Longtime Venezuelan opposition leader Antonio Ledezma arrived in Madrid, Saturday, where he was greeted by his family.
"Venezuela is not on the edge looking into the abyss. It is in the abyss," Ledezma said. "It's collapsing. And that's what I want to talk about with the (Spanish) Prime Minister Rajoy."
Ledezma, who had been under house arrest since 2015 for alleged coup plotting, said he escaped house arrest Friday and went to neighboring Colombia, passing dozens of police and army positions.
Before leaving Colombia, Ledezma said he was planning a “global pilgrimage” to fight for political freedom in Venezuela. Ledezma, the former mayor of Caracas, said he had spoken by phone with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who offered his support.
Colombian immigration authorities said in a statement that Ledezma entered the country legally after crossing the Simon Bolivar bridge that separates the two countries.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro acknowledged the escape of Ledezma, who he mockingly calls “the vampire.”
The 62-year-old Ledezma had spearheaded street protests against Maduro in 2014 that led to months of violence. He spent a few months in jail, before being released and placed under house arrest in 2015 due to health issues.