The government of Peruvian President Jose Jeri (pictured) has expelled Cuba’s ambassador, Carlos Zamora, after questioning his diplomatic activities amid allegations of his alleged ties to Cuban intelligence. Photo by Paolo Aguilar/EPA
The government of Peru expelled Cuba’s ambassador, Carlos Zamora, after questioning his diplomatic activities amid allegations of his alleged ties to Cuban intelligence.
The Foreign Ministry said Zamora was summoned Oct. 28 by Deputy Foreign Minister Félix Denegri Boza “to discuss the activities carried out during his mission.”
After the meeting, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that “based on what was discussed at that meeting, Ambassador Zamora concluded his functions in Peru and left the country permanently.” No further details were provided.
Although several Peruvian lawmakers said the diplomat had been expelled, the government only announced the end of his mission in the same statement in which it declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata after Mexico granted asylum to former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez.
Zamora, known as “El Gallo,” was appointed ambassador to Peru in December 2021 during the administration of former President Pedro Castillo. With a diplomatic career spanning more than five decades, he has represented Cuba in Ecuador, Panama, Brazil, El Salvador and Bolivia.
However, his tenure in Lima was marked by allegations of presumed ties to Cuban intelligence, according to the newspaper Perú 21.
In August, the Naval Union of Peru, a group of former Navy officers, called on the government to expel Zamora, saying he posed “a national security risk.” The group claimed that the ambassador and his wife, Maura Juampere Pérez, held the rank of colonels in Cuba’s intelligence service.
Lawmakers welcomed the Foreign Ministry’s announcement.
José Cueto, chair of Congress’s Intelligence Commission, said the decision responded to an “outcry” within the Armed Forces and the National Police, saying there was evidence of interference attributed to the diplomat since his arrival during the Pedro Castillo administration, according to the newspaper El Comercio.
Congressman Jorge Montoya said Zamora was “known as an international intelligence agent” and that, for the Foreign Ministry to request his departure, there must have been clear evidence of activities that violated international law.
Representative Norma Yarrow welcomed the decision on X, saying Peru “does not accept spokespeople or defenders of dictatorships.”
However, the Peruvian outlet La República reported that Zamora was not expelled or explicitly asked to leave, but had concluded his diplomatic mission and went to the Foreign Ministry simply to say goodbye.
There has been no official reaction from Havana regarding the departure of its representative in Lima. The Cuban Embassy removed institutional information from its digital platforms shortly after the announcement.
