Venezuelan opposition leader sentenced to 14 years in jail

PanARMENIAN.Net - Hardline Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was jailed on Thursday, September 10 for nearly 14 years on charges of inciting 2014 anti-government protests that spiraled into violence killing more than 40 people, Reuters reports.

The ruling enraged foes of socialist President Nicolas Maduro who say Lopez is an innocent scapegoat, but it brought cheers from grassroots government supporters who view the U.S.-educated activist as a dangerous conspirator.

After a marathon session at the heavily guarded Palace of Justice, judge Susana Barreiros ruled Lopez, 44, who was arrested in February last year, had masterminded the violence and street riots that erupted for three months.

Though Lopez had publicly called for peaceful resistance to the Maduro government and was behind bars during most of the unrest, prosecutors said his speeches sent subliminal messages and constituted a call to violence.

He was ordered to return to the Ramo Verde military jail to serve a sentence of 13 years and nine months.

Lopez's case has become a cause celebre for opposition supporters over what they deem the Maduro government's trampling of human rights. The U.S. government, the United Nations and international rights groups had all called for Lopez's release.

Some Lopez supporters banged pots and pans in upmarket areas of Caracas, a traditional form of protest in Venezuela. Others took to social media to vent their anger, hailing Lopez as a Venezuelan "Nelson Mandela."