Jailed Venezuelan Mayor Is Moved to Hospital for Surgery
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Version 0 of 1. The mayor of Caracas, Venezuela, who has been jailed on charges of conspiring against the government of President Nicolás Maduro, was moved to a private hospital over the weekend for a hernia operation on Sunday. He will be transferred to house arrest later while he recuperates, according to his wife and a spokesman. It was not clear whether the mayor, Antonio Ledezma, would be required to return to jail after his recuperation was complete. Mr. Ledezma, who was arrested by heavily armed intelligence police officers in February, is one of several politicians opposed to Mr. Maduro who have been jailed. He has been held in a military prison while awaiting trial. Government figures have accused him of plotting to overthrow Mr. Maduro, although they have yet to provide persuasive evidence to back up the claim. Mr. Ledezma’s lawyers have denied the charges. Mr. Ledezma’s arrest was met with widespread international appeals for his release, increasing pressure on the government, which had begun to build last year with the jailing of other opposition figures. Mr. Maduro, a leftist who was elected in April 2013, has been grappling with a cascade of economic problems, including recession, high inflation and shortages of basic goods. He claims that the economic problems are part of a conspiracy to undermine his government and has frequently talked about dark but vague plots to assassinate or overthrow him. Like other opposition figures, Mr. Ledezma has been a vocal critic of Mr. Maduro. Mr. Ledezma’s wife, Mitzy Capriles, criticized the government on Saturday for not releasing her husband and not dropping the charges against him. She credited international pressure with forcing the government to reconsider the imprisonment of Mr. Ledezma. |