Leopoldo López

Leopoldo Eduardo López Mendoza (born 29 April 1971) is a Venezuelan politician. He co-founded the political party Primero Justicia in 2000 with Henrique Capriles and Julio Borges. He was elected mayor of the Chacao Municipality in 2000. He is a known critic and political enemy of President Nicolas Maduro.

He was arrested in 2014, in which many saw as a politically motivated move by President Maduro. The European Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and several human rights organizations have condemned the arrest and defined it as politically motivated. He was convicted on violence and sent to prison for 13 years. He was later transferred to house arrest on 8 July 2017. 

On 1 August 2017, he was taken from his home by SEBIN agents and was briefly taken to jail again. During the 2019 Venezuelan uprising, López took refuge as a guest in the Spanish Embassy in Caracas. He fled Venezuela in October 2020.

References

Category:1971 births
Category:Living people
Category:Venezuelan politicians
Category:Mayors