From the New York Times of Michael Varvara TED, adding Venezuela thought its loudest political prisoner had finally been silenced, only part two of the story. It's Tuesday, eight March, thirteen. So for the past, six or seven, months a couple a few times a week. I will sit down my laptop and open up a video chat service that we believe is secure and I will create a room private room. The only real as an I can access and I wait for a few minutes and at a certain point, the screen Conor flickers.

Its relations starts to swirl around and see you know Miss emerge. After a minute or two I can see in and we start talking, you think today would be Hey data. They go back to the prison experience and tell me some more We don't have much time tonight. I wish we should discuss, showed its very few, Well, how risky is LEO's decision to talk to you? Oh, it was always risky may job, because free speech, Amigo expressing my ideas, remember the is under house arrest serving Ten year sentence, we'll Hilton rights for the Times magazine and the government debts

imprisoning him has said in the clearest possible terms. He is absolutely prohibited to speak publicly and if he does so, he will be honest in a greater way than he ever has been before. Is the White Van there another way that no new cars and he knows there monitoring him all the time we took it for granted, There were audio bugs in his house at a minimum, but it seemed fairly obvious that the secret police, outside of his head with an assignment to surveil, him would have access to his internet activity and in fact, every so often risking. Basically Austria agenda a white truck with all about side of his house and knock out his video and audio and internet connection ere you in there and we would have to

wait a couple of hours before the van laughed to resume contact. So I think that this is that this is important, and I have thought about this and if I fell for for this right, is it sending the message that have become broken? But despite all this, he was determined to keep talking. So we took whatever precautions. We could look what we face from college selling college friends here. What's happened, for example, we pretend to be college friends and this college friend is they get about shifting, learn and wondering you very little talk about journalism centrally none and over time I got to know our LEO's kids men while lies in elementary,

school and their lives. Although Junior was only an infant really. When his father went to prison is now, four years old in we getting to know is down for the first time, an area. We asked just kind of pan, and without it and say, hey it's good to see. I haven't seen you for a while and things like that. The kind of keep this looking friendly and not like an interview setting you sick, you gonna come on. How do you know who to blame? It can only be a couple of people. I know this effort shaking thousands of hands from Tuesday, I wish the thing is: we often did joke around about the circumstances, because, despite the

short term risk of him getting caught. Talking to me, there was this larger ambien hope around. Might be possible in Venezuela. We saw people in this pro or position area waiting hours to vote by voting to recover democracy to recover democracy here, and then this will last summer was a moment in Venezuela in modern history. Today's vote could be a stark turning point for Venezuela controversial President Nicolas like headlines all around the world. We're talking about this being a turning point for Venezuela. Today's election could be a tipping point for a country that holds the world's largest oil reserves logic. Here and all that this is the moment. Many here have been waiting for the opposition parties rallying into the political ranks, to take some governors. Tips and take more maritime and hopefully put up a present? your candidate who could win today, Venezuela rose up with dignity to say that freedom is not negotiable.

One when he and I started talking. I think there a very strong sense from both of us that, while the future was unknown. It was entirely possible that by the time, this story came out. Leopold Lopez could either be out of house arrest and deeply engaged in. Political life of the country or even possibly, a candidate himself allegations of election fraud in favour of present. My is ruling party one. Nearly all twenty three contested state governor share venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, consolidated power in an election year She considered a sham, but as a week's went on, it became clear that Maduro governments grip on power Was only tightening diplomats Nicholas Madeira government is consolidating power. Ice using the opposition and of next

His presidential vote for this way, those President Nicolas, but do has borrowed opposition parties from taking part in next year's presidential, be barred. Three opposition parties from running in the election dissolved opposite parties, one by one they ended up, prosecuting and chasing politicians, all different opposition parties out of the country arresting them, and so the picture of electoral change just darkened and then shot one really important day in the fall. For a walk with my kids in my phone, tinged message from LEO telling me that he was afraid that he was about to go back to prison right away. I think it said I may only have a few hours

You get audio, saw hurried home and we made the connection right. Ok, so on. Everything's yell at that that's go over last night around seven thirty, they came to my house more than thirty officers of political police. Then they came to my house they are they search and they took out a prisoner. The person that has been working with me for the past few years, ahead of security, in his chief of security away, and no one had heard from him, since these are very close person me idiom beneath charger,

