For years, Leopoldo Lopez rallied opposition against heavy-handed rule by Venezuelan presidents. This week, a court locked the activist and former mayor away for 13 years.
Human rights activists and the U.S. government were appalled. The court said Lopez committed serious crimes, according to Venezuelan state news agency AVN — public instigation, vandalism, arson and criminal conspiracy.
But legal proceedings were a sham, said Human Rights Watch.
“The baseless conviction… exposes the extreme deterioration of the rule of law in Venezuela,” HRW said in a statement. “The trials involved egregious due process violations and failed to provide evidence linking the accused to a crime.”
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson reacted on Twitter saying she was “deeply troubled” by the conviction and called on the government to protect democracy and human rights in Venezuela.
Deadly protests
The accusations against Lopez stem from opposition street protests in Venezuela that turned deadly in February of last year. Dozens of people were killed, hundreds injured.
President Nicolas Maduro, the handpicked successor to deceased President Hugo Chavez, blamed Lopez, accusing him of terrorism and murder. When Chavez was alive, Lopez was already a thorn in the government’s side. In 2008, Chavez’s government banned Lopez from running for office.
But much of the violence stemmed from security forces, which also arrested hundreds, HRW said. Security forces were accused of torture and abuse. “The government has also tolerated and collaborated with pro-government armed groups of civilians,” HRW said.
Lopez briefly went into hiding but then turned himself in to authorities. He used social media to rally a crowd of supporters who met him on the occasion.
This week, the court said Lopez’s involvement in protests was part of a plan for a coup d’etat.
In June, while in prison, Lopez went on a 30-day hunger strike to demand congressional elections. The government has agreed to the demand. They are planned for December.