Nothing Leopoldo López says in this clandestine video is new. But hearing the conviction in his voice, clinging to the bars on his window, is more powerful than anything he says. (Note: the video appears to be old, but it has only recently been released)
This Foreign Policy piece by Roberto Lovato has gotten a bit of pushback because of its less-than-rosy account of the public persona of Leopoldo López. And, in particular, for its cryptochavista fixation with the events of April, 2002. Putting that aside, though, it’s an accomplished, in-depth look at López’s life and career – where he grew up, who his…
The hunger strike – an essential tool in the non-violent struggle against tyranny – has an uneven history. Mahatma Gandhi undertook numerous hunger strikes, most of them succesful. According to this Wikipedia page, Gandhi took part in seventeen hunger strikes during his lifetime, and not all of them against the British. Some of them were to call…
Over the last three years, divisions within the Venezuelan opposition have gone from taboo to in-your-face, from elephant in the room to full-blown suppurating eyesore. And everyone seems to admit this, except for the opposition leadership. I understand Chavismo’s need to resort to denial of dissent as a defense mechanism for unresolved daddy issues, but…
Some of our readers have been wondering why we haven’t said anything about Saturday’s marches in Venezuela and abroad. For the record, here is my brief take: The marches? A galvanizing, resounding success. Obviously, not enough. But they amp up the pressure, and that´s not a bad thing. Leopoldo? Proved his mettle as a leader by…
For the first time in more than a year, Leopoldo Lopez spoke to Venezuelans in a video smuggled out of Ramo Verde prison. In it, he announced the beginning of a hunger strike, calling Venezuelans to take to the streets this coming Saturday. Prior to the video being made public yesterday, the government entered into full freakout mode. López’s co-prisoner,…
Leopoldo Lopez, jailed by chavismo for helping light the spark that led to the street protests that erupted nationwide in February, was highlighted by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the 100 Global Thinkers of 2014, for “upending the tactics of Venezuela’s loyal opposition”. To our mind, this is the first time a foreign publication calls…
What does the peanut gallery think? Put aside your feelings about a Constitutional Assembly, and admit … that’s one rockin’ video.
I continue to be entertained by Boris Muñoz’s candid interview with political prisoner Leopoldo López. Here are a few takeaways of what Leopoldo says in the second part: The only evidence the government has against me is my speeches. What more proof that this is a dictatorship? The military controls who goes in and who comes…
Last Saturday, Prodavinci published a meaty piece of journalism-slash-history: Part 1 of the first extended interview opposition leader Leopoldo López has given since he was jailed last February (here, in Spanish). The author of the piece is Boris Muñoz, one of Venezuela’s best journalists. The interview is quite long, but that’s understandable. Leopoldo, Venezuela’s most prominent political…
Happy Monday, everyone. A new poll in my Inbox today, this one from IVAD which, as you probably know, usually leans toward the government in its numbers. The highlights: 77% of those polled think the government is headed in the wrong direction; 82.5% say the country is mired in an economic crisis; 78.9% think the country is…
Ramón José Medina, MUD head-honcho and, inexplicably, also Víctor Vargas’ attorney, said in an interview with José Rafael Briceño that Leopoldo López “brought about jail for himself.” See the video above (in Spanish) and judge for yourself. This comes on the heels of Leopoldo writing a strong, heartfelt, handwritten letter to a Chilean academic, in which he…
Yesterday Henrique Capriles also shut the door on the idea of a Constitutional Assembly, or even the resignation of Nicolás Maduro, a man he used to claim “stole an election.” Basically, he said that without a new CNE, the Constituyente was a no-go, and that Maduro wasn’t going to resign anyway, so there was no point…
Ever since he turned himself in, Venezuelans had not seen or heard from Leopoldo López. The nation’s most visible political prisoner was made … invisible, thanks to the government’s iron discipline. Today, that discipline cracked just a little bit. A clandestine interview, accompanied by pictures of a bearded López in the dungeon, made their way…
Estimado Pepe, Discúlpame el tuteo, pero todos dicen que no te gustan los formalismos. Te escribo hoy porque hay cosas que están pasando en mi país, Venezuela, que no termino de creer que te sean indiferentes. Anoche, a las 3 y media de la mañana, una jueza-esbirra del régimen Venezolano decretó que Leopoldo López continuaría privado de…
Caracas Chronicles 