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Maduro v Trump: Venezuela Supreme Court Rubberstamps Leopoldo Lopez 14 Year Imprisonment



By Carlos Camacho



Venezuela’s Supreme Court dismissed Thursday a writ of appeal by the defense team of Leopoldo Lopez, ratifying a 14-year sentence for "subliminally" inciting the bloody 2014 riots, one day after US President Donald J. Trump asked the political prisoner “be freed immediately” and met with Lopez’s wife Lilian Tintori in the White House.



Tintori also met Wednesday with Republican lawmaker Senator Marco Rubio and Vice President Mike Pence. Trump tweeted a picture of the encounter.



The Venezuelan Supreme Court, however, was not impressed by Trump’s request or his meeting with Tintori. Come Thursday morning, the plenum of the Court’s “Sala de Casacion Penal”, an appeal instance for criminal cases, chose to disregard the defense’s resources and reaffirmed the previous sentence, imposed by a lower court, against Lopez and co-defendants Demian Martin (4 years and six months), Angel Gonzalez (also four years and six months) and Christian Holdak (10 years), according to local and social media reports.



That is in spite of the fact that the original prosecutor, Franklin Nieves, fled to the United States seeking asylum after the trial and denounced the Lopez trial as a sham. Nieves is still in the U.S. seeking asylum.



Lopez has now been in prison for 3 years.





Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately. pic.twitter.com/bt8Xhdo7al — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017 Glad to meet today with Lilian Tintori & Mitzy Capriles De Ledezma – wives of political prisoners in #Venezuela & champions of human rights! pic.twitter.com/pPsFoZvTAG — John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) February 14, 2017





By Carlos CamachoVenezuela’s Supreme Court dismissed Thursday a writ of appeal by the defense team of Leopoldo Lopez, ratifying a 14-year sentence for "subliminally" inciting the bloody 2014 riots, one day after US President Donald J. Trump asked the political prisoner “be freed immediately” and met with Lopez’s wife Lilian Tintori in the White House.Tintori also met Wednesday with Republican lawmaker Senator Marco Rubio and Vice President Mike Pence. Trump tweeted a picture of the encounter.The Venezuelan Supreme Court, however, was not impressed by Trump’s request or his meeting with Tintori. Come Thursday morning, the plenum of the Court’s “Sala de Casacion Penal”, an appeal instance for criminal cases, chose to disregard the defense’s resources and reaffirmed the previous sentence, imposed by a lower court, against Lopez and co-defendants Demian Martin (4 years and six months), Angel Gonzalez (also four years and six months) and Christian Holdak (10 years), according to local and social media reports.That is in spite of the fact that the original prosecutor, Franklin Nieves, fled to the United States seeking asylum after the trial and denounced the Lopez trial as a sham. Nieves is still in the U.S. seeking asylum.Lopez has now been in prison for 3 years. Enter your email address to subscribe to free headlines (and great cartoons so every email has a happy ending!) from the Latin American Herald Tribune:

</s>Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, poses for a picture in front of a poster depicting her husband at the office of the party Popular Will (Voluntad Popular) in Caracas, Venezuela January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Venezuela to release opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who was sentenced last year to nearly 14 years in prison on charges of inciting anti-government protests in 2014.

“Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately,” Trump said in a Twitter post.

Trump held a White House meeting with Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori, and Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida on Wednesday.</s>Lilian Tintori, the wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, at a news conference at the office of the party Popular Will in Caracas on Jan. 18. Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters

“People are going crazy about the blockage, they urgently need an alternative. CNN was a glimmer of hope. It can’t be taken from people,” Gustavo Díaz, head of the website

The CNN report pointed to Vice President Tareck El Aissami as one of those responsible.

This week he was also in Washington’s crosshairs. After accusing El Aissami of drug trafficking, the Trump administration imposed sanctions that block U.S. entities from doing business with him.

Maduro responded to what he called “defamation” by saying the Foreign Ministry would send a “protest letter” to the U.S. business attaché in Venezuela demanding a retraction.

The U.S. sanctions against El Aissami and his right-hand man, businessman Samark Lopez, target 13 companies, including five in the United States. Properties in Miami were worth tens of millions of dollars.

“Personally, I view this dreadful and miserable aggression as a recognition of my condition as an anti-imperialist revolutionary…WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS”

“They won’t be able to handle our unwavering resolution to be FREE. Long live Chavez,” he also tweeted, referring to Hugo Chavez, the revolutionary leader who founded the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and died of cancer in 2013.

