Hardtalk

“Our best reply to the regime is that they didn't make us bad people. That we remain focused on our dream of seeing a free Venezuela. I have seen other people become very bitter and angry and resentful. And I think they lose. Because when you become angry you become, in a way, a prisoner of a sentiment that doesn't allow you to go forward.” James Menendez speaks to Leopoldo Lopez, once the most prominent face of Venezuela’s opposition, he is now living in exile in Spain. He spent more than a decade attempting to unseat Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian government and was imprisoned for over three years, accused of inciting the 2014 anti-government protests. Following the capture and arrest of Maduro by US forces in January, the country has entered a new and uncertain phase, with Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez now acting as interim leader. Leopoldo Lopez talks to us about the prospect of elections in Venezuela and the personal cost of standing up for political change. The Interview brings you conversa