This
week saw Leopoldo Lopez, a so-called “revolutionary” and major
figure in Venezuela’s right-wing opposition, released from prison
to house arrest due to “health concerns.” Though celebrated by
foreign media, Lopez has a history of inciting fatally violent
protests.
by
Whitney Webb
Part
1
Since
becoming the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley has
been busy picking up where Samantha Power left off. In recent months,
Haley has taken to Twitter to voice Trump administration positions
regarding a variety of foreign governments, particularly those of
states considered “unfriendly” to U.S. interests, such as Iran,
Syria and Venezuela.
Most
recently, Haley tweeted regarding the release of Leopoldo López, a
prominent figure in the Venezuelan opposition, who was placed under
house arrest after three years in prison due to “health concerns.”
López was
originally placed under arrest for allegedly planning and promoting
violent protests to oust the democratically-elected government led by
President Nicolás Maduro that ultimately claimed 43 lives.
Haley wrote,
“While we’re glad @leopoldolopez is home with his family, we
will continue to call for his & all Venezuelan political
prisoners’ full freedom.”
Attached to
her tweet was an image of López with the Venezuelan flag with the
caption “Democracies don’t imprison their citizens or place
them under house arrest for peacefully protesting their government.”
The image’s
caption was unusual for two reasons. The first being that peaceful
protesters in the U.S. have, in fact, been imprisoned, such as the
recent case of Desiree Fairooz, who faces jail time for merely
laughing at a member of the Trump administration. The second is its
characterization of López as someone who peacefully protests the
Venezuelan government, a statement frequently repeated by
pro-opposition news outlets, Western media and politicians but one
that has little basis in fact.
Source,
links:
http://www.mintpressnews.com/the-violent-past-of-venezuelan-opposition-leader-leopoldo-lopez/229679/
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