April 5, 2014 -- Updated 0727 GMT (1527 HKT)
A Venezuelan prosecutor formally charged opposition leader Leopoldo
Lopez with public incitement, property damage, arson and conspiracy. FULL STORY
Jailed Venezuela opposition leader charged with public incitement
April 5, 2014 -- Updated 0033 GMT (0833 HKT)
People shout insults at police
Tuesday, April 1, during clashes between police and anti-government
protesters in Caracas, Venezuela. For months, protesters unhappy with
Venezuela's economy and rising crime have been at odds with security
forces.
HIDE CAPTION
Protests in Venezuela
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez is charged with public incitement and conspiracy
- Lopez has been held in military jail for over a month
- 39 people have died and over 600 have been injured in anti-government protests
- If found guilty, Lopez could face nearly 14 years in prison.
General Prosecutor Luisa
Ortega Diaz announced the charges at a press conference in Caracas, a
day before the legal deadline to keep Lopez in custody expires.
Lopez, 42, a former mayor
and presidential candidate, has been held in a military jail for well
more than a month. The government of President Nicolas Maduro originally
accused him of terrorism and murder, but those charges were later
dropped.
He is accused of inciting anti-government protests throughout Venezuela that began February 12.
Venezuela's state run news agency said that 39 people have died and more than 600 injured in clashes.
The government blames the protests on "a wave of violence fostered by right-wing leaders in the country."
If found guilty, Lopez could face nearly 14 years in prison.
Lopez, a fiery speaker and charismatic leader, has long been a threat to the socialists in power in Venezuela.
Back in 2008, the
government of then-President Hugo Chavez banned him from running for
public office, accusing him of corruption and misuse of public funds.
Lopez countered that it
was all political retribution and that he had nothing to hide. He took
his case all the way to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, where
he was cleared three years later.
Earlier this year, Lopez organized protests demanding better security, an end to shortages and protected freedom of speech.
CNN's Rafael Romo and Anna-Maja Rappard contributed to this storyTOP LATIN AMERICAN STORIES
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