Leopoldo Lopes, Venezuela opposition leader, jailed for 13 years
Date September 11, 2015
Girish Gupta and Andrew Cawthorne
Then opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez is flanked by National Guards after he surrendered in Caracas, Venezuela, in February 2014. Photo: AP/File
Caracas: Venezuela's best-known opposition figure, Leopoldo Lopez, has been jailed for 13 years on charges of inciting 2014 anti-government protests that spiralled into violence killing more than 40 people.
After a marathon session at the heavily guarded Palace of Justice, Judge Susana Barreiros ruled Lopez, 44, a US-educated hardline opponent of socialist President Nicolas Maduro arrested in February last year, had masterminded the violence.
Lilian Tintori, centre, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, gestures during a news conference in Caracas on Thursday. Photo: AP
He was ordered to return to the Ramo Verde military jail to serve a sentence of 13 years and nine months, his lawyer and supporters said.
Lopez's case has become a cause celebre for opposition supporters over what they deem the Maduro government's trampling of human rights. The US government, the United Nations and international rights groups had all called for Lopez's release.
"This is not only an attack on liberty and legality ... but also a provocation to the Venezuelan people," said Jesus Torrealba, leader of the opposition coalition which includes Lopez's Popular Will party.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Photo: AP
Outraged supporters of Lopez banged pots and pans in upmarket areas of Caracas, a traditional form of protest in Venezuela. Some took to social media to vent their anger, hailing Lopez as a Venezuelan "Nelson Mandela".
Lopez has for years been one of the most prominent hardline figures in Venezuela's opposition. He was a successful and popular mayor of the Chacao district of Caracas until 2008.
He is the scion of wealthy families and a direct descendant of the sister of Latin American independence hero Simon Bolivar as well as of Venezuela's first president Cristobal Mendoza.
A woman is detained by national police during clashes between supporters of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and government loyalists outside the courthouse in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo: AP
That blue blood creates barriers with the poor, and his confrontational style puts off some moderate opposition figures.
A 2009 US government cable revealed by WikiLeaks said that some in the opposition thought Lopez "arrogant, vindictive and power-hungry", though conceded his "enduring popularity, charisma and talent as an organiser".
Lopez's critics paint him as a dangerous radical in the pocket of Venezuela's wealthy elite and the US government.
Supporters of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez cry as they listen to his guilty verdict. Photo: AP
They point to his attempts to unseat President Hugo Chavez in 2002. During a failed coup attempt, Lopez helped organise the illegal arrest of one of Chavez's cabinet members.
Earlier in the day, Lopez supporters and government backers clashed outside the trial, with one opposition activist dying of a heart attack, according to Popular Will.
US-based TV network Telemundo said freelance correspondent Daniel Garrido was attacked and was awaiting medical care in Caracas. He also had his equipment stolen, the broadcaster said in a statement condemning the incident.
Relatives of government supporters who died in the 2014 violence held a vigil outside the court on Thursday.
"Lopez caused many deaths," said Delcy Diaz, 45, who works in a government-run welfare project.
Reuters
