Venezuelan far-right leader Leopoldo Lopez is refusing to appear in court to face charges of inciting murder and terrorism.

Mr Lopez handed himself in in February during a right-wing bid to unseat the elected Nicolas Maduro government through violent street protests that killed dozens earlier this year — but refused to attend his Tuesday court hearing.

Armed groups attacked government buildings, police and civilians and set up barricades in many Venezuelan towns, charging locals protection money and notoriously hanging wires across roads to kill passing motorcyclists.

Mr Lopez denies being directly involved in the violence, though he is a veteran enemy of the Bolivarian revolution, helping organise anti-Chavez demos during the 2002 attempted coup d’etat.

Like this year’s uprisings the coup was defeated by a massive popular mobilisation in the then president’s defence, though Mr Lopez was later banned from standing for office for six years for his role in the illegal detention of then interior minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin.

Venezuelan prosecutors say the rightwinger, who came up with the La Salida (exit) slogan encouraging the right to overturn Venezuela’s election result on the streets, is responsible for the violent actions of his supporters.

But countries hostile to Venezuela have attempted to portray him as a political prisoner and the UN working group on arbitrary detentions has demanded his release, which he now uses as a justification not to face his accusers in court.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called on Tuesday for Venezuela to free Mr Lopez, resulting in the withdrawal of the Venezuelan ambassador from Madrid.