Overview
- A Second Constitutional Court judge in Lima declared the habeas corpus petition inadmissible, rejecting a bid to free former president Pedro Castillo based on a UN Working Group opinion.
- The petition was filed by lawyer Walter Ayala and sought to annul Castillo’s December 4, 2025, conviction for conspiracy to rebellion, the congressional vacancia, the lifting of his antejuicio, and his preventive detention.
- The judge relied on Constitutional Tribunal doctrine to say the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issues have an extraconventional origin and do not create binding jurisdiction over Peruvian courts.
- The decision notes the criminal case remains in process and that Castillo’s 11-year, 5-month sentence is pending appeal before the Supreme Court’s Permanent Criminal Chamber, which must assess evidentiary and substantive claims.
- The ruling reinforces a domestic legal boundary between nonbinding UN human‑rights opinions and national criminal procedure, a stance that could limit future attempts to use UN opinions to overturn Peruvian judicial or congressional acts.