Maduro’s government is under increased pressure because of a crumbling economy, one of the highest inflation rates in the world and a nationwide shortage of food and medicine.</s>Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately. pic.twitter.com/bt8Xhdo7al — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

President Donald Trump is advocating for the immediate release of Venezuelan political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez, who has been labeled a “rock star” of that country’s opposition.

However, on May 3, Senator Marco Rubio reported that Lopez was seriously ill in a military hospital.

I have confirmed @leopoldolopez has been taken to a military hospital in #Venezuela in very serious condition. — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 4, 2017

Trump shared a photo of himself with Lopez’ wife, Lilian Tintori, on Twitter on February 15 and wrote, “Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately.”

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio – a primary opponent of the president – and Vice President Mike Pence were also featured in the photograph.

Who is Leopoldo Lopez, and why would the president seek his release in such a high profile way? According to his website, Lopez is “the founder and National Coordinator of Voluntad Popular (Popular Will), a social movement and political party composed of thousands of activists and community, labor and youth leaders from all regions of Venezuela.”

Foreign Policy once wrote: “He has been painted as a combination of Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and his distant grand uncle, Simón Bolívar, for his magnetic brand of in-your-face politics.”

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Lopez Is In Jail For ‘Inciting Violence During Mass Protests’

According to the BBC, Lopez has been in jail in Venezuela since 2014 for “inciting violence during mass protests.”

He received a 14-year sentence. BBC reports that, in 2002, “parts of the opposition, backed by elite businessmen and some military leaders, briefly removed then President Hugo Chavez – Nicolas Maduro’s late predecessor – from power.” The government dubbed Lopez a “coup leader” because of the role he played, and his reputation grew, the BBC reported. He ended up in jail after a series of 2014 protests that turned violent.

However, Foreign Policy reports: “López wasn’t even physically present on Feb. 12, 2014” where an alleged arson and property damage unfolded and “where Venezuelan security forces opened fire on a few dozen people, killing three. Instead, the government claims that López used ‘subliminal messages’ to inspire people to violence.” Earlier in the day, he had advocated non-violence, the site reported.

Newsweek reports of the violence that sent Lopez to jail: “…as the demonstration was winding down, youths began throwing rocks at police and torching their vehicles. Three people, including a government supporter, were killed. Shortly after, (Venezuelan President) Maduro issued an arrest warrant, accusing López of inciting unrest, homicide and terrorism.”

Foreign Policy also reported of Lopez’ trial that “not one witness put López at the scene of the alleged crimes. Of his proposed defense witnesses, 59 of the 60 were rejected by the court and the other refused to appear. López had three hours to present his defense, no witnesses could appear in his defense, and more than 30 proposed exhibits were rejected by the court.”

2. Lopez Says He’s Seeking ‘Democratic and Peaceful Change’ in Venezuela

¡Me casé con el amor de mi vida y con Venezuela! ¡Hoy, lo volvería a hacer mil veces más! ¡Te amo, Leo! Pronto estaremos juntos en libertad. pic.twitter.com/nDgg3FIvYM — Lilian Tintori (@liliantintori) February 15, 2017

On the website devoted to his cause, “Free Leopoldo,” Lopez writes: “Two years ago I was imprisoned for calling for a constitutional, democratic and peaceful change in the Venezuelan government. Our plan was called La Salida, ‘the exit.'”

The website continues, “Not everyone agreed with our approach, and some called it radical. Today, the consensus is much stronger — President Nicolás Maduro must step down to save Venezuela from one of the greatest calamities in our history.”

The above photo appears on Lopez’ wife’s Twitter page. It reads: “I got married to the love of my life and Venezuela! Today, it would do a thousand times more! I love you, Leo! We will soon be together in freedom.”

Newsweek once wrote of him: “With twinkling chocolate-colored eyes and high cheekbones, López seems to have it all: an attractive and supportive wife, two children who get along with each other and impossibly adorable Labrador puppies.”

3. Once an Elected Mayor, Lopez Was Barred From Running for Office Again

Este árbol genealógico fue una tarea de mi hija Manuela. Ella no quiso recortar la foto sino dejarla unida como nuestra familia ¡Te amo! pic.twitter.com/dzSu5uLWAw — Lilian Tintori (@liliantintori) February 12, 2017

According to BBC, Lopez was mayor of a district in Caracas from 2000 to 2008, until he was “barred from running for re-election in the 2008 polls for allegedly misusing public funds.” However, the network says he was not convicted or tried on the allegations.

