A glimmer of hope for democracy in Venezuela as opponents test the limits of free speech

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Andrés Velásquez didn’t stick around to become one more government critic jailed after Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election.

A former governor who had crisscrossed Venezuela stumping for then-President Nicolás Maduro’s opponent in the disputed race, he grew a thick beard, sent his children into exile and avoided public events that could expose him to arrest.

But in the aftermath of Maduro’s overthrow by the U.S., he mustered the courage to speak out. First, on Jan.