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Protestors take to the streets in Venezuela on anniversary of opposition leader's year in jail

Friday, February 20th 2015 - 00:30 UTC
Full article 3 comments
Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori, gathered with a small group of supporters to mark the date of her husband’s arrest, and asked Venezuelans to show their support Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori, gathered with a small group of supporters to mark the date of her husband’s arrest, and asked Venezuelans to show their support
Launching the rallies last year Lopez sought to remove Maduro from power, but Capriles, who lost the last presidential election, refused to join the movement. Launching the rallies last year Lopez sought to remove Maduro from power, but Capriles, who lost the last presidential election, refused to join the movement.

Backers of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez took to the streets of Caracas on Wednesday on the first anniversary of his arrest and subsequent jailing, but the mood of last year’s mass protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro was markedly different.

 One year has passed since Venezuela’s streets were rocked by anti-government protests that left 43 people dead and neighborhoods choked by flaming barricades.

The unrest culminated with the arrest of Lopez, a former Caracas-area mayor and opposition leader, who waved goodbye to thousands of supporters before being hauled away for what he and his family expected to be a short time in custody.

On Wednesday supporters marked the anniversary of Lopez’s detention by gathering to once again demand his release. But the street-paralyzing marches and raucous protests of last year were nowhere in sight. This time, the mood was one of resignation.

Even though Venezuela’s oil-based economy is in tatters and polls show support for Maduro at an all-time low, demonstrations in recent weeks against the government have been small and sporadic.

The opposition’s momentum dissipated after last year’s demonstrations failed to produce anything concrete, with their ranks split — as they were last year — over whether to push for change through the street protests like those favored by López or by trying to win elections later this year.

Launching the rallies last year, Lopez, along with other opposition leaders, hatched a plan called La Salida (“The Exit”) which sought to remove Maduro from power, but Henrique Capriles — who lost the last presidential election — refused to join the movement.

Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori, gathered with a small group of supporters to mark the date of her husband’s arrest, and asked Venezuelans to show their support for him by wearing white. But for most of the day, people in the plaza that was the epicenter of the protests in 2014 went about their daily routines.

Tintori has been clocking up the air-miles in recent weeks as she seeks to increase the pressure on the government. Earlier this month, she met with US Vice-President Joe Biden to ask Washington to apply further pressure. This week, in an interview with O Estado de Sao Paulo, she called on Latin America’s leaders to speak up about her husband’s detention.

“Any person and especially a Latin American leader, has full rights to speak up and approach the region with an agenda of respect for human rights,” Tintori said.

Capriles too called for Lopez’s release on Wednesday, saying the opposition leader had been “kidnapped” by the government. He called on Venezuela’s fractured opposition to unite.
“By means of the National Assembly (AN), we can achieve the release of political prisoners,” he said. “Putting an end to political imprisonment depends on the AN.”

Categories: Politics, Venezuela.

Top Comments

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  • ilsen

    Although the people are weak and tired, browbeaten by the Regime I believe, as one past great man once said;
    “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. ”
    http://www.churchill-society-london.org.uk/EndoBegn.html

    Let us all hope this is the end of 'chavismo', for equally there is a great evil to fight in order to save the people of Venezuela.

    Forget puppet Maduro, Diosdado Cabello is the real power. Watch him.

    Feb 20th, 2015 - 03:59 am 0
  • Conqueror

    It is unquestionably the case that Venezuela is a 'rogue state'. The question is do the people of Venezuela want to be saved? The Libyan civil war began on 15 February 2011 when 'the people' had finally had enough. It took until 19 March before military intervention began. Venezuelans may have to fight alone for as much as a month. But when the free people of the west get started, MADurine will be gone in hours. We can imagine US paratroops dropping across Caracas. US Marines storming ashore. US aircraft carriers off the coast. US submarines launching cruise missiles. Marine Abrams tanks, Apache gunships. The US believes in saturation. No doubt Canada will take part. If you want freedom, you have to fight for it!

    Feb 20th, 2015 - 12:45 pm 0
  • Captain Poppy

    Some Venezuelans have already shown their are prepared to die for freedom and democracy. What we can do is support those people as much as we can in the name of democracy. If the military had a few coupled brain cells.......their yellow flashing light would be in overdrive and they should act asap......before someone in this small world steps in.

    Feb 20th, 2015 - 03:20 pm 0
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