Lopez’ website says, “In 2008 Leopoldo led all polls in the election for mayor of the city of Caracas, the second largest political office after the Presidency of the Republic. Despite support from more than 65% of the residents, Leopoldo was unconstitutionally disqualified from running for any elective office, based on a decree from the ruling government that was never tried in a court of law.”

Lopez’ wife wrote on the above photo, “This family tree was a task of my daughter Manuela. She didn’t want to cut out the photo but leave it attached as our family love you!”

4. Lopez Studied in the United States

No podemos dejar pasar otro año más de sufrimiento. Tenemos que cambiar a este régimen corrupto e inhumano que viola los #DDHH #LaSalida pic.twitter.com/XURO1BxdrB — Lilian Tintori (@liliantintori) February 3, 2017

According to the Free Leopoldo website, Lopez “has a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1994-1996), and graduated Cum Laude from Kenyon College in 1993 where he later received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the recognition of his work as a young political leader in Venezuela.”

Marco Rubio also tweeted about Lopez.

Honored to meet @liliantintori & Mitzy Ledezma to discuss #humanrights in #Venezuela. All political prisoners must be released #FreeLeopoldo pic.twitter.com/xCw60yjDbI — Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) February 14, 2017

The Hill reported of Lopez that he is “a 45-year-old U.S.-educated economist and opposition leader” who was accused of “inciting violence at anti-government protests in 2014 and is serving a 14-year prison sentence.”

5. Venezuela’s President Has Called Lopez ‘Messianic’

Felicidades @leopoldolopez y a toda la familia de @VoluntadPopular 7mo aniversario ¡Estoy orgullosa de cada uno de ustedes! pic.twitter.com/e6BCo6OtuJ — Lilian Tintori (@liliantintori) December 6, 2016

According to Foreign Policy, President Nicholas Maduro said on national television of López: “He has … quite a crazy messianic vision … that … alienates and poisons people, making them crazy.”

The site notes that President Barack Obama also called for Lopez’ release, as have many human rights organizations. A former staffer for Obama even praised Trump:

This is really awesome. Thank you President Trump for highlighting this issue @Free_Leopoldo https://t.co/WroGiiUKT0 — Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 16, 2017

A 2014 Newsweek article says of Lopez that he drove “thousands of Venezuelans into the streets to protest against food shortages, a stagnant economy, widespread crime and an increasingly encroaching socialist government.”</s>Tensions flared once again Wednesday between the United States and Venezuela as Donald Trump called for the release of a jailed foe of President Nicolas Maduro, who warned the new US leader not to provoke him.

Diplomatic rows have become somewhat commonplace over the past 20 years between Venezuela's leftist leaders and Washington, the "imperialist" power they love to hate. They have not traded ambassadors since 2010.

But with the Republican Trump only in office since January 20, any hope of some kind of breakthrough appeared to be quickly vanishing.

"Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately," Trump tweeted.

The post included a picture of Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Lopez's wife Lilian Tintori and Florida Senator Marco Rubio at the White House. Trump's public schedule had only mentioned a dinner with Rubio.

Lopez, the founder of Popular Will, one of the most hardline of the parties opposing Maduro, is serving a 14-year prison term on charges of inciting unrest at anti-government protests that left 43 people dead in early 2014.

Ties had already been rattled on Monday, when the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Maduro's powerful Vice President Tareck El Aissami and a businessman, whom US authorities accuse of being involved in drug trafficking.

The US Treasury department froze the US assets of El Aissami and the businessman, Samark Jose Lopez Bello, and banned US nationals from doing business with them.

The Caracas government credits El Aissami with cracking down on drug trafficking while serving as interior minister. But the US Treasury says he oversaw shipments of cocaine from Venezuela to Mexico and the United States.

Maduro demanded a public apology and a diplomatic complaint was lodged. Then on Wednesday, Venezuela pulled the plug on CNN's Spanish-language channel, accusing it of spreading "propaganda."

Until Monday, Caracas had been somewhat cautious in its stance towards Trump's new administration. But that attitude has disappeared, and on Wednesday, Maduro stepped up the rhetoric.

Shortly before Trump sent the tweet about Lopez, Maduro had warned the US leader that he would respond with a firm hand to any action by Washington he deemed to be aggressive, though he said he did not want any "problems."