You think you can and understand what I've been in jail and they did it. They took a the excuse that the people from the government gave us supposedly journalist to my house, and now that I was planning to give them an equal, a message. And now for me a moment when I began to see that the book working on not gonna end up coming out at a time with less penalty for him, and it may come out at a time when the penalties would be even worse, but it gives you a clear idea of how they are about giving any sort of message. I am absolutely sure that at this moment, this person that they took his being tortured. I have no doubt about that. That's a pressure in order for them to get

out of them. It was clear to you that this interview with I come out while was still a prisoner end with the stakes being quite high. As as possible here, maybe even higher than when we started so soon, so that the situation and I wanted to tell you- will be willing to go forward with it. I want to tell you my story, I'm not telling anybody else. I would like you to know that if that happens, you'll be the only I have past couple of months and I would like you to continue Well, I'm struggling to really understand

Why is LEO doings? Why is he continuing to talk to you? Ah man, I I wish. I knew I mean I'd. Ask we talk about it. I try to understand it I dont think I don't think I can read my head fully around it. I mean the honest truth. Is I wouldn't do it in his position, but I think part of the explanation for him. Is the despair of the country around him? yeah before sunrise hungry Venezuelans are waiting outside grocery stores praying for food. Trucks to arrive by midmorning. There is little there's only butter Nile only them to more chaos, in the country of Venezuela is profound each day at dusk, the

employed converge on the sidewalk trash heap in downtown Caracas, average weight loss in Venezuela now, twenty five pounds according to three universe, you have masses of starving people down even dying from simple. In fact, and is due to a lack of basic medicine, is a country in the midst of fine upheaval that levels of crime and violence that you- and I can imagine here, sir, moderate in the world in Caracas, their living standards have long declined. Pulverized by double digit inflation and a collapsing currency exodus refugees fleeing Venezuela is on scale western. Hemisphere has never seen before they come. As to the syrian refugee crisis or the floor, The romanian Bangladesh say money

more money, I'm very annoyed. Only God knows what we are going through, because in truth, no one is hoping that we have a government. I think that only one another, at this year each year Leadership needs to suffer. A leadership needs to take risks, in a certain way. His suffering is totally a friend or less than what most Venezuelans are going through. It you're not waiting for supper. I, like the people, are suffering in a different way because of course, any suffering for me is not the same. That suffering for four people were not finding fault. For example, the suffering, because sooner this different ways, different different shades of the same lack of liberties and and the impact of the detention. So he sees his role as a dissonant leader in this moment as a spur In saying some form of pain,

that may mirror what's happening outside this house yeah. I think it comes from this. Place of believing that he is a fundamental right to speak and that if he doesn't exercise that right and take that risk, then he's being defeated and he's not standing up for the principles that are things off and as well and should be out in the streets. Taking the risk of protest. In standing up for, and so I think for em there's a sense that he can be rebellious and defiant in the way that available to him- and in this case it's just speaking, change. He made a really clear that it wasn't my decision, but it was his decision

a felt absolutely certain that it was the right thing to do this this is carbon extraordinary experience. I have to imagine, as a reporter, to know that your work will put LEO in grave danger. Yeah heads It's it's horrible and away. I mean look if you're journalist, There are going to be some stories where you think some of the people in the story in prison. I sometimes outward journalism is that's the job. This doesn't feel like the job. I mean it fills the job to tell his story, but it doesn't feel to know that the subject of a story could be imprisoned. Just for talking to me. It's been very easy to a man in that at the end he might end up in prison and

well, I might still be spiralling into incomprehensible catastrophe and that you know I will have been the gun he pulled himself and would that be o k the country continues to spiral and he's back in prison. It just seems like a very difficult position to be in. Yeah. I would turn it around on. You were doing this and this is part of it right. Why? What? How do you feel about it? What if the daily is part of the reason goes back to prison, and I dont know what to do with that. Maybe you do I don't I'll be ok. You know, Big White van and judges will how're LEO and his family feeling

before the story comes out. I called them right before the store appeared on line to see how they were doing the craziest as Africa. It is crazy. No longer since you ve found, you, weren't lowly said and wants to talk to you. Lillian. How are you had a conversation with William. I guess it is a real risk of what happens in your family. How are you feeling about that right now, but I'm not coming because because right now to another because well

The ship is really really strong, they kill people. So I, like you, try to talk to people like, but I really really I'm scared. I think she was willing to focus our attention I want to really might mean and how bad that could be by William was also fully committed

only to continue the precision of your boy is really really really dangerous, but the work is not only would we understand what we are fighting for our country and suddenly be Christmas hurriedly, so is not only our families, not only our condition, contravene saw three. A country on details should be nice. I'm now were sacrificed the supply of Nepal, though I thought we continue. The Wynn report proposed marriage to you before you answer. You should know that if you marry me your marrying Venezuela in the sacrifices that I would make for them as well.

