Jailed Venezuelan dissident ends hunger strike

Venezuelan dissident Daniel Ceballos has ended a prison hunger strike after 20 days, his wife reported on Twitter.

Ceballos, a former mayor of San Cristobal, and fellow jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez began a hunger strike together last month to protest the jailing of government critics and demand a date be set for parliamentary elections.

The two have been held since early last year on charges of inciting mass anti-government protests in early 2014, in which 43 people were killed.

Ceballos’ wife tweeted that she received a call from him Thursday saying he ended the strike and the prison had put him on an IV.

At the beginning of the month, former Latin American leaders called for Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro to free political prisoners and improve human rights.

Maduro has rejected criticism of his hardline approach towards his opponents and blamed the country’s deteriorating economy on the United States.