"If they attack us, we will not be silent. Venezuela will respond firmly. Those who tangle with us will get an appropriate response," Maduro said on state television.

Venezuela's dispute with CNN stems from its reporting about an alleged visa racket at the country's embassy in Iraq.

The story shown on CNN in Spanish on February 6 alleged that Venezuelan passports and visas had been sold at the Baghdad embassy to Arabs who the channel said may have been linked to terrorism.

The report named El Aissami as one of those behind the racket. The hardline former interior minister, 42, is next in line to Maduro and would take over if the opposition succeeded in its bid to oust the leader in a vote.

A severe economic crisis in Venezuela driven by falling prices for its crucial oil exports has contributed to food shortages and deep economic disarray, raising pressure to remove Maduro from power.

"CNN is an instrument of war," Maduro said on state television.

Within moments of the National Telecommunications Commission ordering "the immediate suspension of broadcasts by the news channel CNN in Spanish," the channel disappeared from screens.

CNN responded by saying the government was "denying Venezuelans news and information from our television network, which they have relied upon for 20 years."

It said its CNN in Spanish broadcasts would remain available in Venezuela online through its website and on its YouTube channel.

CNN International, the English-language channel of the US network, was not affected and remained on air.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said Wednesday that one of the channel's sources in the report, embassy employee Misael Lopez, was a criminal and the visa allegation were "based absolutely on falsehoods.

The channel had "launched an operation of psychological warfare, a war propaganda operation," she said.

In its statement, CNN said it stood by its reporting.</s>US President Donald Trump has called on Venezuela to free jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez “immediately,” posting a picture of himself and Vice President Mike Pence with Lopez’s wife at the White House. “Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately,” Trump tweeted, along with the photo, which also features Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Lopez, the founder of Popular Will, one of the most hardline of the parties opposing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, is serving a 14-year prison term on charges of inciting unrest at anti-government protests that left 43 people dead in 2014. The meeting with Tintori was sure to enrage Maduro, who is already fuming over sanctions slapped on his powerful Vice President Tareck El Aissami, whom US authorities accuse of being involved in drug trafficking.

The drug allegations against El Aissami had already raised tensions between Washington and Caracas, which had so far been cautious in its stance towards Trump’s new administration.

Maduro on Tuesday demanded the United States apologize for the sanctions and vowed to respond “forcefully.”

Shortly before Trump sent the tweet about Lopez, Maduro had warned the US leader that he would respond with a firm hand to any action by Washington he deemed to be aggressive.

“If they attack us, we will not be silent. Venezuela will respond firmly. Those who tangle with us will get an appropriate response,” Maduro said on state television.

Maduro added that he did not want any “problem with Mr Trump.”

On Wednesday, Venezuela pulled CNN’s Spanish-language television channel off the air, accusing it of spreading “propaganda” about an alleged visa racket at the country’s embassy in Iraq.</s>President Donald Trump has called on the Venezuelan government to release political prisoner Leopoldo López, following a meeting with the man's wife and Senator Marco Rubio on Wednesday night.

Mr López, who is the leader of Venezuela's opposition party, Voluntad Popular, was jailed for nearly 14 years on charges of inciting violence at anti-government protests in 2014.

Following a meeting at the White House with the prisoner's wife, Lilian Tintori, the President took to social media to call for action.

Alongside a picture of himself Ms Tintori, Mr Rubio and Vice-President Mike Pence, Trump tweeted: 'Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately.'

The meeting came at the end of a busy day for the President, which included a meeting with Israeli President Benjamin Netenyahu followed by a press conference.

Ms Tintori, who is a television and radio star in Venezuela, said she told Trump of the 'humanitarian crisis' in the country.

She also took to Twitter to thank Trump and Pence 'for standing with the Venezuelan people & our aspirations to restore democracy to our country'.

She added in Spanish that President Nicolás Maduro's government was a 'dictatorship' that left its people 'without food or medicine'.

Mr Rubio was at the White House with his wife Jeanette for dinner with Trump and his wife Melania, although the President's former campaign rival refused to reveal what was to be discussed at the meeting.

Mr López was educated at Harvard University and has led the opposition to Venezuela's socialist government since 2009.

Before then he was mayor of a district in the capital city of Caracas but in 2008 he was barred from running for re-election for allegedly misusing public funds - an allegation for which he was not tried or convicted.

His arrest provoked outrage and his sentence was criticized by the United Nations as well as the US Government.

