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Venezuelan opposition leader sentenced to 13 years in prison; Unasur statement expected Friday

Friday, September 11th 2015 - 06:03 UTC
Full article 22 comments

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was convicted inciting violence and sentenced to 13 years in prison on Thursday for his leading role in the 2014 street protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro that spiralled into bloodshed, killing more than 40 people. A statement from Unasur (Union of South American Nations) is expected on Friday. Read full article

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  • Skip

    The slide into a fascist state accelerates.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 09:09 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Jonaz_BsAs

    The LIE that is LatAm “democracy” anno 2015 is getting exposed.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 10:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • SebaSvtz

    Where are the self-called `human rights supportes´s now?
    Where are all the ` progressive ´LatAm leaders ? will they call out against this, or it´s fine because it´s done by one of them ?

    Further proof that they are nothing but liars.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 10:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Brasileiro

    This coup bandit thought that the United States would save him. He was very lucky as elsewhere his sentence would be life imprisonment or the death penalty.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 11:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Klingon

    Your such a fucktard Brasshole, even this early in the morning!

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 11:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Brasileiro

    You are crazy. The guy incited violence that killed forty people all in the name of his personal ambition for power.

    13 years is too little. Death penalty now!

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 11:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Conqueror

    @6. Strange. In the most advanced societies, inciting a riot might result in a sentence of 4 or 5 years. Then there would be the small matter of proving “intent”. Noteworthy that the joke that is the Venezuelan “government” failed in a previous attempt to silence him and refuses to abide by the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 11:46 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Brasileiro

    @7
    Sovereignty is not open for discussion!

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 12:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Mendoza Canadian

    This is a direct warning to the opposition: oppose me and you go to prison. Simple as that. Venezuela will be a one party state by the time of the December “elections”.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 12:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Jonaz_BsAs

    @6
    Man, you are so on the wrong side of history. Useless to speak to you now, though.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 01:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Troy Tempest

    8 Brasso

    “Sovereignty is not open for discussion!”

    Tell that to the Malvinistas

    @9
    The end of human rights, end of democracy, and the end of freedom.

    And this is the model Lula, Rouseff, CFK, and Correa hold dear.

    Correa is now eliminating human rights groups in Ecuador.

    What is he setting the stage for?

    When will Assange report on this??

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 02:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • ilsen

    “In a closed-door trial human rights advocates decried as politically motivated and deeply flawed, the judge allowed only one of the 60 defence witnesses proposed by his lawyers, and rejected 30 proposed exhibits, according to his lawyers.
    Before the verdict was handed down, a defiant López told the judge in a three-hour address to the court: “If the sentence is a conviction, I know that you will be more afraid pronouncing it than I will be hearing it because you know I am innocent.”
    During Thursday’s hearing, López had planned to show video mapping out the protests in February 2014, in which he is seen calling for a peaceful march. But he was reportedly denied the use of a video to show it to the court.”
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/11/venezuela-opposition-leader-leopoldo-lopez-sentenced-to-14-years-in-jail

    A Travesty and a Crime against Lopez, Venezuela and Humanity.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 03:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Tik Tok

    Brasshole, when will you learn that socialism never works, it's an excuse by wankers like Maduro and Lula to maintain power and steal, and it will eventually fail. Ask yourself how rich your PT mates are now and how poor remain the majority of people in your country.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 03:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Conqueror

    @8. Dictatorship IS. Over years we've learned to recognise the dictatorial faggots. Rousseff, da Silva, Kirchner, Correa, Un, Putin, Bachelet. All dictators pretending to be democrats. All deserving of death so that countries can be freed.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 04:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Klingon

    Brasshole,
    There a reason kids used to throw rotten figs at you when you were young.
    Even today you continue to grind everyone's patience with your pathetic support of a dictator.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 04:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • ChrisR

    Just like TDC, when you think the Chavistas cannot be more bat-shit crazy than they are they go and prove you wrong.

    This nonsense will really come back and bite MADuro and his bunch of thugs really badly.

    It's very difficult to see how an armed conflict between the two sides can, or should, be avoided.

    The opposition should try their best at getting whatever they need to remove this undemocratic government. We all remember the huge number of dead people who voted for Maduro: he needs to be among them, asap.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 05:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Brasileiro

    Want to change a government? This has certain day and time: ELECTIONS

    The rest is Nazism Ukrainian model!

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 05:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Jonaz_BsAs

    Venezuela hasn't experienced elections without massive fraud for at least the last generation. Chavez -> Maduro has now become a full blown dictatorship.

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 06:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Jack Bauer

    @4,6,8,17 asshole from BR.
    So much crap. Not worthwhile wasting my time on. VSF !

    Sep 11th, 2015 - 06:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Skip

    Poor Brasileiro with his limited intellect and education.

    He simplistically believes that elections make a democracy.

    Elections are just the final and easiest part of a democracy. Venezuela is not a democracy. Which is comical when you consider how much Brasileiro says he supports democracy.

    Sep 12th, 2015 - 12:08 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • golfcronie

    Democracy in Brazil, HaHaHaHaHaHa Pissed myself laughing, please stop my stomach hurts

    Sep 12th, 2015 - 07:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Skip

    No, Brazil is a democracy. Admittedly a democracy with faults, but it doesn't seem in any danger of becoming a non-democracy.

    Which is what makes the Brasileiros all the more hypocritical. They accept the benefit of democracy. They rail against the merest hint of losing that democracy. But when a neighbouring country starts destroying their democracy. When it sentences someone without due process and on charges they can't even prove, it is farcical that this is supported because it somehow screams INDEPENDENCE from the west.

    The west isn't hurt or damaged or belittled by this decline in democracy in Venezuela. Venezuela's government hasn't affected the west at all. I can't think of one single change to the west by Chavez or Maduro being in power.

    It is the Venezuelans that are affected. The Brasileiros will happily sacrifice Venezuelans because they think that they have to chose the 'side' that is against the west - the Venezuelan government.

    Venezuelan governments will come and go. But the Venezuelan people will still be around. And they will remember who side people and countries chose.

    Sep 12th, 2015 - 11:30 am - Link - Report abuse 0

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