating presidential immunity by fabricating a nonexistent charge of being caught in the act and an alleged “armed uprising” that never occurred, thereby undermining the rule of law.
In this regard, I strongly call upon and firmly urge all national and international human rights protection bodies, as well as the Peruvian judicial authorities, to immediately comply with and implement the provisions set forth by this United Nations body. Continuing to ignore this international ruling not only intensifies the political persecution against me but also places the Peruvian State in a position of open defiance and violation of international law.
Finally, I express my deep gratitude to the millions of Peruvians who did not give up and who clearly understood that everything done against me was intended to make an example of the people for electing one of their own—people who, through their tireless struggle in the streets, their resolve, and their moral support, have been instrumental in ensuring that the international truth shines through in the face of injustice.
I also express my eternal gratitude for the work carried out by the international legal team.
José Pedro Castillo Terrones