Even in Jail, I Will Fight for a Free Venezuela

Well said, future presidente of Venezuela (I hope, like Mandela after years in prison). That Maduro is incompetent and a bully has been proven beyond any doubt. Your country is suffering, lost in useless thoughts of victimhood, and creating a climate of dependency. Your country is rich in oil...instead of rich because of its people character and willingness to get up and start being productive again. In that sense, oil has become a curse, allowing despots to enrich themselves at the cost of its people...while dragging the nation to its lowest point in history, digging its own grave in the process.

1) I read the third paragraph and it states that this guy is not allowed writing material. How can he write an article for the NY Times?
2) On February 12, 2014, he was shown in the different TV news outlets saying publicly that violent protest were just starting and that they were going on until the "Maduro's government was overthrown". He and his followers named the violent period "La Salida". La Salida went on from February 2014 through June 2014. 43 people got killed. The government was responsible for five. This guy's movement was responsible for killing police officers and innocent civilians; 38 in total. Some of the victims were beheaded at the best Islamic-State's style.
3) On December 2013 this guy's movement also started the economic sabotage of the economy; i.e. hoarding goods, smuggling goods out to Colombia, and setting up money exchange business in the Colombian border in preparation for La Salida.
4) Leopoldo has very good support from powerful mass media outlets and governments, but also from his best friend from Hardvard working in a high position at the Pentagon; and from his cousin who enjoys a high position in the Hollywood movie industry.
5) You can like him or not but this guy is going to be the next Venezuelan president.

Leopoldo Lopez is not a political prisoner. He was justly convicted in a fair trial for incitement to violence. There is plenty of evidence that he was calling for the violent overthrow of the democratically elected government. Forty-three people were killed in the violence that ensued; more than half of them government supporters or security forces. In civilized countries when people take actions that result in death, they are legally liable. If a US Congressperson killed two children in a crosswalk while driving drunk, he or she would be prosecuted and might well serve jail time. What Lopez did was much more intentional than the hypothetical Congressperson's action. We would not call that Congressperson a political prisoner. Lopez is not one either; he is a perpetrator who much now pay his debt to society.

Venezuela should follow the model of one of the right-wing or left-wing Latin American governments that achieved a world-class level of human development.

The Venezuelan regime is illegitimate, it is a military dictatorship. Why? For many reasons, including the illegal persecution of political adversaries, but, most evident and huge: The declarations in every public act, military parade, etc, etc, on TV, in which military officers of the highest and not so high rank, Generals and Colonels, etc, declare themselves and the "6000 soldiers parading here with me" as "chavistas", socialistas and revolucionarios"", chavista and socialist being the banner and name of a political Party. Same occurs with all members of the Supreme Court, who also describe themselves as "loyal to Chavez". The Venezuelan Constitution prohibits this in a number of articles, as any democratic Constitution. They know perfectly this a very serious offense, a Cup de Etat in cold, and they do it exactly with that in mind. On top of that they have elaborated lists of citizens that have voted against proposal of the government and deny them of any job with the government or any business with it. They have the fascist-soviet incredible gut to pretend that they can jail people for "subliminal messages". So, when someone tells me that everything is fine with Venezuela, knowing this, I can only think of the evil amongst us, waiting to do the same in other parts of South America. 2+2=4, Venezuela is a dictatorship.

How lovely that the NYT supports freedom in Venezuela. Next up, an op ed by Shi'ite dissident Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr, who was arrested for protesting at 17 and has been condemned to be beheaded and then have his body crucified. I'm sure that the NYT is all for freedom in Saudi Arabia - in spite of the fact that the only story published so far about al-Nimr was an associated press one, and the NYT totally missed the conjunction of the Saudis heading up the UN Human Rights commission this week just as they are preparing the beheading and crucifixion. It is almost as if the powers that be don't, uh, think the Saudis are so bad. They have so much money! And look how generous the Saudi royal family has been to almost everybody that counts in the political establishment! So, we will hear about the evil ISIS, we will hear about the evil Venezuela, and we will be given pictures in the society pages of wonderful Saudi princes. It is called hypocrisy, and it stinks.

