The Other Side of Leopoldo López

July 27, 2015, Foreign Policy published a profile of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López by Roberto Lovato entitled “The Making of Leopoldo López.” The article contained numerous problems we would like to address. Lovato makes it appear López may be guilty of serious crimes but fails to explain that the government in its own indictment acknowledges López wasn’t even physically present on Feb. 12, 2014, where the alleged arson and property damage occurred and where Venezuelan security forces opened fire on a few dozen people, killing three. Instead, the government claims that López used “subliminal messages” to inspire people to violence. This isn’t just some bizarre claim; President Nicholas Maduro on national television said of López: “He has … quite a crazy messianic vision … that … alienates and poisons people, making them crazy.” Lovato also did not consider it relevant that in López’s speech earlier that day before a crowd of hundreds of thousands he explicitly urged non-violence. More…