I fled at dawn to escape Maduro, says opposition leader

He travelled in a series of different cars and shaved off the beard he had worn for the past decade. He hid his passport inside the lining of his suitcase and bought a traditional “boina” Venezuelan hat and fake glasses to make him look older than his 30 years. David Smolansky’s escape from Venezuela to Brazil is the stuff of a thriller novel. Speaking to The Times, the opposition leader described it as the regrettable consequence of the stark choice facing those who dare to stand up to President Maduro as he consolidates his grip on power: exile, or jail. “We are moving from authoritarianism to totalitarianism in Venezuela,” he said. More…