World NewsSouth America

Actions

2 Main Venezuelan Opposition Leaders Have Been Taken From Their Homes

According to tweets from their families, Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma were taken from their homes early Tuesday morning.
Posted

Two of Venezuela's main opposition leaders were hauled away from their homes in the middle of the night.

According to tweets from their families, Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma were taken early Tuesday morning. 

Exactly who took the two men has yet to be confirmed.

But video posted online appears to show both men being taken away by masked security forces marked "Sebin," which is Venezuela's intelligence agency. 

Lopez and Ledezma were under house arrest for their roles in previous demonstrations against President Nicolás Maduro.

Lopez was granted house arrest last month after serving three years in prison for allegedly inciting anti-government protests. And Ledezma started serving house arrest back in 2015 after being imprisoned on charges of leading a coup against Maduro.

And both men recently posted videos online criticizing Maduro's decision to hold an election for a constituent assembly that could rewrite Venezuela's constitution.

The controversial vote has been condemned around the world as a power grab by Maduro and his ruling socialist party.

As of Tuesday morning, it's still unclear where Lopez and Ledezma were taken. The Venezuelan Information Ministry had yet to respond to media requests for comment.