Venezuelan opposition leader to serve rest of his sentence under house arrest

After spending more than three years behind bars in a military prison, Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez who was arrested in 2014 for ‘inciting violence’ will now serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

The decision was reached following a ruling by Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday which said Lopez was granted the “humanitarian measure” for health reasons.

The ruling was instituted by court President Maikel Moreno, who agreed to evaluate the case due to “serious signs of irregularities.”

Read also: Opposition leaders wounded by security forces as protests in Venezuela linger

“Leopoldo Lopez is at his home in Caracas with (wife) Lilian and his children,” Lopez’s Spanish lawyer Javier Cremades said in Madrid. “He is not yet free but under house arrest. He was released at dawn.”

46-year-old Lopez, leader of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party was arrested in February 2014 for allegedly inciting violence during anti-government protests, in which three people died and dozens were wounded.

 

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