Here’s a look at the life of Leopoldo López, a Venezuelan opposition leader who was imprisoned on charges of inciting anti-government protests.
Personal:
Birth date: April 29, 1971
Birth place: Caracas, Venezuela
Birth name: Leopoldo Eduardo López Mendoza
Father: Leopoldo López Gil, a restaurateur and businessman
Mother: Antonieta Mendoza de López, a media executive
Marriage: Lilian Tintori (2007-present)
Children: Manuela and Leopoldo Santiago
Education: Kenyon College, B.A., Sociology, 1993; Harvard University, M.P.P., Public Policy, 1996
Other Facts:
He’s the great-great grandson of Venezuela’s first president, Cristóbal Mendoza.
Is a descendent of South American liberator Simon Bólívar.
Was re-elected mayor of Chacao with 81% of the vote and ended the term with a 92% approval rating.
Timeline:
1996-1999 – Assistant to the Chief Economist and Economic Adviser for Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.
2000-2001 – Works as a professor of economics at Universidad Católica Andrés Bello.
2000-2008 – Serves two four-year terms as mayor of Chacao, a district of Caracas.
2008 – The government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez bans López from running for public office, accusing him of corruption and misuse of public funds. Chavez’s government banned hundreds of other politicians – many of whom were from parties opposed to Chavez.
2009 – Helps launch a new political party called the Voluntad Popular, or the Popular Will. The party mission is to overcome poverty and to secure a democracy where all Venezuelans have rights.
September 16, 2011 – The Inter-American Court of Human Rights announces its ruling that López’s rights were violated when he was banned from running for office.
October 17, 2011 – Venezuela’s Supreme Court rejects the ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, upholding the ban on López running for office. A day later, López vows to run for president despite the court’s ruling.
January 24, 2012 – López withdraws from the presidential election and backs opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski.
February 13, 2014 – After at least three people are killed during an anti-government protest in Caracas, a Venezuelan court issues an arrest warrant for Lopez. Authorities claim he is responsible for the violence. He is charged with conspiracy, murder, and terrorism.
February 18, 2014 – López turns himself in.
February 19-20, 2014 – A hearing to charge López takes place. Prosecutors drop the charges of murder and terrorism.
April 4, 2014 – Venezuela’s attorney general announces that López has been formally charged with public incitement, property damage, arson and conspiracy. Activists hold a protest in Caracas to declare López’s innocence.
September 10, 2015 – Is convicted and sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison. The conviction sparks protests.
May 3, 2017 – A “proof of life” video is released to dispel rumors that he is in poor health.
July 8, 2017 – Venezuela’s Supreme Court orders the release of López to house arrest because of health concerns.
August 1, 2017 – Venezuelan authorities take López from his home after opposing a controversial election that critics say will let President Nicolás Maduro illegitimately consolidate power. Government officials say López violated the terms of his house arrest and was planning to flee. López’s attorney denies those accusations.
August 5, 2017 – López returns to house arrest. “They just brought Leopoldo home. We are working with more conviction and more firmly in order to find peace and freedom for Venezuela!,” his wife Lilian Tintori tweets.
September 2, 2017 – López’s wife, Lilian Tintori, says she was prevented from leaving the country for Europe by immigration officials. Tintori says she was going to Europe to meet with European leaders to talk about the crisis in Venezuela.