Jailed Venezuela opposition leader urges more anti-Maduro protests
Caracas (AFP) 11 hours ago
"A prominent opposition leader jailed in Venezuela, Leopoldo Lopez, urged more street protests against the "tyranny" of President Nicolas Maduro, in a video message made in his cell.
Lopez, 46, however stressed several times that he backed only "peaceful" demonstrations.
Prosecutors in Venezuela say 65 people have died since April 1, when near-daily pro- and anti-Maduro rallies turned more violent, with protesters and security forces targeted.
The opposition and anti-Maduro protesters are demanding early elections to force out the widely unpopular president, who has ruled over the country's sharply declining economy.
Lopez, looking fit and wearing a white t-shirt and a crucifix around his neck in the video, expressed his "admiration for the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans" who had gone into the streets "for democracy."
He added that "rebellion, resistance and the protests are legitimate" against a government that was "despotic," "tyrannical" and hapless in the face of the economic crisis."
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Read more here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/jailed-venezuela-opposition-leader-urges-more-anti-maduro-024042054.html