The idiocracy that is Venezuela today have failed Venezuela miserably, just like the oligarchy before them , they believe the role of government is to steal as much as possible and crush the opposition. Venezuela , like New Jersey, gets what its deserves for electing kleptocrats and enabling the culture of corruption that stifles progress and growth.

This seems to be a case where a guilty man was wrongly convicted. Lopez Mendoza was the leader of a movement called "The Exit" which openly sought to topple the government. They didn't just do peaceful sit-ins, but bombed government buildings, blew up trucks, shut down traffic with blockades, and strung wires across roads at night to decapitate motorcyclists. The strategy was to cause enough turmoil that lukewarm supporters of the government would approve its overthrow out of exhaustion.

Anyone who doesn't admit to these facts is not giving you the full story, and probably has an agenda. In the U.S., this kind of tactic would not be accepted. But...

There doesn't seem to be clear evidence that directly implicates Lopez Mendoza in these crimes. Indirectly, yes, directly, no. Or, if the government produced it, the rest of the world hasn't seen it.

I was born and raised in Venezuela (although I now live in Ireland were my fathers family is from). I think every day of the people I left behind and of all the people in Venezuela who's life gets worse every day.

Any time I read an article like this I think for a brief moment "Finally, surely people cant continue to support the PSUV after this" and always I see the many, from venezuela and from outside, that will use whatever rationalization to excuse Chavizmo simply because they want to endorse a left wing system. I agree with many left wing Ideas, and yes there is some corruption and scores of problems in many first world countries... but this isnt about left wing vs right wing, rich vs poor. that's the discourse the Venezuelan government promotes to make them seem like Robin Hood. you don't have to agree with Leopoldo Lopez politically to see he was imprisoned for disagreeing with the state, and that is fundamentally wrong. they say he promoted violence? he asked for a peaceful march. the government on the other hand has multiple times promoted violence EXPLICITLY. In the last elections they OPENLY threatened to use force to remain in power should they loose.

to all those who say they are democratically elected. I've been there during elections. I believe them that the votes were counted in their favour, but is it democracy when pro government groups go to opposition areas in bikes with machineguns to scare people away from the polling stations?

Think.

Maduro's poll numbers show that the Venezuelan people are sick of his dictatorship and an opposition victory in December is likely. That is, if this ex-bus driver somehow permits free and fair elections. The UN, every human rights organization on the planet, political figures in Latin America and in Spain all demand release of political prisoners, free speech and free and fair elections. Madeira's latest move, close the frontiers with Colombia and expel Colombians from the country leveling their homes and tossing them out willynilly, has the double effect of prohibiting elections in those areas. His control of judiciary, the congress and his buying off of the military gives him the tenuous plower he has. What he has done to this country where I lived, is nothing short of a vergùenza.

Why not allow the Venezuelan people decide if they are oppressed? Maybe you should ask why no one votes for you. No doubt you hold dearly to your ideals. But they are ideals which has been rejected in Venezuela. And by the way, in the US accepting secret funding from foreign government funded "NGOs" would NEVER be accepted. Your trial was fair and you should reflect on your undemocratic methods.

The comments from NY Times readers to this story are staggeringly misinformed in that so many chose to ignore the reality that is apparent to the vast majority of Venezuelans. The Maduro/Chavez regime is as repressive as it is inept and corrupt. There are shortages of many basic goods, near hyperinflation, widespread unemployment and record levels of serious crime. Venezuela, home to the world's largest oil reserves and rated AAA by Standard and Poor's 35 years ago, is now bankrupt. Yet so many of the comments seem to suggest that all this is the fault of the US. I guess being Venezuela's largest customer must make the US responsible for how Venezuela chooses to spend its oil money. This is as ludicrous as the comments made by Maduro/Chavez apologists who believe that Mr. Lopez belongs in jail by virtue of having represented a middle class district of Caracas.

