Leopoldo Lopez, the leader of the anti-government protests that rocked the socialist administration of Nicolas Maduro, is charged with inciting violence after wave of unrest left 43 dead
Leopoldo Lopez (C) after handing himself over to the police back in February
Leopoldo Lopez, the jailed Venezuelan opposition leader, has been put on trial behind closed doors for allegedly inciting violence at anti-government protests that swept the country.
The regime of President Nicolas Maduro has accused Mr Lopez of masterminding the wave of unrest that left 43 people dead and nearly 900 injured.
Mr Lopez had called for peaceful protests and his supporters blame the Venezuelan state security forces for the violent crackdown.
The charismatic Harvard-educated economist has been held in a military jail near Caracas since surrendering to the authorities in front of hundreds of thousands of supporters in February.
No media or observers were allowed in the courtroom in the Palace of Justice for the first session of his trial and the security forces cordoned off several streets around building to avoid any protests.
In court, Mr Lopez defended calling demonstrations against the socialist government, according to his defence lawyer Juan Carlos Gutierrez. He testified that his call to protest "was framed in the constitution that guarantees peaceful and non-violent protest”, the attorney said.
Asked to comment about the trial at a news conference in his presidential palace, Mr Maduro described the question as "provocative" before blasting Mr Lopez and demanding his punishment.
"The leader of the ultra-right is responsible for crimes, violence, destruction, (loss of) human lives, “ he said. “He planned it. He's a pawn of the gringos (Americans), not just now, but from very young. He has a messianic vision, that he was born to be a leader, the president of Venezuela.”
Deploying the sort of language often used by his late predecessor Hugo Chavez, Mr Maduro continued: "He has to pay, and he's going to pay. Justice must be done. And to the Bolivarian people, I say, stand firm against fascists.”
During a visit to the US this week to publicise his plight, Mr Lopez’s wife Lilian Tintori described the judicial process as a “complete joke”.
She said: "A strong and powerful government has nothing to fear from criticism, only a weak and insecure government locks up people who express their opinion. There's not a single reason to have him in jail.”
Mr Lopez told The Telegraph that the Maduro government was “attempting to gag every voice that speaks out” in written answers to questions relayed to him in jail by an intermediary in April.
He gave warning that “other dictators and would be dictators will learn a terrible lesson” if the world ignores the abuses taking place in the South American country.
Earlier this year, demonstrators took to the streets to protest against soaring prices, shortages of basic goods, authoritarian government policies and rising levels of violent crime.
But the opposition is split between moderates who support dialogue with the government and radicals led by Mr Lopez who believe that street protests are the only option to overthrow the authoritarian government.
Several politicians in his Popular Will party have been arrested by the authorities, including the mayors of two opposition strongholds who were jailed for not cracking down on protests.
Mr Maduro routinely accuses Mr Lopez of being a stooge for American plans to seize power in Venezuela and his government has claimed there have been more than a dozen coup plots during his 15 months in office.
Judge Susana Barreiros, who is presiding over the trial, said the next session would be held Aug 6. Mr Lopez could be jailed for several years if convicted.
