Opponent of Chavez Granted Asylum in Peru

Manuel Rosales on the Run

With Chavez cracking down its no wonder his opponents are fleeing for their lives, just the other day he arrested his former ally General Raúl Baduel, at gun point in front of his wife. Of course using the state to jail opponents is what Chavez does, and gets away with.

LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- Venezuela has blasted Peru's granting of political asylum to a Venezuelan politician wanted on corruption charges.

"Despite the amount of evidence, the Peruvian government decided to grant Manuel Rosales political asylum," Venezuela's government said in a statement Monday. "It's a decision that thwarts international law, inflicts a blow to the fight against corruption and is an affront to the people of Venezuela."

Asylum was granted to Rosales -- the mayor of Maracaibo, Venezuela -- on humanitarian grounds, Peru's foreign minister said earlier Monday.

Rosales, a leading political opponent who lost the 2006 Venezuelan presidential race to Hugo Chavez, faces charges of illegally enriching himself while governor of Zulia state. He was scheduled to turn himself in last week but instead fled to Peru.

Of course lets not forget: