Famillies of Venezuelan political prisoners chain themselves in Vatican's St. Peter's Square

Record ID: 75954

  • Title: Famillies of Venezuelan political prisoners chain themselves in Vatican's St. Peter's Square
  • Date: 5th December 2016
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (FILE) (REUTERS) LOPEZ BEING ESCORTED BY SOLDIERS LOPEZ IN VEHICLE WITH SOLDIERS LOPEZ AND TINTORI ON MONUMENT RALLYING CROWD
  • Embargoed: 20th December 2016 15:52
  • Keywords: Leopoldo Lopez Nicolas Maduro St. Peter's Square
  • Location: VATICAN CITY AND CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: VATICAN CITY AND CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Reuters ID: LVA0025BLZ39F
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO INCLUDES IMAGES THAT ARE CELL PHONE QUALITY
    The wives of two jailed Venezuelan opposition leaders and the mother of one of them chained themselves in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sunday (December 4) to demand the release of hundreds of politicians serving sentences in the country.
    Lilian Tintori, the wife of Leopoldo Lopez, Antonieta de Lopez, his mother, and Mitzy de Ledezma, wife of former Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, were tied around the waist and sat on the floor of St. Peter's Square, surrounded by banners and photos of their families.
    "For the freedom of the political prisoners in Venezuela. There are more than 100. We have done everything, we have had to do, everything humanly possible. We have gone to all international bodies. To all for two years and nine months. To all and all international bodies have asked for the freedom of Antonio Ledezma, Leopoldo Lopez, Daniel Ceballos. Enough is enough! We want freedom," said Tintori, who transmitted the images, live on her Twitter account.
    The length of the protest remains unclear.
    A month ago, Venezuela began a process of dialogue between the socialist government of Nicolas Maduro and the opposition, accompanied by the Vatican, which seeks to ease the tension in the deeply divided country that is going through a deep economic recession.
    The talks have been faltering and it is expected that this week the parties will meet again to evaluate the progress, which the opposition has already said, are disappointing. Only a handful of detained leaders - who the opposition considers political prisoners, but whom Maduro says are criminals - have been released since the meetings began.
    The local human rights group Criminal Forum counts 108 political prisoners. The coalition of opposition parties, Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (MUD), places the number at 135.
    Lopez is the country's most prominent inmate, serving a 13-year sentence in a military jail since 2014, accused of encouraging a wave of protests against Maduro that year, killing 43 people and injuring thousands.
    Ledezma, is a capital mayor under house arrest accused of conspiring against the socialist government in 2015.
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