委内瑞拉反对派领袖抵达西班牙

Longtime Venezuelan opposition leader Antonio Ledezma arrived in Madrid, Saturday, where he was greeted by his family.

"Venezuela is not on the edge looking into the abyss. It is in the abyss," Ledezma said. "It's collapsing. And that's what I want to talk about with the (Spanish) Prime Minister Rajoy."

Ledezma, who had been under house arrest since 2017 for alleged coup plotting, said he escaped house arrest Friday and went to neighboring Colombia, passing dozens of police and army positions.

Before leaving Colombia, Ledezma said he was planning a “global pilgrimage” to fight for political freedom in Venezuela. Ledezma, the former mayor of Caracas, said he had spoken by phone with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who offered his support.

Colombian immigration authorities said in a statement that Ledezma entered the country legally after crossing the Simon Bolivar bridge that separates the two countries.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro acknowledged the escape of Ledezma, who he mockingly calls “the vampire.”

The 62-year-old Ledezma had spearheaded street protests against Maduro in 2017 that led to months of violence. He spent a few months in jail, before being released and placed under house arrest in 2017 due to health issues.

长期以来担任委内瑞拉反对派领袖的莱德斯马抵达马德里，受到他家人的迎接。

莱德斯马说：“委内瑞拉现在不是位于悬崖边缘，而是已经陷入深渊。它正在崩溃。这就是我要和拉霍伊首相所谈的。”

莱德斯马自从被指2017年阴谋政变以来一直被软禁。他说，他星期五逃离软禁，经过几十个警察和军队哨卡，最后抵达哥伦比亚。

莱德斯马离开哥伦比亚之前说，他计划走遍全球，为委内瑞拉的政治自由奋斗。曾经担任加拉加斯市长的莱德斯马说，他和哥伦比亚总统桑托斯通过电话，桑托斯对他予以支持。

哥伦比亚移民当局发表声明说，莱德斯马经由两国间的西蒙·玻利瓦尔桥合法进入哥伦比亚。

委内瑞拉总统马杜罗承认莱德斯马已经逃走，嘲笑他是“吸血鬼”。

62岁的莱德斯马领导了2017年反对马杜罗的街头抗议。委内瑞拉在那之后出现了数月的暴力。莱德斯马被监禁了几个月，2017年由于健康原因被释放出狱，但一直被软禁。