Manuel Rosales, Chavez Critic, Skipped Court, Seeking Asylum, Now In Peru

LIMA, Peru — A Venezuelan opposition leader who says he is a victim of political persecution by President Hugo Chavez's government requested political asylum in Peru on Tuesday, one of his lawyers said.

Manuel Rosales, a leading Chavez opponent, has been charged with corruption in Venezuela but says his trial would not be fair.

Lawyer Javier Valle-Riestra said there is "convincing evidence" supporting his case for asylum and that Peru's foreign ministry should summon Rosales to explain his request within a week.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde said earlier Tuesday that Rosales entered Peru as a tourist on April 4.

Venezuelan officials say the charges against Rosales are corruption-related and not political in nature.

Rosales, who lost a presidential race to Chavez in 2006, stepped down as mayor of Maracaibo, Venezuela's second-largest city, three weeks ago and went into hiding in response to harassment and fears he could be in danger, his party said.

Prosecutors accuse Rosales of illegal enrichment between 2000 and 2004 while he was governor of Venezuela's western Zulia state. They are seeking his arrest, but a court has yet to approve the charge against him or decide if he should be detained while awaiting trial.

Rosales denies the accusation, calling it a "political lynching" ordered by Chavez.

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Valle-Riestra said he is confident "Peru will uphold its historical traditions" and grant him asylum. The lawyer, an expert on extradition and asylum cases who was briefly Cabinet chief under former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, noted that Peru's current president, Alan Garcia, benefited from political asylum himself when he took refuge in Colombia in the 1990s.

There is also another precedent: Peru granted asylum last year to another Chavez opponent, former Yaracuy state Gov. Eduardo Lapi, who was jailed on corruption charges but later escaped from prison and fled Venezuela saying he wouldn't receive a fair trial.

Valle-Riestra said a group of Rosales' allies contacted him 10 days ago about the case. Rosales' political party is in contact with several "friendly countries" about possible asylum requests on his behalf, party leader Delsa Solorzano said.

The lawyer appeared at a news conference in Lima along with Timoteo Zambrano, a leader of Rosales' party who insisted the opposition leader is innocent and that Venezuelan authorities haven't let him properly defend himself.

Venezuelan Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami emphasized that Rosales is charged with corruption-related crimes, not "crimes of a political nature."

"If he doesn't appear before the appropriate courts, he would be a fugitive of justice, and as a result the court will activate mechanisms for his international capture," El Aissami told state television in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Solorzano noted that no court has ordered Rosales' arrest and that he was still free to travel. She said it took some persuasion by party leaders for him to agree to go.

"It was the best option due to the serious political persecution," Solorzano told The Associated Press.

Prosecutors say Rosales failed to show the legal source of about $68,000 in income several years ago while he was governor of Zulia state. Rosales says he reported the earnings in his income tax returns and that it came from his involvement in the agriculture business. He owns a cattle ranch in Zulia.

A crowd of supporters held a demonstration Monday in Maracaibo, holding up signs bearing photos of Rosales while his wife, Evelyn Trejo, called for his case to be heard by a court "that's impartial and fair."

Venezuelans do not need a visa to enter Peru, and can stay as tourists for up to six months.

U.S. Congressman Connie Mack urged Peru to grant political asylum to the opposition leader.

"Given the very real dangers facing Manuel Rosales for simply speaking freely, I urge the government of Peru to grant Rosales's request," the Florida Republican said in a statement.

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Associated Press Writer Fabiola Sanchez, in Caracas, contributed to this report.

Comments

[Wozzeck]

What are the real objectives in the media campaign against Chavez?

1. Oil
2. Silence a critic of a small Middle Eastern country
3. Protect prerogatives of foreign investors in the country
4. Prevent an example of the successful application of socialist principles

Quite similar to to the real reasons the USA attacked Iraq.

[zaz33]

Wozzeck - Well put.

[cubalibre]

Any American that defends Chavez is a racist and believes that people that don't
live in the United States don't deserve the same liberties as Americans.

[raaf]

From Wikipedia.

"Rosales participated in the 2002 coup attempt"

"a copy of the regional newspaper La Verdad dated 13 April 2002 where Rosales can be seen flanked by military coupsters and the representatives of the Catholic Church. He was also quoted as saying "From Zulia we have to back the government junta and its president Pedro Carmona, "

"He was also quoted as saying "Any Mayor or Governor that disavows the new institutional order, must leave his post... Because we do not want them in Venezuela"

That's a whole lot worse than corruption, why wasn't this man in jail in the first place?

[kgb999]

Chavez: A major disappointment of the new Millennium. How come everyone who talks such a good game always turns around and declares themselves leader-for-life? He says it'll only take until 2021 to get the nation together ... and of course he's the ONLY man in all of Venezuela who could possibly lead.

He's doing to Venezuela what Cheney tried to do to America. Oh hell, or what Bloomberg is doing in NYC even as we speak.

[blimie]

Kind of a nonstory, not enough information about this guy's background.

[zaz33]

If Bush were still president he probably could escape prosecution by high tailig it to Miami.

I'm sure he has friend there, so the question is why not ?

If he were to go on trial, it would be highly politicized by the anti Chavez West. Maybe political trials should have independent international observers to guarantee and report on the fairness.

[LuxSF]

Mr. Rosales is not only an opposition leader; he was the Presidential candidate for the opposition in the last election. The problem is that his guilty sentence has been written already; there is no way he will face a fair trial. If he stays, they will imprisoned him with no guarantees. Chavez himself has said many times that he wants him in jail. He stands no chance. Two weeks ago 3 man were sentenced to 30 years in the most arbitrary, unfair trial I have ever seen.

For those of you who think Venezuelan Government has done a lot for social justice, you should see this picture of our jails. If you can speak Spanish you may also read the article. http://www.talcualdigital.com/Avances/Viewer.aspx?id=19705&secid=45

You can also read this in English about our judiciary system and how Chavez not only controls it but how he is using it to persecute his enemies. http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13446902

A Human Right's Watch report also recommended. http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2008/09/18/decade-under-ch-vez

I hope in the light of the new US-Venezuela relations, Mr. Obama can do more for our human rights.

[zaz33]

LuxSF - Some of us have followed the Venezuela revolution and are aware of people like you who are opposed to it for variuos reasons. The criticism comes mostly from the capitalist West and the ruling class owned media. (and the former light skinned ruling class)

The HRW you link to resulted in a dissenting letter from 100 Latin America scholars from around the world. They accused the HRW of bias. (I believe it was 100 ) HRW is at times political.

If anyone is interested in the other side of the story concerning Venezuela this is an excellent source -

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/

[cubalibre]

Taking away freedom of speech and other civil liberties has absolutely no
defense and only a fascist could defend this.

[LuxSF]

The right wing and the Bush administration has also called Human Rights Watch bias for denouncing torture and Guantanamo. You have that in common with the people you despise.

You said: "The criticism comes mostly from the capitalist west and the ruling class owned media" and of course " the former light skinned riling class". You forgot to call me Bush lover, right wing, unpatriotic, terrorist, CIA agent, etc. Is that the best argument you have? Give me a break!

YOU ARE SO WRONG!! I'm not light skinned, I'm the daughter of two Latin American scholars who teach at the "Universidad Central de Venezuela" (a public University). The criticism comes from almost half of the Venezuelan population who has voted against him. But of course, we don't count, we do not matter for people like you or worst, for our own President.

[Spencaa]

but...but...Chavez is awesome!

[IndieBlue]

How is being on par with Bush "awesome"?