Spain: Venezuela opposition figure not seeking asylum

By Senhan Bolelli

MADRID (AA) - A Venezuelan opposition leader currently taking shelter at the Spanish Embassy has not asked for political asylum, said Spanish government sources on Wednesday.

Leopoldo Lopez, along with his wife Lilian Tintori and 15-month-old daughter, came to the embassy of their own free will and are not seeking political asylum, the sources told Spanish news agency EFE.

Lopez, former head of the Popular Will Party, took refuge in the embassy on Tuesday.

In 2015, Lopez was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison for criminal association and inciting violence during deadly protests. He was under house arrest when he was freed by armed forces loyal to Venezuela’s self-declared president, Juan Guaido.

Venezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition.

Tensions escalated when Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president on Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries.

Russia, Turkey, China, Iran, Bolivia and Mexico have put their weight behind Maduro.

Guaido published a video Tuesday alongside a small contingent of uniformed military personnel and armored vehicles in which he called for an uprising to end the "usurpation" of Maduro.

*Writing by Burak Bir