Chavez has been a controversial figure in the region. In July, Chavez announced [JURIST report] that the country would withdraw from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) [official website, in Spanish]. In a statement during a military ceremony, Chavez announced the withdrawal and criticized the regional court, saying it is not fit to be called a human rights court. The decision came just after the IACHR concluded that the prison conditions of a man convicted in multiple bombings were a violation of his human rights. In 2011, Chavez criticized the IACHR [JURIST report] for ruling in favor of presidential hopeful Leopoldo Lopez, allowing him to run for office despite a separate court ruling barring him from the election. In October 2011, the Supreme Court of Venezuela ruled [JURIST report] that presidential hopeful Leopoldo Lopez remained banned from running in next year's elections. Lopez, an opposition leader, was considered to be a threat to Chavez. As a result of corruption allegations, he was banned from public office through 2014 by the country's comptroller general.