Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, waves a Venezuelan flag during rally against President Maduro's government in Caracas, 26 October 2016. Photo: Manaure Quintero/dpa. All rights reserved.
On 12 January 2017, Raúl Isaías Baduel, a leftist military officer once very close to former president Hugo Chávez, was arrested for the second time in 10 years. Baduel was one of Chávez’ most loyal allies before falling out of his favour, when he resigned from his position as Defence Minister in 2007. He was then imprisoned for seven years and 11 months on corruption charges, until August 2015 when he was released on probation. The term of his probation was revoked on 12 January 2017 and he was held incommunicado until 3 March, when the court issued new charges of corruption and conspiracy against him, one day before his seven years and 11 months sentence would come to term.
In January 2016, the Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (MUD), which brings together 11 opposition parties, took control of the Asembla Nacional (AN), after winning parliamentary elections in December 2015. The sharing of power between current president Maduro’s Partido Socalista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV), and the opposition resulted in a political deadlock. In February 2016, the MUD initiated a petition to call for a referendum to oust Maduro. The petition was supported by several large protests against the regime. These protests were met with arrests and detention of opposition activists. In September 2016, over 170 people were arrested during a protest in Caracas calling for the referendum to oust Maduro to be held before the end of 2016.
