UPDATE, Sun. May 7:
El Nuevo Herald reports that Lilian Tintori, López’s wife, was allowed entrance at Ramo Verde prison.
She had tweeted,
“Today #7M we’re at Ramo Verde’s gate waiting to be allowed to see Leopoldo. It is our right!”
Hoy #7M estamos en la puerta de Ramo Verde esperando que nos dejen entrar a ver a Leopoldo ¡Es nuestro derecho! pic.twitter.com/1jcy9fJLyU
— Lilian Tintori (@liliantintori) May 7, 2017
Follow-up post here.
May 6th post:
Rumors persist on López’s condition.
I posted on Thursday
Following rumours that jailed Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez had been moved from his cell to a military hospital, a government lawmaker showed a “proof of life” video of him in his cell. He had been reported dead earlier.
I posted the video of a very buff young man,
Así está el Sr Leopoldo López, acababa de cenar y ya iba a dormir, pero el show de la derecha lo despertó pic.twitter.com/1YC7yyFxRt
— Con el Mazo Dando (@ConElMazoDando) May 4, 2017
which López’s family has denounced as fake,
On Wednesday night, news spread on social media that López’s condition at the prison had deteriorated so much that he had been transferred to a military hospital. Shortly after those rumors began, National Assembly minority leader and suspected drug kingpin Diosdado Cabello, who was hosting a live state television program at the time, announced that López – who he referred to as “the Ramo Verde monster” – was healthy and published a bizarre video of a man claiming to be López confirming his good health.
The man in the video appeared significantly muscular and wore a belt around his waist, which some on social media noted would violate the rules of Ramo Verde. He also appeared to be in daylight, while claiming the time of the video to be 9:00PM local. Tintori denounced the video as “false” on Twitter and wrote, “The only proof of life we accept is to see Leopoldo.”
The regime has refused to allow López any visitors at all for the last thirty days (link in Spanish). His wife and supporters have held vigils outside Ramo Verde prison where he is supposedly held,
“Nicolas Maduro, Minister Padrino López and Ramo Verde director Captain Boston are responsible for our not knowing anything about Leopoldo.”
Los responsables de que no sepamos nada de Leopoldo son Nicolas Maduro, el Ministro Padrino López y el Director de Ramo Verde Capitan Boston pic.twitter.com/EIIxuPB6u2
— Lilian Tintori (@liliantintori) May 5, 2017
As of the writing of this post, rumors persist (link in Spanish) that López died of abdominal trauma and hemorrhaging on April 30th following a beating by two National Guard members for refusing to publicly demand that the opposition end all street demonstrations. The author of that article alleges that López body was cremated, and that prison officials will claim he escaped.
If López is alive, the Caracas dictatorship should produce him.
Lopez was last seen in public on February 18, 2014.
UPDATE
Listed as a Power Line pick. Thank you!
Linked to by Doug Ross. Thank you!
Linked to by Hot Air. Thank you!
[text edited for clarity]