You remember that every other things you will do today tonight with a family with were or with the kids. To try to make the most of this evening, because tomorrow I asked them both about. How the kids were handling at what they were doing with the kids to offer to prepare them, and they were not preparing the kids, They have made this decision not to tell the kids about threats to the family. To try to hide is much of it as they can allow the kid to lead the most normal life possible and

Please tell me that they were going to be saying some special prayers that evening and brought the kids on to the call to. Let me here the prayers and It was kind breaking to hear the naive enthusiasm enjoy in the voices of the kids saying these prayers that they didn't really understand what they were praying for.

You mean you need me having a single name, because their causes man, and I appreciate you just made a deal with you now I am writing about on your opinion on this request and enjoy your family men. He, my friend

I don't know if it will happen its close happening. At least this is a situation. The article gets published and what happens next? Well right as we were, releasing the article last guy rated, and read it in a new way, something that had never happened before Swat team style, secret police burst into the house with mass on, and machine guns. And There was no hiding out from the gates. They said they had an order to take LEO back military prison, he didn't say any more than that used to leave

but I just want to let you know that I I ask you from my heart, You don't feel bad about anything. Please don't kill any sense of guilt by any means. So, while the agents with there ask the machine guns are in the house, as is totally deterred, leaving me voice messages in secret from the next room with the invasion force literally. Feet away from him years, because he's been speaking to me, the best rebellion, the best known violent protest that I can make at this moment is to speak out, and I chose to do it with you, and I ask you please you don't feel bad about, but

Please tell your people not to leave me a stray please, as here Can I ask for you and your people don't forget about us. Will that. What this is about a refusal

to be silenced clearly, but also about getting the rest of us. The rest of the world to pay attention without a doubt. Part of his hope here is to get the international community engaged and invested in. I think if his imprisonment would create greater international pressure, it pushes towards regime change valid, be for, the ultimate impact of the personal sacrifice So far they have not fulfilled the order, for his arrest were pulled. A labelling is still at home with his family. With this increased no

very presence- and we don't know- what's gonna happen, but Threat of re imprisonment couldn't be anyhow and we're just gonna have to find out well. Thank you very much for your time and freer reporting. Thank you I'll be right back. You know. His name did not just past HBO. Next must watch drama series, Perry, Mason, Stars, Emmy winner, Matthew, race, in an origin story for american fictions, mostly

generic criminal defence lawyer, when a gruesome murder case falls into masons lap. Uncovering the truth means exposing a city full of corruption, and everybody is guilty. Co, starring fellow Emmy winners, Tatiana Lenny and John Lisco New episodes of Perry, Mason AIR Sundays, at nine p M on HBO and stream at on HBO Max Here's what else you need to know today so congressmen, your ending the interview phase here of the House Intelligence Committee Investigation and into Russia's meddling in the election, give us the headline. What did you find allies? Are there we ve? We reach that point were reviewed all the first. We need to improve look to some three thousand three hundred thousand documents. Seventy three other views on Monday afternoon to Reply look in leading the Russia Investigation in the House representative. My Conaway said his Committee has found no evidence that the Trump campaign worked with Russia to influence the outcome of the election, no collusion,

that you found no evidence, no evidence of collusion between the trunk campaign and the she will help. How are they to exhibit? How confident are you well, we ve got. We found none economy defended the Republic in Control Committee agreed with the intelligence community that Russia interfered in the election, but of checks to its conclusion Russia, favour trump and procedures. Citing you address, they do a great power. They have great power over you people. They have lost power over me. I don't want any on Monday. Two weeks after telling lawmakers during a televised, meaning that he would fight for gun control measures opposed by the and our press

tromp abandoned that pledge in a tweet the president, backed away from his plan to raise the minimum age for buying assault weapons from eighteen to twenty one saying there was quote not much political support to put it mildly, for the idea but he said he would move forward with a plan backed by the energy to train teachers. To use weapons that's it for the daily on Michael Barbara, suitable as a surgeon and president of Howard, university Doktor Wayne Frederick, leaves even are tough his time

can lead to strength and change. This is a difficult stormy do it, but it was strengthened in a way that no classroom activity could ever have. I'm only shipper host of the past have made all the difference I talked to achieve it about how their managing the current moment and charging a course for the future find that made all the Prince anywhere. You get. Your podcast created by Bank of America