On November 4, 2025, the Peruvian government announced the official severance of diplomatic relations with Mexico on Monday, November 3. The reason behind this decision was Mexico’s acceptance of former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez into the Mexican Embassy in Lima seeking political asylum. Peru accused Mexico of this action as being “unfriendly” and constituting interference in its internal affairs.
Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela stated during a press conference on the same day that the government learned in the morning that Chávez had entered the Mexican embassy and applied for asylum. He emphasized that both the current and former Mexican presidents had repeatedly made biased remarks regarding Peruvian internal affairs, showing clear intervention. Therefore, Peru had to take “decisive action” by immediately terminating diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to comment on the matter. Security has been heightened by the Peruvian police outside the Mexican Embassy in the downtown area of Lima.
Chávez previously served as Prime Minister in the government of former left-wing President Pedro Castillo. In December 2022, Castillo attempted to unlawfully dissolve Congress and prevent an impeachment vote, leading to allegations of an attempted coup, after which he was arrested by the military.
Chávez was later charged with conspiracy and had been in pre-trial detention since June 2023. In September of this year, a court granted her bail, but the trial is still ongoing. The prosecution has accused her of aiding Castillo in his coup attempt and is seeking a sentence of 25 years.
Chávez’s lawyer, Raul Noblecilla, told Peruvian radio station RPP that he had been unable to contact his client for several days and was unsure if she had formally applied for asylum.
Since the political turmoil in 2022, relations between Peru and Mexico have continued to deteriorate. Mexico’s leftist President at the time, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, publicly condemned what he referred to as a “right-wing coup” in Peru and provided political asylum to Castillo and his family; in response, the Peruvian government expelled the Mexican ambassador and later recalled the ambassador to Mexico the following year.
Current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has maintained the previous administration’s stance, insisting that Castillo did not attempt a coup but was “usurped” by the Congress. The Chávez incident has further escalated tensions between the two nations.
The newly conservative President of Peru, Jose Jerí, has yet to declare whether he acknowledges Chávez’s eligibility for asylum. De Zela stressed that Peru will evaluate the situation in accordance with international law, but has made it clear that “diplomatic relations are terminated effective immediately.”
(References: Bloomberg and Reuters)