Felipe Gonzalez leaves Venezuela banned from meeting jailed politician

THE former Spanish PM Felipe Gonzalez has left Venezuela only two days after his arrival, because the government of the South American country refused him permission to visit imprisoned opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez in jail.
The veteran socialist politician, who was prime minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996, was also denied attendance to Lopez’s court hearing on Wednesday.
Gonzalez had travelled to the country, and the Ramo Verde jail which holds Lopez, with the aim of providing legal support to him and other opposition politicians, such as Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, who is under house arrest having been accused of forming part of a coup plot.
Lopez and jailed San Cristobal mayor Daniel Ceballos were charged in connection with the February 2014 anti-government protests, at which at least 40 people died and many more were injured.