Peruvian ex-President Castillo is on trial for a failed attempt to dissolve Congress

LIMA, Peru (AP) - Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was put on trial Tuesday on charges of rebellion, grave abuse of authority and perturbing public tranquility in a case that has polarized the South American nation.

The charges stem from a failed effort by Castillo to declare a state of emergency and dissolve Peru's Congress as legislators prepared an impeachment vote against him in December 2022.

Castillo failed to get the military's support for his move, and was swiftly deposed by Congress and arrested after prosecutors accused him of trying to promote a coup. But the removal of Castillo, Peru's first indigenous president, sparked large protests in the south of the country, i n which at least 49 people were killed in the weeks following the president's removal.

Castillo was replaced by Vice President Dina Boluarte, who now leads a conservative government and has built alliances with legislators from the nation’s traditional parties. The former president's trial takes place in a police base, where he has been held since he made his unsuccessful attempt to dissolve Congress and call for new elections.

Prosecutors have said they are seeking a 34-year prison sentence against Castillo, a former union leader and rural school teacher who won Peru's 2021 election with a surprise victory over the nation's political establishment.

Castillo had survived two impeachment votes before his unsuccessful attempt to dissolve Congress on Dec. 7, 2022.

He and his supporters have argued that conservative parties in Congress were blocking his policy initiatives and making it impossible for Castillo's government to carry out efforts to increase government spending and bring education and infrastructure to neglected rural areas.

Castillo's opponents have accused him of corruption and undermining democracy through attempts to dissolve Congress.

A similar move to shut Congress by then-President Alberto Fujimori in the early 1990s led to several years of authoritarian rule.

In a pre-trial hearing, Castillo said he was not guilty of rebellion, arguing that his decree to dissolve Congress, which he read out on national television, was never implemented.

"I only read out a document that had no consequences," Castillo said in May. "Since when does reading a speech become rebellion? Since when is a speech the same as using ammunition?"

Castillo is also facing a separate investigation for corruption in which he has been accused of irregularly providing promotions to members of the military and avoiding standard procurement practices to grant a contract for a bridge.