Venezuelan journalist Petkoff, ex-guerrilla leader, dies

Petkoff was celebrated as a critical thinker who maintained his political independence within an opposition movement weakened by cronyism and infighting. In later life, he promoted conservative economic policies, which some of his early leftist friends considered a betrayal. “Teodoro Petkoff was a mentor to at least three generations of Venezuelans. I count myself among them,” playwright, essayist and former Tal Cual columnist Ibsen Martinez told The Associated Press. “He instilled in us the idea that democracy and tolerance ... are the essence of social justice.” Petkoff’s life story reads more like a Hollywood movie script, marked by daring prison escapes, bank heists and failed presidential campaigns in the tumultuous South American petro state. More…