Ex-Venezuelan opposition deputy sentenced to eight years in prison

Former Venezuelan opposition deputy Juan Requesens has been sentenced to eight years in prison for alleged involvement in the 2018 explosion of two drones at an event attended by President Nicolás Maduro, his lawyer said on Thursday. He was one of 17 people who received sentences over the incident.

Requesens’ family and opposition leader Juan Guaidó consider him a political prisoner and have denied his involvement in the case.

Requesens was detained for about two years between 2018 and 2020 in the case, which stems from explosions that rocked a military event where Maduro was delivering a speech. The Venezuelan president said that Requesens was denounced by people arrested in that case.

The government says the incident was a failed assassination attempt planned by Colombia, the United States and the Venezuelan opposition involving drones carrying explosives. Colombia, the United States and the opposition have denied any involvement in this and other alleged plots by the Venezuelan government.

“I am leaving the hearing in the trial of Juan Requesens, who was sentenced to 8 years for the crime of conspiracy,” tweeted his lawyer, Joel Garcia, on Thursday morning, without giving further details.

Seventeen people were convicted as of Thursday morning, Attorney General Tarek Saab said in a statement on state television, without naming them.

12 of the 17 people were sentenced to 30 years for crimes such as murder and treason, Saab said. Five of the accused were sentenced to 24, 20, 16, 8 and 5 years, respectively, for terrorism and conspiracy.

Juan Guaidó repudiated Requesens’ conviction on Twitter.

“The dictatorship kidnapped him and keeps him deprived of his freedom as a mechanism of persecution against an entire society,” Guaidó said.

The family of National Guard General Hector Hernandez Da Costa, who was arrested in 2018, said he was sentenced to 16 years in the same case. He is innocent, the family added.