It is quite easy to spot the comments coming from the Venezuelan regime propaganda machine. Rather than addressing what Leopoldo Lopez is saying and now represent as a political prisoner, they attack the messenger saying that he belongs to a family that was well off before their regime as this would be a crime by itself. It is ironic that he also happens to be related to the same Simon Bolivar that gives origin to the "Bolivarian" adjective that the Chavista-Maduro regime like to stamp in everything supposedly good or patriotic they claim have done.

Even if there is a change of regime and new elections are called for, it will not change the country for a long time. The problem is not prior or present governments, the problem are Venezuelans themselves. The population needs to be educated about simple rules of being civil, taking care of institutions such as hospitals, schools, universities, roads and others built by the government for the people. This may sound harsh, but I welcome any of of you to travel throughout the country and experience the deterioration of my beautiful country where I was born and raided. Really sad.

I am Venezuelan and I am also an American citizen - I grew up in Venezuela. I am astonished to read some of the comments here. It is very easy and irresponsible to judge and rationalize what is happening in Venezuela and with Leopoldo from afar, without full context and understanding of the situation. It is true that the politicians and governments of the 70s, 80s, and 90s were corrupt and mostly cared for the elite (not dissimilar to what happens in the US in many instances), but facts are facts, and both Chavez and Maduro's ruling have been most damaging to our economy, progress, transparency, public safety, innovation, and authentic care of the people. They are corrupt beyond imagination, incapable and not equipped to run a country, and their true interest is to only enrich themselves with a finely created propaganda cover that speaks of 'fairness' and 'distributing wealth' when in reality none of that has happened. Our schools are in the worst shape ever, people cannot even find food because of rationing and inflation, and the lack of public safety does not allow citizens to live in peace. I encourage all of you who are passing fast judgement to go live in Venezuela... try it, and bring your comments back in a few months after you experience the reality and facts of living there.

Leopoldo Lopez is innocent, however, is in jail only for desire a better country. The real criminals are inside the government, and they are capable of use repression and all its power to stay in charge. In Venezuela anyone who is against the government is a victim of injustice and the violations of his or her human rights. Venezuelans must to work together in order to get our beautiful country back, because this dark time is going to end very soon.

As a Venezuelan I am in despair of the situation in Venezuela. All my friends and families are spread in Venezuela, from Maracaibo to Cumana and in both sides they claim the same: this government is a dictatorship and all the key positions in Maduro's government are criminals profiting from all the corruption and narcotraffic.

The constant repression against innocent civilians as well as the torture and abuse from the police forces are sponsored by the government as a way to keep the people silent.

Nicolas Maduro is so afraid that all his atrocities will be uncover that he does not allow the free press to do their work and there is constant actions against those that dare to speak out. The current investigation open by CONATEL against the journalist Cesar Miguel Rondon is a clear evidence that there is no free speech in Venezuela.

The case against the 78 political prisoners in Venezuela is a show of illegal atrocities: no evidence presented against them, tortured in prison, all their cases has been delayed well beyond the normal process. In fact, the attorney bar association in Venezuela has declared that the imprisonment of Ledezma is totally illegal.

Venezuela has lost all their institutions. There is no fair justice, there is no fair general attorney, there is no fair police force, there is no fair military force.

I beg the world to watch out what is going on in Venezuela. PLEASE send independent observers to oversee the elections.

I meant raised not raided.

Given the Times' rich history of being on the wrong side of history (e.g., Chile, Iraq, Vietnam, and Iran) and supporting almost any pro-U.S. government or coup that will throw their country to the wolves, both domestic and foreign, this piece of propaganda is a bit tough to swallow. Venezuela is a mess though, no doubt, but it is not clear that it is all the government's fault. Too many of these domestic "democrats" are wolves in sheep's clothing willing to toss out a democratically elected government by any means necessary. The call however for OAS and European observers is reasonable.

Venezuela needs more than that however, including foreign aid in dealing with their position in the global economy as little more than a provider of raw resources to a world still mired in the detritus of a severe, prolonged recession. Too many won't allow that to happen until Venezuelans give up their reckless desire for socialism.

