"For me it is an immense joy to receive in the Congress of Deputies a hero of freedom, a great friend of Spain and a person very dear to me and my family."

Pablo Casado met this Friday with the presidential commissioner for the center of Government in Venezuela and the country's opposition leader, Leopoldo López, after his escape from the Nicolás Maduro regime.

López landed in Barajas on Sunday, after spending a year and a half as a refugee at the Spanish embassy in Caracas.

The founder of Voluntad Popular spent three and a half years in the Ramo Verde military prison and under house arrest for almost two years.

He took refuge in the Spanish legation on April 30 after a military rebellion led alongside Guaidó was failed.

López is under a 14-year sentence for public incitement to violence.

The president of the PP (party to which López's father, who is an MEP) belongs, has described the Venezuelan leader as "the Mandela of Venezuela" and "a person who will be fundamental in the history of this country, so dear to all the Spanish and that has the support of all of us who right now defend freedom in the world ", in a short video distributed by the PP at the end of the meeting.

"All my support in his demand for free presidential elections for the democratic transition, international sanctions on the regime and humanitarian plan for Venezuela," he later tweeted.

Present at the meeting were López's wife, Lilian Tintori (who already lived here with her children), and Leopoldo López Sr.

It should be remembered that Pedro Sánchez received López on Tuesday, in Ferraz, in his capacity as secretary general of the PSOE and not as president of the Government.

That is why Casado has wanted to differentiate himself and that the scene of his meeting is the Lower House.

"Leo, welcome to your home and much courage to continue defending this fundamental cause", that of "the freedom of all Venezuelans", after "everything you have suffered: torture, jail, repression," Casado has influenced.

"Spain is with you, freedom is with you. And I am sure that very soon we will have free elections in Venezuela, in which we can have a peaceful transition to democracy," concluded Casado.

López thanked him for his words: "Thank you very much, Pablo. To you, to the entire team, to all the people who accompany you and to Spain in general. The Spanish people have been in solidarity with the cause for the freedom of Venezuela."

The Venezuelan opponent recalled that "freedom is an abstract concept that is not known until you have it" or is lost.

"I knew what freedom was when I was locked in a cell measuring two meters by two meters: that's when I understood what freedom was."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Leopoldo Lopez

  • Pablo Casado

  • Venezuela

  • Elections Venezuela

  • Spain

  • PP

  • Pedro Sanchez

  • PSOE

  • Nicolas Maduro

  • Lilian tintori

  • Congress of Deputies

VenezuelaLeopoldo López: "I did not want to leave Venezuela. But I will return and we will liberate the country"

InternationalCasado calls for Borrell's resignation as the EU's foreign representative for "whitewashing" Maduro

CongressThe PP approaches pacts with the Government after the clash with Vox in the motion of censure

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