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Venezuelan opposition leader set to stand trial

06 June 2014 03:19 (UTC +04:00)

Lopez, who has been in custody for more than three months, is charged with arson and property damage as well as criminal association.

Lopez is charged specifically over violence that broke out during a rally against the government of Nicolas Maduro on February 12.

Separately, another prominent opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, said she has been summoned for questioning in an alleged plot to assassinate President Maduro.

The opposition says it refuses to return to the negotiation table until the government has accepted their demands, including amnesty for opposition prisoners.

On the other hand, the government has accused the opposition of making impossible requests that are akin to blackmail.

The protests have lost momentum since April 7, when the government and opposition leaders held talks for the first time to end tensions.

The opposition criticizes the government for the country’s high crime rate and economic hardships, claiming that its policies have led to a shortage of essential goods and high inflation.

Last year, Venezuela’s inflation rate soared to 56.2 percent, almost three times higher than that of 2012.

Maduro has deplored violence in Venezuela, saying the United States is backing the opposition to launch a coup d’état in the Latin American country.