MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, one of the country’s main opposition leaders, was arrested February after he had written (along with two other opposition leaders) an open letter addressed to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in which he accused him of illegally manipulating political institutions to his advantage.
“The attorney of Caracas Jose Luis Orta brought conspiracy charges against the mayor, offences stipulated by the Penal Code and the Organized Crime and Anti-Terror Laws,” the Attorney General Office said on Tuesday.
In 2014, a series of anti-government protests shook Venezuela accusing the government of rampant violence, inflation, and chronic shortages of basic goods in the country. Ledezma was one of those officials who supported protester demands.
Following Ledezma's arrest, on March 9, US President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order to impose sanctions against Venezuela for alleged human rights abuses and widespread corruption.
On March 14, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in its official statement posted on the organization's website warned against international interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela, adding that all conflicts inside the country should be settled through the use and interpretation of Venezuela's constitution.
On March 31, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called on citizens to collect ten million signatures for a petition against the US Executive Order. The Venezuelan government will take the signatures to the Summit of the Americas in Panama scheduled for April 10-11.
The Summit of the Americas is a gathering of leaders from the Western Hemisphere to jointly address and develop policy solutions to urgent challenges in the region.
