Venezuela court allows house arrest for ailing dissident

 A leading Venezuelan dissident held for over a year will be allowed to leave prison and be placed under house arrest because of health problems, court officials said Tuesday.

Daniel Ceballos has been in custody since March 2014, when he was arrested for his alleged role in organizing anti-government street protests.

He will be transferred to home detention for unspecified health reasons, according to a statement from prosecutors, after his court appeal requesting house arrest was granted.

Ceballos, a former student leader and ex-mayor of the western border city of San Cristobal, was arrested on charges of inciting the violence that killed 43 people and wounded hundreds as Venezuelans took to the streets in mass protests against President Nicolas Maduro's government last year.

He is one of the leaders of the dissident group Voluntad Popular -- The Will of the People."

He is to be transferred to a private residence in Caracas, according to the statement.

Ceballos, along with jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, took part in a hunger strike earlier this year to demand the release of political prisoners and legislative elections monitored by international observers.