In 2015 he went on a month-long hunger strike in his cell, demanding the release of political prisoners and international observation of elections.

Since her husband's imprisonment, Ms Tintori has campaigned for his release.

Mr Trump has not spoken publicly about Mr López's case before.

The President's call came as it emerged the Venezuelan government ordered the suspension of CNN's Spanish-language service from Venezuela's airwaves, accusing it of distorting the truth in coverage.

The network had irked the socialist government with various reports, including one alleging that Venezuelan passports and visas were being sold illegally at the embassy in Iraq.

But speaking on Wednesday, President Maduro said he did 'not want problems with the Trump administration'.

He added: 'We want respectful relations.'

The ruling United Socialist Party was founded by Hugo Chávez in 2007.

Chávez, a former revolutionary, was elected to power in 1999, following a failed coup seven years earlier.

He was President for 14 years until his death in 2013 and was regarded as one of the most visible, vocal and controversial leaders in Latin America.</s>Venezuela's Supreme Court has upheld the 14-year prison sentence of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez on Thursday (16 February). The 45-year-old was found guilty of inciting violence during protests in 2014 in which 43 people were killed. He was sentenced in September 2015.

Lopez has claimed that his sentence was politically motivated. The court's ruling on an appeal has made the decision final, officials said.

The court's decision comes a day after US President Donald Trump met with Lopez's wife Lilian Tintori in Washington and sought the former leader's release.

Shortly after meeting with Tintori, Trump tweeted a picture of himself standing with Tintori and wrote: "Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner and husband of @liliantintori out of prison immediately."

After Tintori arrived in Venezuela following her meeting with Trump, she told BBC: "Under this dictatorship, every sentence is null. Trump is with the people of Venezuela."

Trump's comment reportedly ramped up tensions as Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez accused the US president of interfering in the country's domestic matters.

She tweeted saying that she rejected "the meddling and aggression of US President @realDonaldTrump who tries to give orders in our fatherland." She added that Trump "sided with the boss behind violent acts".

Lopez had previously said through his defence team that there were some irregularities in the trial. The judge had reportedly only heard 50 witnesses from the defence while he heard 138 witnesses from prosecution, the pointed out.</s>US President Donald Trump has called for the swift release of Leopoldo Lopez, a jailed opposition leader in Venezuela, after meeting with his wife, Lilian Tintori.

In the post of Twitter, Trump said "Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately."

Tintori thanked Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in a post of her own, saying they were "standing with the Venezuelan people and our aspirations to restore democracy to our country."

The tweet comes on the same day Venezuela ordered cable channels in the country to stop showing CNN's Spanish language channel and two days after the Treasury Department imposed 'kingpin' sanctions on Venezuelan Vice President Tarek El Aissami.

El Aissami was accused by the Treasury of facilitating and supporting drug traffickers in and out of the South American country. Any US-based asset owned or operated by El Aissami are now frozen and Americans who chose to deal with him could face jail time and hefty fines.

When Lopez's detention was upheld in August 2016, Amnesty International expressed concern it was a "politically motivated" ruling.

"A decision by a court of appeals in Venezuela to uphold a 13-year jail sentence against opposition leader and prisoner of conscience Leopoldo Lopez is yet another stain on the country's crumbling human rights record," the organisation said.

Marco Rubio, included in the picture and tweeted by Trump, welcomed the sanctions against El Aissami and highlighted the plight of Lopez in a speech on the Senate floor on Monday.

"The government of Maduro outrageously accused [Lopez] of being responsible for all of this violence and they threw him in jail... He was the mayor of Chacao and the leader of "Popular Will" or "Voluntad Popular." It's a political party. He will be a critical part of building a freer, more democratic and more prosperous Venezuela. But for now, sadly, he languishes in prison."

"I have encouraged, publicly and privately, our new Secretary of State and the administration to make the freedom of these political prisoners their cause and to make it a priority," the Florida Senator said.</s>WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Venezuela to release opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who was sentenced last year to nearly 14 years in prison on charges of inciting anti-government protests in 2014.

"Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately," Trump said in a Twitter post.

Trump held a White House meeting with Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, and Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida on Wednesday.
Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice upholds the 13-year, 9-month-plus prison term of Popular Will party founder Leopoldo López for inciting violence, via "subliminal messages," at the 2014 anti-government protests where 43 people were killed. Yesterday, United States President Donald Trump met with López's wife, Lilian Tintori, and called on Venezuela to release López immediately.