U.S. Urges Venezuela to Treat Jailed Politician Fairly

The United States expressed concern Friday over the jailing of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and insisted that any charges against him be handled in an "impartial and transparent" manner.

Lopez has been in custody since his arrest Tuesday amid protests in Caracas and other Venezuelan cities against the leftist government of Nicolas Maduro.

The 42-year-old Harvard educated economist has been charged with instigating violence, property damage and criminal association.

He was blamed for the shooting deaths of three people after an opposition protest on February 12.

"We are concerned about this situation and the legal process moving forward," Roberta Jacobson, assistant secretary of state for hemispheric affairs, told reporters here.

She emphasized that Lopez had called for a peaceful protest on February 12.

His arrest, she said, appeared to be designed to have a "chilling effect" on the Venezuelan opposition.

"Most important is that any charges brought against him be thoroughly adjudicated, in an impartial and transparent way," she said.

Relations between Washington and Caracas were strained under Maduro's predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, and only grown worse since his death in March 2013.

On Saturday, Maduro announced the expulsion of three U.S. diplomats and on Thursday his government vehemently rejected a call by President Barack Obama to release jail protesters and open a meaningful dialogue with the opposition.

"We call for the release of all those that have been detained in connection with these activities or at least that they be assured a fair process," said the National Security Council's director for hemispheric affairs, Ricardo Zuniga.

"We have some concerns based on recent history about the fairness of the process applied," he said.