CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuelan authorities requested yesterday that jailed opposition mayor Antonio Ledezma be granted home arrest due to medical problems, a move that could soften international pressure over his case.
Ledezma, 59, a lawyer and hardline opposition leader who is mayor of Caracas, was jailed in February, accused of conspiring to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government.
He is the highest-profile Maduro foe arrested after fellow opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, detained last year for his role in protests that brought months of violence causing 43 deaths.
Many Maduro supporters loathe Ledezma, whom they call “The Vampire.” They do not forgive him for supporting a short-lived 2002 coup against former leader Hugo Chavez. Ledezma denies the charges against him, and foreign criticism has been swift from the United States and various rights groups.
