Juan Diego Castro Fernández

Juan Diego Castro Fernández (born 9 June 1955 in Cartago, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican lawyer and politician, former Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Costa Rica. Castro is a Defense lawyer who studied Law and Criminal science at the University of Costa Rica and has a Doctorate degree in Mediation from Universidad La Salle. Castro was Minister of Public Safety between 1994 and 1997 during the presidency of José María Figueres (PLN). He became the first cabinet member to receive a Motion of no confidence by the Legislative Assembly when he summoned police forces to fence off Parliament as a means to press for the reform of the Penal Code. Subsequently, Castro resigned as Minister of Safety and was named Minister of Justice. He unsuccessfully ran for the presidency as the nominee of the conservative-leaning National Integration Party in the 2018 Costa Rican general election. Castro has been compared unfavorably to US President Donald Trump and other right-wing antiestablishment and right-wing populist figures.