A Conversation with Leopoldo López: How to Defend Democracy and Fight Autocracy
A Conversation with Leopoldo López: How to Defend Democracy and Fight Autocracy
Monday, December 2, 20245:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Pacific)
William J. Perry Conference Room (Encina Hall, 2nd floor, 616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford)
Registration for this event is now closed.
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Leopoldo López, General Secretary of the World Liberty Congress, Venezuelan opposition leader, and pro-democracy activist. In this talk, López will reflect on his recent TED Talk, where he passionately advocated for defending democracy worldwide and resisting the rise of autocratic regimes.
According to López, seventy-two percent of the world's population lives under some form of autocratic rule. Drawing from his harrowing personal experience of imprisonment, house arrest, and eventual exile for opposing Nicolás Maduro's regime in Venezuela, he will share his vision for uniting global efforts to champion freedom and push back against authoritarianism.
This event is co-sponsored by the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), CDDRL's Poverty, Violence, and Governance Lab, and the Stanford Society for Latin American Politics.
Speakers
Leopoldo López
Leopoldo López is a Venezuelan opposition leader and pro-democracy activist. He was the 2018 Robert G. Wesson Lecturer in International Relations Theory and Practice at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He founded the Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular and served as mayor of the Chacao municipality in Caracas.
In 2014, Leopoldo was arrested on trumped-up charges for leading peaceful, nationwide protests denouncing Nicolás Maduro’s regime. After a 19-month show trial, he was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison.
He spent the first four years in solitary confinement in a military prison. He was subsequently placed under house arrest as a result of international pressure and outrage within Venezuela. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience in 2015. Leopoldo escaped house arrest and was hosted at the Spanish embassy in Caracas. After a daring escape from Venezuela in October 2020, Leopoldo was reunited with his family in Spain, where he now lives in exile.
Today, he continues to be a leading voice in calling for democracy not only in Venezuela but also across the globe. Leopoldo is a co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, which he strongly believes will be instrumental in unifying pro-democracy and human rights activists to combat the global trend toward authoritarianism.
Isamar Marte, '26
Isamar Marte is the president of the Stanford Society for Latin American Politics (SSLAP). She is an undergraduate student majoring in Economics and double minoring in Data Science and Education. Inspired by her experience growing up in the Dominican Republic, her main interests stand in the intersection between policy, education, and development.