Potential sentencing Thursday for Venezuela dissident leader

Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez will appear in court next week for potential sentencing on charges of inciting violence during protests that shook the country last year, his lawyers said. Lopez arrived in court Friday for the final phase of his trial as scores of supporters gathered outside. The popular dissident, who has been held at a military prison since February 2014, faces up to 12 years in jail if convicted. After a marathon court session that lasted more than 12 hours, the judge presiding over the case suspended further proceedings until Thursday, Lopez's lawyers said. At that time, Lopez will be allowed to speak in his own defense and his sentence will be passed down if he is found guilty, his lawyers added. Numerous human rights groups have called for Lopez's release, condemning the case against him as politically motivated. His lawyer says there have been serious irregularities in his trial, which has been held behind closed doors. The judge admitted 138 witnesses for the prosecution but just one of the 50 witnesses and pieces of evidence submitted by the defense. Lopez, a US-trained economist, is one of the main leaders of the radical opposition movement seeking to force the ouster of socialist President Nicolas Maduro's government. He was a prominent figure during last year's protests, which erupted in response to violent crime, a sinking economy and severe shortages of basic goods. Between February and June last year, 43 people were killed in protest-related violence. Lopez was arrested on February 18, 2014, handing himself in to police after giving an impassioned speech to his supporters. In May, the 44-year-old opposition leader staged a month-long hunger strike to pressure authorities to set a date for legislative elections. He ended the strike after the vote was set for December 6. Opinion polls indicate Maduro's movement risks losing for the first time since his late mentor Hugo Chavez came to power in 1999.