Venezuela braced for another day of protests Wednesday with jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez expected to appear in court to hear charges blaming him for a deadly episode of street violence. Heavy security surrounded the Palace of Justice where about 100 supporters awaited the arrival of the Harvard-educated economist, who spent the night in jail after his dramatic surrender to national guard troops at a protest rally Tuesday.
It was the culmination of two weeks of tension-filled protests in the oil-rich country, led by students angry over the jailing of demonstrators and a litany of other grievances against the leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro, the successor of the late Hugo Chavez, is under fire over what protesters say is rampant crime, runaway inflation, high unemployment and other economic problems. After three people were killed in street clashes last week, Maduro ordered Lopez's arrest, blaming him for the violence.
Political scientist Angel Oropeza said the government is walking a tightrope. "They may hold him for a few days. If they free him right away, it would be a sign of weakness," said Oropeza, a political science professor at Simon Bolivar University. "But if they hold on to him for a long time, it could fuel the protests even more and the government would come under more international pressure," he said.
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