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Venezuelan opposition leader Lopez 'to stay in custody' | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
A Venezuelan court has ordered that detained opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez remain in custody pending further hearings, Mr Lopez's lawyer said. | |
Lawyer Bernardo Pulido tweeted that the court had "confirmed the detention order". | |
Mr Lopez, of the opposition Popular Will party, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of inciting violence following a wave of anti-government protests. | |
It is not yet clear when the next hearing will take place. | |
Mr Lopez's wife Lilian Tintori also posted a message on Twitter calling on her husband's supporters to "not give up". "Change is in each one of us," she wrote. | |
Supporters of Mr Lopez had gathered at the Palace of Justice in Caracas, where the hearing had been expected to be held. | |
But after several delays, it was moved to the Ramo Verde prison, where Mr Lopez has been held since he handed himself over to the authorities on Tuesday. | |
President Nicolas Maduro accused Mr Lopez of fomenting a coup against his government. | |
"Someone is responsible for every violent act that happens in this country. One of them is in jail," he said in an address on national television. | |
"The others will get there one by one, in the same way, to the same cell. I have no doubt of that," he warned. | |
'Unjust detention' | 'Unjust detention' |
The authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Mr Lopez last week on charges of inciting violence after three people were shot in anti-government protests on 12 February. | |
After briefly disappearing from the public eye, Mr Lopez posted a video message calling on his supporters to join him in a mass rally on Tuesday, during which he would hand himself in to the security forces. | |
After giving an impassioned speech standing in front of a statue of Cuban independence hero Jose Marti, Mr Lopez, clutching a white flower, walked up to a line of National Guardsmen and turned himself in. | After giving an impassioned speech standing in front of a statue of Cuban independence hero Jose Marti, Mr Lopez, clutching a white flower, walked up to a line of National Guardsmen and turned himself in. |
Tens of thousands of his supporters watched as he was driven away in an armoured vehicle. | Tens of thousands of his supporters watched as he was driven away in an armoured vehicle. |
Following his detention, a pre-recorded video message by Mr Lopez was posted on video-sharing site YouTube, in which he told his supporters he had been "unjustly detained for dreaming of a better Venezuela". | Following his detention, a pre-recorded video message by Mr Lopez was posted on video-sharing site YouTube, in which he told his supporters he had been "unjustly detained for dreaming of a better Venezuela". |
"If you're watching this video it is because another abuse has been carried out by the government, which is seeking to spread falsehoods, twisting and manipulating events," he said. | "If you're watching this video it is because another abuse has been carried out by the government, which is seeking to spread falsehoods, twisting and manipulating events," he said. |
"I don't regret any of the things we have done," he insisted. | "I don't regret any of the things we have done," he insisted. |
The government has accused Mr Lopez of fomenting unrest by urging Venezuelans to take part in rallies, some of which have ended in violence. | The government has accused Mr Lopez of fomenting unrest by urging Venezuelans to take part in rallies, some of which have ended in violence. |
President Maduro has called the opposition politician a "murderer" and alleged he is being paid the the US Central Intelligence Agency to topple his government. | President Maduro has called the opposition politician a "murderer" and alleged he is being paid the the US Central Intelligence Agency to topple his government. |
The authorities point to Mr Lopez's participation in street protests in 2002 which preceded a brief coup against then President Hugo Chavez, Mr Maduro's predecessor in office and mentor, to back up their claims. | The authorities point to Mr Lopez's participation in street protests in 2002 which preceded a brief coup against then President Hugo Chavez, Mr Maduro's predecessor in office and mentor, to back up their claims. |