- Title: Thousands protest in Madrid against Venezuela's government
- Date: 8th July 2017
- Summary: MARCH ARRIVING TO MADRID'S PUERTA DEL SOL (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JOURNALIST FROM VENEZUELA, ANGIE CRISTINA FERRO, SAYING: "We have come once again to make noise and to tell Spain's people Venezuela is tired, that Venezuela needs an urgent change of government. Venezuela need to be heard and we need to respect the human rights." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MADRID'S RESIDENT FROM VENEZUELA, JESUS FORGONEL, SAYING: "We have been living in Madrid for a month, we came with our families from Venezuela to make a new life because there's a Communist dictatorship in Venezuela, of drug dealers, and that's why we came to make a new life. We have left back our parents, brothers, nephews and a whole life so we can start from zero." MARCH IN PROGRESS END OF MARCH AT MADRID'S PUERTA DEL SOL
- Embargoed: 22nd July 2017 23:29
- Keywords: Venezuela Leopoldo Lopez Spain politics Nicolas Maduro
- Location: MADRID, SPAIN
- City: MADRID, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0036OUY0CN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Thousands of people protested on Saturday (July 8) in central Madrid against Venezuela's government after best-known jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was sent out of prison and granted house arrest following three years in jail for leading anti-government protests.
Protest participants showed their anger against President Nicolas Maduro marching through Madrid's main boulevards, shouting, crying and singing Venezuela's anthem.
In a message released by his party, the 46-year-old hardliner Leopoldo Lopez urged opposition supporters to continue street protests against Maduro, which are in their fourth month and have led to at least 90 deaths.
Venezuela's Supreme Court said Lopez had been granted house arrest due to health problems, but his family members were unable to identify what those were.
Opposition leaders applauded Lopez's return home, but said he should be granted complete freedom, along with several hundred other jailed opponents of Maduro. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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