Venezuela court issues warrant for opposition figure Lopez as Maduro seeks to show military loyalty

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS MAY 2, 2019 / 11:43 AM / UPDATED 15 MINUTES AGO

Venezuela court issues warrant for opposition figure Lopez as Maduro seeks to show military loyalty

Mayela Armas, Luc Cohen
6 MIN READ

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela’s leadership made a show of unity with top military chiefs on Thursday and a court issued an arrest warrant for an opposition figure as the ruling socialists pushed back against U.S.-backed attempts to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Flanked by his defense minister and military operations chief, Maduro said in a televised national address that the armed forces were “united, cohesive and subordinate to their constitutional mandate,” after opposition leader Juan Guaido urged the military this week to join him to oust Maduro.

Maduro was also seeking to reject claims by the United States and the opposition that the armed forces high command was prepared to turn against him to end a political crisis fueled by years of economic chaos.

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans heeded a call from Guaido to stage street protests on Wednesday in another bid to force Maduro from power but the president has held on.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics/venezuela-court-issues-warrant-for-opposition-figure-lopez-as-maduro-seeks-to-show-military-loyalty-idUSKCN1S81JE

[Ghost Dog]

1. According to Reuters, cough,

there was a "pre-dawn military uprising on Tuesday, urged on by opposition leader and Lopez ally Juan Guaido, (which) failed to gain steam."

Does that sound like an accurate description of events, to anyone closely following events?

According to the same Reuters article, López was "arrested during a protest movement in 2014 and transferred to house arrest in 2017. He appeared together with Guaido and dozens of soldiers on Tuesday after escaping his home and before seeking refuge at the Spanish residence." Reuters chooses not to detail the charges against López: incitement to violence in demonstrations which resulted in several homicides by violent demonstrators loyal to him, on which he was found guilty and sentenced.

However, Reuters does report that "Tens of thousands took to the streets across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, heeding Guaido’s call to keep the pressure on Maduro. Clashes with security forces left four dead, along with hundreds injured or detained... In a tweet about the death of a protester at the hands of security forces on Wednesday, (Guadó) said, “The murderers will have to take responsibility for their crimes” and members of the armed forces were “sworn to protect the people..."

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-venezuela-politics/venezuela-opposition-figure-facing-arrest-warrant-says-he-met-with-generals-idUKKCN1S81JC

You couldn't make it up. Without such help from Reuters & Co, that is.