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Venezuela Opposition Leaders Taken From Their Homes Venezuela Opposition Leaders Taken to Prison
(35 minutes later)
Masked Venezuelan government agents took two well-known opposition figures from their homes early Tuesday, according to family members, in a crackdown against government opponents after a contentious vote over the weekend to change the country’s Constitution.Masked Venezuelan government agents took two well-known opposition figures from their homes early Tuesday, according to family members, in a crackdown against government opponents after a contentious vote over the weekend to change the country’s Constitution.
The two people taken away were Leopoldo López, a former mayor of a wealthy Caracas district who in early July was transferred to house arrest from prison, where he had been serving a sentence of more than 13 years, and Antonio Ledezma, another former mayor under house arrest. The two opposition leaders taken away were Leopoldo López, a former mayor of a wealthy Caracas district who in early July was transferred to house arrest from prison, where he had been serving a sentence of more than 13 years, and Antonio Ledezma, another former mayor under house arrest.
In a grainy video posted to Mr. Ledezma’s Twitter account, uniformed men in black helmets can be seen dragging a man in pajamas out of a building and into a vehicle.In a grainy video posted to Mr. Ledezma’s Twitter account, uniformed men in black helmets can be seen dragging a man in pajamas out of a building and into a vehicle.
“They are taking away Ledezma! Look we are recording it all here!” screams a woman in the background, as the man is forced into a car that speeds away.“They are taking away Ledezma! Look we are recording it all here!” screams a woman in the background, as the man is forced into a car that speeds away.
A second video, posted early Tuesday on the Twitter account of Mr. López’s wife, Lilian Tintori, shows another man being taken in by officials. “The moment the dictatorship kidnapped Leopoldo in my house,” Ms. Tintori wrote in the post.A second video, posted early Tuesday on the Twitter account of Mr. López’s wife, Lilian Tintori, shows another man being taken in by officials. “The moment the dictatorship kidnapped Leopoldo in my house,” Ms. Tintori wrote in the post.
The men were taken back to prison two days after a vote to install a new body in Venezuela, called a constituent assembly, with powers to rewrite the Constitution. The body gives virtually unlimited power to the country’s governing leftist party, and it has the power to dismiss or dismantle any branch of government while rewriting the country’s governing charter. The two opposition leaders were taken back to prison two days after a vote to install a new body in Venezuela, called a constituent assembly, with powers to rewrite the Constitution. The body gives virtually unlimited power to the country’s governing leftist party, and it has the power to dismiss or dismantle any branch of government while rewriting the country’s governing charter.
On Monday, Mr. Maduro signaled that he would begin a crackdown against his opponents, declaring that some of them “would end up in jail.” On Monday, President Nicolás Maduro signaled that he would crack down on his opponents, declaring that some of them “would end up in jail.”
A statement issued by the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that officials had received “information that revealed an escape plan” by Mr. Ledezma and Mr. López. It also said the two had violated the terms of their house arrest by making political statements.
The developments came just hours after the United States issued sanctions on Mr. Maduro, freezing any United States assets he owns, among other measures, for rights abuses and undermining democracy. Washington called on the Venezuelan president to release political prisoners from the opposition, and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin called him a “dictator who disregards the will of the Venezuelan people.”
The seizing of the two men represents an about-face for the government, particularly in the case of Mr. López, who was released from military prison and placed under house arrest after a surprise decision on July 8. Some speculated that the early-morning developments would reinvigorate the opposition’s push against Mr. Maduro.
In late July, Mr. López released a short video from his home, urging the government to release political prisoners and accept humanitarian aid, and he called on his followers to join demonstrations and a national strike against the vote on the constituent assembly. However, he steered clear of more aggressive calls to action that he had been known for in the past.
A lawyer for Mr. López, Jared Genser, confirmed his arrest but did not comment further.
Early Tuesday, Mr. Ledezma’s daughter Oriette Ledezma posted a video on Twitter in which she criticized the government for her father’s arrest.
“He was kidnapped once again, they took him from his house in the middle of the night,” she said. “We don’t know his location. A group of people came with their faces covered, in camouflage and they took him away.”