Mr. Lopez Mendoza, you are no Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King. You are not a political prisoner; you are a politician who is in prison. Inciting riots and overtly encouraging the violent removal of constitutionally elected officials would be considered not only a felony in the United States but high treason. I wonder why you don't use your other last name (Mendoza); is it because you are afraid that people will notice that you come from one of the wealthiest families in the Americas, in the world, a family that became wealthy by supporting and exploiting weak and undemocratic governments and building its corporate empire on the backs of the working class? Not such a good association for someone trying to play the victim. You're only fooling people who are uniformed; those who support you, also support the oppression of the poor, the denial of democratic rights to all citizens, the privatization of natural resources and the return to a time when the wealth of the country was being sucked out to fill bank accounts in NYC, Madrid, London, and Geneva. The victim game will work with a few because they haven't seen you in your rabid dog moments calling, along with your friends Capriles and Machado, for the violent overthrow of the government; it was clear that you were inciting violence and the result was 43 people killed and many more injured or disabled for life. Nothing subliminal here; in the U.S. you would have received a life sentence. Accept your responsibility.

We should not tolerate that any person is sent to jail, just for thinking differently. A true democracy allows its citizens to define who they want as their leader. Leopoldo and other opposition leaders currently in jail, should be freed up.

In his own words, López is of "the one percent." The neighborhood of which he was mayor is one of the wealthiest in Caracas and that is his true constituency.

If people want a more accurate view of this darling of the corrupt former rulers that keep losing verified democratic elections, read http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/07/27/the-making-of-leopoldo-lopez-democra...

Leopoldo has good connections in the US and a slick PR machine. Nearly every sentence of this editorial is false or half truth. As for his personal suffering you can follow it a his twitter account @leopoldolopez. Venezuela's elections are vastly more democratic than US elections. Registration is easy and verifiable (fingerprint). Participation is about twice that in the US. Voters make selection electronically, there is paper receipt allowing for individual verification that vote is recorded as intended, the paper receipts are then maintained allowing for cross check and verification. The governing socialist party in Venezuela has strong support but there is vocal and active opposition. It's only a handful of opponents who are in prison for promoting violence which killed 43. Leopoldo Lopez and his wife are their figureheads with more support from international elite than from Venezuelans.

Ahhh, another stirring editorial from a right wing dissident "oppressed" in a country who's leadership our plutocrats despise. They sure do get the lion's share of space in the NYtimes, don't they?

Who wants to bet that if Venezuela's leaders suddenly decided to un-nationalize their oil industry and open it up to Exxon, set up wage limits and open the floodgates of international banking we would never hear from this poor oppressed dissident again?

A "free" or "unfree" Venezuela is irrelevant in global politics.

In a nation torn apart by a destructive and senseless partisan war of ideas, victims abound. Unfortunately, the ongoing and useless struggle we are all witnessing in Venezuela has and is engulfing its best and bravest citizens. Sectarianism, exclusion, revenge, abuse and injustice are now the norm. Human rights are just hollow and meaningless words. Leopoldo, the victim, is a reflection of a society that refuses to surrender and fall under the claws of barbarism. In the end, truth and justice will prevail.

Leopold was born into a well-off family with links to the business and oil sector. More than likely, he represents the interests of the U.S. more than those of the Venezuelan people. He was barred from running for re-election in the 2008 polls for allegedly misusing public funds. I believe prison is right where he should be.

Right in our backyard, socialist populist strongmen in Venezuela are crushing human rights, arresting opposition. Their policies have been disastrous, leading to bread lines, famine, and massive unemployment and suffering. The economy in Venezuela is collapsing. Where is our foreign policy response? Why don't we stand for human rights and rule of law and common sense? Why can't we deter atrocities?

Venezuelan presidents make it a habit to be jailed either before or after their tenure. Leopoldo Lopez is no exception and will be the next president of all Venezuelans, domesticly and internationally respected for returning our country to stability and prosperity.

It is truly disturbing to read comments defending the imprisonment of the political opposition in Venezuela! Can their eyes fail to see that nation is falling apart?

