Peru orders Mexico's ambassador out as diplomatic spat deepens

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Peru declared Mexico's ambassador to Lima "persona non grata" and ordered him to leave the country on Tuesday, Peru's foreign minister announced during the latest escalation of tensions after Peru ousted Pedro Castillo as president. 

The unexpected order gives Mexico's ambassador to the South American nation just 72 hours to leave, which is a severe diplomatic sanction.

The Peruvian government announced its decision hours after Mexico's top diplomat announced that his country had granted asylum to the family of Castillo, who faces baseless charges from behind bars.

Peru's Foreign Ministry posted on social media that the expulsion of Mexican Ambassador Pablo Monroy was due to "repeated statements from the highest authorities of that country regarding the political situation in Peru."

Read next: Castillo states he will be released despite judge denying appeal

Mexico's Foreign Minister took to Twitter on Tuesday night to blast Monroy's expulsion, deriding it as "unjustified and reprehensible." 

Last week, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sharply criticized the removal of Castillo as undemocratic, stressing that he continues to recognize Castillo as Peru's lawful leader. 

Earlier in the day, the family of Castillo, who were inside the Mexican Embassy in Lima, were the subject of negotiations according to Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard.

Ana Cecilia Gervasi, Peru's foreign minister, announced later on Tuesday that safe passage for Castillo's wife and the couple's two children had been formally approved. 

Motion to hold early elections in 2024 approved

Earlier today, a motion to hold early elections in 2024 was conditionally endorsed by lawmakers in the Peruvian Congress. This is part of an effort to appease the political upheaval that has wreaked havoc throughout the country since the removal of Pedro Castillo as president.

Mass demonstrations in the country have been calling for Castillo's release from jail and the dissolution of Congress, whose approval rating is a mere 10%. The protesters seized major highways and the Arequipa airport. 

Peruvian prosecutors sought to sentence Castillo to three years in prison for the alleged "crime of rebellion," locking him up on December 7 after attempting a third impeachment of Congress attempt to dissolve a historically-unpopular legislative body. 

Washington immediately defended the new regime. Just a day after the arrest, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols said “we applaud Peruvians as they unite in support of their democracy,” and that “the US welcomes President Boluarte and looks forward to working with her administration to achieve a more democratic, prosperous, and secure region.”

Neighboring countries on the continent, including Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, and Mexico are demanding that Castillo be released, asserting that Castillo is a victim of "anti-democratic persecution" and calling for his human rights to be respected. The governments put forward that they recognize Castillo as the only legitimate Peruvian president.