Chile says opposition activist Leopoldo López and family have sought refuge in ambassador's residence in Venezuela. </s> Chile says opposition activist Leopoldo López and family have sought refuge in ambassador's residence in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Chile says opposition activist Leopoldo López and family have sought refuge in ambassador's residence in Venezuela. </s> By The Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Chile says opposition activist Leopoldo López and family have sought refuge in ambassador’s residence in Venezuela.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Chile says opposition activist Leopoldo López and family have sought refuge in ambassador’s residence in Venezuela.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela — Chile says opposition activist Leopoldo López and family have sought refuge in ambassador’s residence in Venezuela.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has taken refuge in the Chilean embassy in Caracas, Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero said late Tuesday, as the U.S.-backed coup attempt against elected President Nicolas Maduro seemed to be failing.

Lopez followed his wife Lilian Tintori and his daughter, who "entered as guests to the residency of our diplomatic mission," Ampuero tweeted.

"Chile reaffirms its engagement with Venezuelan democrats," he added.

Lopez, who had been under house arrest since July 2017, said earlier that he had been rescued by the military. </s> SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and his family have been admitted to a Chilean diplomatic residence in Caracas, Chile’s foreign minister said on Tuesday via Twitter.

Lopez had been placed under house arrest in 2017 but left his home early this morning. He was later seen accompanying fellow opposition leader Juan Guiado, who has been widely recognized as the legitimate president of Venezuela, after Guaido called on the military to help him oust President Nicolas Maduro. </s> Chile's foreign minister tweets: 'Lilian Tintori and Leopold Lopez – who are of Spanish descent – moved to the Spanish embassy. They made a personal decision.'

SANTIAGO, Chile – Venezuelan opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez left the Chilean embassy in Caracas and moved to the city's Spanish consulate on Tuesday, April 20, after earlier being freed from house arrest, Chile's foreign minister Roberto Ampuero said.

Lopez, his wife, and one of his 3 sons had been welcomed to the Chilean embassy as guests "under the diplomatic protection of Chile," and none of them were there to seek asylum, Ampuero told reporters in Santiago.

"Lilian Tintori and Leopold Lopez – who are of Spanish descent – moved to the Spanish embassy," Ampuero later said in a statement on Twitter. "They made a personal decision."

In other developments in Caracas, Venezuela:

Lopez, a key opponent of President Nicolas Maduro, emerged earlier Tuesday from two years of house arrest to join opposition leader Juan Guaido at a demonstration outside a military barracks with a small group of soldiers

Lopez had been accused in 2014 of inciting violent protests against the government and began his 14-year sentence in 2017.

Five other Venezuelan judges – elected by the opposition-dominated congress – were also taken in at the Chilean embassy, but managed to leave the country and are currently in Chile under political asylum.

Chile is part of the Lima Group, created in 2017 as a response to Venezuela's political and economic crisis, which on Tuesday called for an emergency meeting set for Friday. – Rappler.com </s> CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez has left Chile’s diplomatic residence, which he entered on Tuesday, and moved to the Spanish embassy, Chile’s foreign minister Roberto Ampuero said on Twitter.

Lopez had been placed under house arrest in 2017 but left his home early this morning. He later accompanied fellow opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been widely recognized as the legitimate president of Venezuela, after Guaido called on the military to help him oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Ampuero said Lopez left because of a “personal decision” since he and his wife, Lilian Tintori, are of Spanish descent. </s> SANTIAGO — Venezuelans seeking refuge in Chile can request a “democratic responsibility visa” at any Chilean consulate in the world, and not just in their homeland where the visa has been available until now, Chile’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The visa can be requested as of Monday. It will allow Venezuelans fleeing their crisis-hit country to stay in Chile for one year, and can be extended for an additional 12 months, a statement posted on the ministry’s website said.

“We have instructed that all Chilean consulates in the world also begin to be able to offer visas of democratic responsibility,” Chilean Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera was quoted as saying in local press reports on Saturday.

The minister added that for Chile the “real solution” would be for “the rule of law be restored” in Venezuela. Chile is part of the 12-nation Lima Group of Western states pushing for the resignation of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. Opponents accuse Maduro, a socialist, of being a dictator.

Venezuela’s economic collapse has unleashed the biggest migratory crisis in recent South American history.

This week about 200 migrants, the vast majority Venezuelans, were stranded on the border between Peru and Chile trying to enter Chilean territory after a change of regulations in Peru slowed their movement. (Reporting by Natalia Ramos Writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Tom Brown)
Lopez and his family later seek refuge in Chile's diplomatic residence.