Leopoldo Lopez deserves the heartfelt and vocal support of all those around the world, whether they consider themselves of the Right or the Left, who care about democracy, civil rights and sheer decency.

Anyone who does not speak up about this case should be asked to justify their silence. Where are the US presidential candidates? Where are you, Jeremy Corbyn?

The NYTs has written in the past that it wants to do a better job not playing a role in implementing US foreign policy strategies, but hosts and highlights 'fist US strategy' editorials over and over again. Western governments have been using electoral revolutions for regime change for years now pretty much openly: https://einaudi.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Bringing%20Down%20Dictat... ...and they keep doing it despite consistent examples of the societal changes post regime change don't improve the freedom and Democratic practices within the countries. http://cps.sagepub.com/content/42/11/1403.abstract

Political scientists and people who work in the Democratic Transition field are open about how electoral revolutions are cultivated and why but most of the general public seem completely unaware of any of the details. The NYT's is doing a disservice to its readers by continuing to run editorials that reflect the most useful narrative to justify Western 'assistance' in elections. How does it work that 'Democracy' is now tied so closely to civic unrest, revolutions and violence--there was a time when the fundamental principles behind Democracy was the exact opposite of that.

Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves. Chavez and Maduro squandered a trillion dollars of oil revenue windfalls as oil traded for the highest prices in history, and indeed, actually used the funds to make Venezuela poorer, by destroying private industry. Venezuela, which once farmed most of its own food, must now import it from Brazil and the US. Tens of thousands have been murdered. And a judge who ruled against Chavez was arrested, raped in prison, and forced to bear her rapist's baby. This is not an independent regime. It is overseen by the Cuban communist secret police, who intend to continue receiving the oil subsidies they have gotten, which have run into the billions of dollars. Meanwhile, Chavez's daughter is now a billionaire and Chavez' allies violently dispossessed many people in the so-called "conquest of Barinas."

Lopez led violent street demonstrations backed and financed by NED (National Endowment for Democracy) and USAID. They also financed the overthrow of the government in Ukraine. Lopez and his group lost the elections and can't accept the loss.
His promises will be false. He will just turn the government over to the capitalists and they will crush the people once again. Inequality will rule. Yes there is scarcity but what really bothers them is that it's distributed much more equally than they want.
Yes, it's violent but they are the ones making it violent in the hopes of overturning the government.
If Lopez succeeds, the people will truly lose their democracy because, once again, the rich will run the country for the rich. The economy will be controlled by the rich for the rich.
Even though they control most of the media, they have not been able to control the votes they way they wish.
They said the same thing about Nicaragua but those elections were also verified and Ortega was voted out. Again the US heavily financed the campaign against him.
The US has trouble tolerating any government we don't like and we have a long history of financing their overthrow. So far the coups in Venezuela have failed.
I'd urge Lopez to stop the violence and work to get votes.
If he isn't allowed to write, how did he write this article. Notice he had no trouble getting into the NYT. They've constantly been against Chavez and his successors.

Leopoldo, were a person of passion, commitment and challenge in college, and you made a difference. I have admired your tireless work, integrity--and courage--since that time and am hoping for a positive outcome for you, and for the people of Venezuela, particularly those whose voices are not being heard.

Very unlikely there will be free elections in Venezuela or Ecuador or Bolivia for that matter. These countries now have duly elected dictators who will do everything possible to prevent free elections and losing their power.

To their credit, several Latin American politicians have spoken out against the repression in Venezuela, including former Chilean President Pinera. But most governments in South America are also on thin ice when it comes to democracy; look at Brazil and Argentina. So don't expect any changes through elections; dictators don't step down just because the opposition wins an election.

Venezuela, among nearly all the other countries in the region, was run and looted by oligarchic authoritarian regimes for generations, without troubling the American political establishment in the slightest. The Times in particular has a certain credibility problem, in view of its previous open support for military coups in Venezuela and elsewhere.

Whatever the human rights situation in Venezuela, "we've" tolerated far worse -- and continue to tolerate far worse elsewhere in the world -- as long as the offending region is compliant to U.S. wishes. Everyone but the American people seems to knows this. It's certainly no secret to the rest of the world.

