Peru's detained ex-President Castillo ends hunger strike after four days, authorities say

Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has ended a four-day hunger strike that he began in protest of his trial on rebellion and other charges, judicial authorities announced Friday.

A judicial clerk informed the Supreme Court's panel overseeing the case that Castillo ended the hunger strike Thursday afternoon after being released from a hospital where he was taken that same day because of a “health problem.”

Castillo has been detained since Dec. 7, 2022, when he gave a televised speech in which he declared the dissolution of Congress and his intent to rule by decree. Congress removed him from office that same day.

Now, the former president faces a trial on charges of rebellion, grave abuse of authority and disturbing public tranquility in a case that has polarized the South American nation. The prosecution is seeking 34 years in prison for the former president.

Castillo has described his trial as “politicized” and a “pantomime” and has refused legal counsel provided by the judicial system.

The removal of Castillo, Peru’s first Indigenous president, had sparked large protests in the south of the country, in which at least 49 people were killed in the weeks following his ouster. He was replaced by then-Vice President Dina Boluarte.

Castillo was a rural school teacher with no political experience when he won Peru’s 2021 election. In addition to the current trial, he faces a criminal investigation over alleged corruption during his time in office.