Venezuelan opposition politician Lopez arrives in Madrid, Spain says
MADRID, ( Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez arrived in Madrid yesterday, Spain’s foreign ministry said, after spending the past year at the Spanish ambassador’s residence in Venezuela to escape house arrest.
Lopez, in a series of tweets earlier, said he had left Venezuela but did not disclose his location. He pledged to continue helping the political opposition from exile in their campaign to unseat President Nicolas Maduro.
“Venezuelans, this decision has not been easy, but rest assured that you can count on this servant to fight from anywhere,” Lopez said. “We will not rest and we will continue working day and night to achieve the freedom that all Venezuelans deserve.”
In a statement, the Spanish foreign ministry said Lopez’s decision to leave the Spanish embassy in Venezuela was “personal and voluntary.”
Lopez’s party, Popular Will, did not say how he left Venezuela, but two people familiar with the matter said he travelled via Colombia.
Lopez was jailed in 2014 for leading violent protests against Maduro, and was released to house arrest in 2017. From his Caracas home, he was a mentor to opposition leader Juan Guaido, who early last year invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency and began a campaign to unseat Maduro.
In April 2019, when Guaido tried to spur a military revolt against Maduro, Lopez appeared on the streets alongside him. After the uprising fizzled, Lopez sought shelter at the Spanish ambassador’s residence.