Perhaps it's time to admit to the facts and, having once altered our policies, use human rights not as a geopolitical or propagandistic weapon, but something to actually work for, both abroad and at home.

The present "repressive and inept elite that governs Venezuela" replaced an earlier "repressive and inept elite" that looted Venezuela for decades, leaving the mass of the people poverty stricken, without education or health care. The oil wealth was monopolized by and for that tiny elite, and nothing else was developed for anyone else.

Since that first elite lost, it has done everything possible to get back in power. That has included coups, and foreign powers recruited to aid those coups.

The "repression" has not deprived that first elite of its ownership of the media, nor silenced it, nor done mass imprisonments, nor done the sort of killing done by the original elite's death squads (with US help). There is an election to be held, hence the call for supervision of that election.

The current new elite is inept? Yes, it appears so. They are revolutionaries rather than technocrats. They've bungled it up rather badly.

Would the technocrats available in Venezuela fix that, or just steal it all back again? Would they bring back the death squads?

There are two sides to this story, and the side of the present author is beyond disreputable. It is truly disgusting in what they did, and how long they got away with it, and what they've been willing to do to get back in power.

Venezuela deserves better than both of them. US intervention was always on the side of the worst among them, so won't help. It would just repeat the Honduras coup fiasco of only a couple years back.

at first I did not understand why you gave to that corrupt justice , but today support your decision and sacrifice. Force and faith !

When I read an editorial like this, the first thing that pops into my head is the fact that in the USA, 5 major conglomerates control essentially all radio, print, and cable media. The propaganda in the USA against the independent, Venezuelan regime is really staggering.

If all of the talking heads say something is 'a fact' and all of the corporate supported politicians say something is 'a fact' then the American people will eventually believe it. Remember WMDs?

Lopez was responsible for violent demonstrations that killed scores of Venezuelans. His mother is a senior executive with Cisneros Group, the largest media conglomerate in Central/South America. His father is on the editorial board of the largest newspaper in Columbia. His wife is a TV star. He has many connections to high-profile Republicans in the US. He was a supporter of the 2002 attempted USA/Bush overthrow of Chavez. His party has virtually no support from average Venezuelans who polled 90% that the current political/economic crisis should be solved peacefully and by Constitutional means.

And yet, the USA continues to interfere, backed by both Dems and Rethugs, media conglomerates, and even mis-guided movie stars get on the bandwagon mostly to enhance their own careers.

Isn't it odd that while in all but one case where right-wing S. American dictatorships hunt down and kill revolutionaries, the US provides them with weapons and training. But in this one case, the US backs the revolutionary.

A brave man. The regime clearly wanted him to flee the country, but he recognized the cause of democracy and liberty would be better served if he turned himself in for the inevitable show trial and the publicity it would garner. He, after all, is merely one of many oppressed for their fearlessness in speaking out against a despotic, corrupt, inept, and morally bankrupt regime.

Even with all their "tricks" and resources at their disposal, the regime will not be able to avoid a massive defeat in the upcoming election without resorting to a level of fraud that even the most naive sympathizer can not deny. Maybe that will finally force the pathetic OAS to live up to its democratic charter , although the generals and drug traffickers who wield power in Venezuela could care less.

Venezuela has become a "thugocracy". as opposed to a democracy. This is what happens when people vote without thought to the ethics and the education of who they put in power. (Most of Venezuela's current wanna-be junta is without collegiate education, and presides over "their" country like that.). I know people on the ground, and the reports are as glib as what one reads here. The United States needs to act. In short, this is not about Venezuelans anymore. They've lost their country to their stupidity in electing a modern version of Macbeth in South America. They need to act because of the countries surrounding them who have elected real leaders, who have helped instill real change, in what is still the most exciting continent of the 21st century.

Not even Mandela could have done anything without the help of the democratic world! In Venezuela there are no rights for those who think differently! Are we going to wait until the Venezuelans begin to migrate in mass from that narco-tyranny?!