Asylum: Peruvian indigenous leader Alberto Pizango
Nicaragua gives asylum to Pizango
Nicaragua has granted political asylum to Peruvian indigenous leader Alberto Pizango, wanted in Lima on charges he fomented protests against Amazon oil exploration that killed 60 people.
Thousands of Indians armed with wooden spears fought Peruvian security forces in two days of battles last week in the worst unrest of President Alan Garcia's government.
Nicaragua's ambassador in Peru, Tomas Borge, told Reuters today that Pizango sought asylum in the Nicaraguan Embassy in the Peruvian capital.
"We ask for the understanding of the Peruvian government and a few moments ago I rang to reiterate (to Pizango) that we have given him asylum," Borge said, adding that Nicaragua would ask for his safe passage out of Peru.
Garcia wants to open up Peru's rainforest to oil and gas production, sparking months of protests by native tribes who have vowed to defend their ancestral lands.