Venezuela frees, uproots to Spain jailed opposition activist

Venezuelan authorities have freed a prominent opposition activist jailed for four years just days after an anti-government politician died in state custody. Lorent Saleh was immediately escorted to the airport and put on a flight to Madrid with Spanish government officials. Upon arriving to Madrid’s airport Saturday, Saleh told media and a small group of exuberant Venezuelan opposition supporters that “the fight goes on.” “What I ask is that we all think about the fact that in Venezuela there are innocent people behind bars, people that have been kidnapped and who deserve to cross the same bridge that I have,” Saleh said. Saleh said that he didn’t know he was being released until the last minute. “They had already put me in a police car and we were heading to the airport when they told me,” Saleh said. “Today I have been able to see the dawn for the first time in four years, and I am still coming to grips with that.” More…