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.
Rosales lost a presidential race to Chavez in 2006.