Lopez gets blame

Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has been at the center of rising tensions in Venezuela since he led the biggest demonstration yet against President Nicolas Maduro’s 10-month-old government, mobilizing more than 10,000 people on Feb. 12 to peacefully protest hardships ranging from rampant crime to 56 percent inflation.

The government blames the Harvard-educated Lopez for the mayhem that erupted after the rally ended and a group of students battled with security forces and armed pro-government militias, leaving three dead. Most of the demonstrators had gone home before the violence broke out.