Lilian Tintori, the wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was barred from entering Costa Rica to attend a forum on Thursday because she failed to produce proof of yellow fever vaccination.
Organizers of the event, sponsored by Oscar Arias, a former Costa Rican president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, said Tintori was not allowed to board her flight in the Dominican Republic because of the lack of an immunization certificate.
Under Costa Rican law, visitors from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission need to show proof they had a vaccine before being allowed in.
The list of countries includes Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, French Guiana and 13 African nations.
Tintori was to have spoken as part of the forum's look at democracy in Latin America.
She has been active in highlighting the incarceration of her husband, who has called for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.
Lopez was last September sentenced to 14 years behind bars on charges of inciting violence at anti-government protests that shook the country in 2014 -- a ruling that drew international condemnation.
Venezuela's new opposition-controlled parliament has approved a first reading of a bill giving amnesty to political prisoners, but Maduro has vowed to veto it to stop it becoming law.
Lilian Tintori, the wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was barred from entering Costa Rica to attend a forum on Thursday because she failed to produce proof of yellow fever vaccination.
Organizers of the event, sponsored by Oscar Arias, a former Costa Rican president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, said Tintori was not allowed to board her flight in the Dominican Republic because of the lack of an immunization certificate.
Under Costa Rican law, visitors from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission need to show proof they had a vaccine before being allowed in.
The list of countries includes Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, French Guiana and 13 African nations.
Tintori was to have spoken as part of the forum’s look at democracy in Latin America.
She has been active in highlighting the incarceration of her husband, who has called for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.
Lopez was last September sentenced to 14 years behind bars on charges of inciting violence at anti-government protests that shook the country in 2014 — a ruling that drew international condemnation.
Venezuela’s new opposition-controlled parliament has approved a first reading of a bill giving amnesty to political prisoners, but Maduro has vowed to veto it to stop it becoming law.
