A Venezuelan mayor-turned-fugitive has called for anti-government protesters to keep defying leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who has grabbed increased powers through a new legislative superbody stacked with Socialist Party loyalists.
Ramon Muchacho of the wealthy Chacao district of the capital Caracas appeared in a video shot from a clandestine location after the pro-government Supreme Court removed him from office and sentenced him to 15 months in prison on Tuesday.
He was the fourth Venezuelan mayor to be charged over the last 15 days with failing to prevent street protests from blocking traffic through their jurisdictions. A fifth opposition mayor, David Smolansky of the El Hatillo district of Caracas, was scheduled for a court hearing later on Wednesday.