Leopoldo López, Venezuelan opponent: "The only way I could be in my country is dead or imprisoned"
That the blood of brave men runs through the veins of the Venezuelan Leopoldo López is as true as that he is the great-great-grandson of a niece of Simón Bolívar – the American liberator – and great-grandson of Eudoro López – who faced the dictator Gómez in the 20th century -. More facts. He stood up against Hugo Chávez in 2007, mobilized an entire country in 2014, put Nicolás Maduro on the ropes, survived the dungeons of Chavismo, his family was in danger, he was the protagonist of a complicated escape from Venezuela and, now, he seeks union of the world's dissidents against dictatorships.
This journey is the story of 'They want us dead' (Espasa, 2023), a book that is published today by the Spanish writer Javier Moro, which is reminiscent of another of his novels, 'Paths of freedom' (Seix Barral, 1992). In both, tribute is paid to those who risk their lives in search of justice, but it is with the story of this former political prisoner that they wanted to narrate the “truth, because that was not told, the truth of the tyrants,” explains Moro, “who are the ones who send the disinformation that has even the Venezuelans themselves confused.”. “It is the truth about them [Leopoldo López and his wife Lilian Tintori], about the victims, about the eight million who have had to leave the country, about those who have suffered from that horrible regime,” adds the Planeta Prize.. In short, the story of a “hero”, as the author describes the Venezuelan leader, whose feat he compares to that of the Russian Alexei Navalny or the Nicaraguan Monsignor Rolando Álvarez.
A “hero” always dressed in white – like in this interview – who never imagined that the stories of his ancestors, of dictatorships and forced exiles that he heard at home, of memories of black and white photos, would one day be repeated in a Venezuela that knew at some point what democracy and prosperity were. “I never thought that I would live them in the 21st century, in color, that we would return to that cycle of persecution, prison and exile”. For López as for Moro, 'They want us dead' is an opportunity to know the “truth” because “we have been the target of many lies, attacks, slander, manipulation”. And, above all, so that one understands “what the murder of democracy and freedom in Venezuela has been.”. In addition to returning the Latin American country to the “information cycle”, since “the tragedy continues, it has worsened.”
There are two images, collected in the book, that summarize López's sacrifice. The moment of his surrender to justice, after being accused without evidence of encouraging violence in the massive demonstrations of 2014, and the reunion with his family in Madrid, in 2020, after fleeing Venezuela through Colombia. The two most difficult decisions for the Venezuelan opponent – and for his wife, who one day had to accept that marrying that man was also making a commitment to her country forever – and with great global media impact.. In the years that separate both milestones, “Venezuela has continued on a path of deterioration, there was a mirage last year promoted by the dictatorship and other interests that the country was fixed and that is not true. Today, unfortunately, it is a much more unequal nation than it was when Chávez arrived,” says the Venezuelan leader.
And how has López changed in all this time? “I think I have faced very extreme realities: loneliness, prison and injustice, and I have learned from that. I feel like a better person after everything I have experienced. I have much more humility in understanding the complexity of what we have to do, the suffering of all,” he responds..
He still remembers his routine in prison, the one that helped him overcome life behind bars: “Praying, reading and exercising. “I did that every day with Spartan discipline.”. The entire process he experienced linked him to the reality of thousands of Venezuelans (due to the lack of access to drinking water or electricity, among other shortages).. “It was very hard, but also a lot of growth and, despite everything, I do not harbor resentment, I do not look back with anger, expecting nothing in return, what I did (surrender myself) was by my own decision”. The same courage that prompted him to escape his country, something that has not been viewed favorably by all Venezuelans and about which López is emphatic: “I understand the frustration that we all have that we have not yet left the dictatorship.. If I could be in Venezuela, I would be, but the only way I could be today is dead or in prison and I also have a responsibility to my family, and I think there is a lot I can do being away.”
Leopoldo López in his escape from the Nicolás Maduro regime towards Colombia, crossing the Orinoco River.
Since his Spanish exile, moments have arrived for reflection and new initiatives. Currently, he is working to articulate the World Liberty Congress alliance, which aims to unite all dissidents in the world.. The thesis of this group is that “dictatorships are united, but the pro-democracy movements are disunited,” explains López, who asks for “much more” from the international community.. “The first mistake is to think that the international community is a homogeneous group, that is not true. The democratic international community is less than the autocratic one. 70% of the world's population lives under autocratic regimes and the United Nations [which these days holds its General Assembly] is a club of autocratic countries where democratic countries have a minority,” details the former prisoner of Chavismo.
Although the war in Ukraine has taken other scenarios around the world to the background, Venezuela is currently experiencing an important situation.. The opposition is immersed in primaries to choose a candidate to participate in the elections. “Today there are no conditions for elections in Venezuela, however, 2024 is an opportunity to rebuild a cycle that allows us to mobilize again, to massively organize citizens inside and outside the country,” he points out.. “Venezuelans are still fighting and hoping to achieve a transition towards democracy,” adds López..
The mediation of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is also present in Moro's book, since the former Spanish president is also part of this story. For López, “he was never impartial.”
The other main protagonist of this story is Tintori, who quickly assimilated her husband's decision and got to work.. Made 174 trips abroad. López celebrates that in a short time “he became the voice of Venezuelans.”
Another important 'character': Juan Guaidó (today exiled in the United States). “He had to lead one of the most complex episodes, but he did it with great courage. What was achieved with the interim government is one of the hardest blows that has been dealt to the dictatorship, because Maduro's legitimacy was ripped away,” according to the opponent.
The shadow of threat always hangs over López, because those who raise their voices 'They want us dead'. A title extendable to other places in Latin America. “Venezuela is only a link in a broader chain,” concludes Moro.