- Title: Venezuela restores opposition leader Ledezma's house arrest: daughter
- Date: 4th August 2017
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (AUGUST 4, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF BUILDING WHERE FORMER CARACAS MAYOR AND OPPOSITION LEADER ANTONIO LEDEZMA LIVES SECURITY OFFICE AT BUILDING CAR ENTERING GATE TO BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ORIETTE SCHADENDORF CAPRILES, DAUGHTER OF FORMER CARACAS MAYOR ANTONIO LEDEZMA, SAYING: "He was in Ramo Verde (prison) and he told us he was imprisoned in a cell, isolated, in solitary confinement, and he was there until this morning when they woke him up and told him they were going to transfer him. At no moment did they notify him why he was taken to Ramo Verde nor why they returned him." SCHADENDORF CAPRILES TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ORIETTE SCHADENDORF CAPRILES, DAUGHTER OF FORMER CARACAS MAYOR ANTONIO LEDEZMA, SAYING: "It was a very violent moment. He has a bruise on his foot, his body hurts, because of that struggle, but in general, he's in good health. VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF LEDEZMA'S BUILDING
- Embargoed: 18th August 2017 16:26
- Keywords: Antonio Ledezma release Oriette Schadendorf Capriles political prisoner
- Location: CARACAS AND SAID TO BE CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS AND SAID TO BE CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016SQS6YV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Venezuela returned opposition leader Antonio Ledezma from prison to his home on Friday (August 4) , hours before the government planned to inaugurate a new legislative superbody authorized to expand the powers of leftist President Nicolas Maduro.
Ledezma and fellow opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez, who supporters call political prisoners, had been taken to prison from house arrest early on Tuesday after encouraging protests against the new constituent assembly, which will have the power to re-write the constitution and could allow Maduro to govern by decree.
The 545-member assembly was expected to hold its first session later in the day. The opposition, which boycotted the vote on the grounds that the creation of the assembly undermines basic democratic principles, is calling for protests against it.
According to Ledezma's family, the former mayor of Caracas was brought to his residence early in the morning.
It was not immediately evident whether Lopez would also be returned from jail to house arrest. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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