Venezuela's former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said on Friday he sought diplomatic refuge after being told President Nicolas Maduro's security forces were "coming for you."
Gonzalez, whom the opposition insist was the real winner of a July election awarded to Maduro, told Reuters during an interview in Madrid he could have been jailed and possibly tortured had he stayed in Venezuela.
"A security official working with me took me aside to say he had received information that the security organs were coming for me and that it was best to take refuge," he said.
"I could have gone into hiding, but I had to be free to be able to do what I am doing, transmitting to the world what is happening in Venezuela, making contacts with world leaders."
A Venezuelan court had issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes, after Maduro said the opposition was trying to topple him in a coup.
The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for reaction to Gonzalez's comments on Friday.
The former presidential candidate said he had already met senior Spanish political figures since his arrival on Sept. 8 and, having received invitations to visit Germany, the Netherlands and the European Commission, would conduct a tour of Europe.
He said he was confident that a peaceful handover of power was still possible in Venezuela, and he was still the person to lead it.
"I want to ensure that the will of the 8 million Venezuelans who voted for me on July 28th is respected," he said, a reference to opposition claims of a landslide victory based on vote tallies it has published. "That is a decision that has already been taken and I aspire to honour it fully."
'COERCED' TO SIGN LETTER
Gonzalez said he first sought refuge in the Dutch embassy and after 32 days made a decision to leave Venezuela, moving to the residence of the Spanish ambassador to make a request for asylum from Madrid.
He said he knew once the arrest warrant was issued, he faced a prison term, potentially in "one of the prisons they've converted into torture centres in Venezuela".
This week it emerged that while at the residence of Spain's ambassador Ramon Santos, Gonzalez signed a letter saying he accepted Maduro's election victory.
Venezuela's government published photographs of the signing in the presence of the head of National Assembly head Jorge Rodriguez, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and the Spanish envoy.
Gonzalez told Reuters the letter was agreed over a "very tense" 48 hours and extended meetings between himself and the Venezuelan officials, and that he was "coerced" to sign.
The opposition leader said the pictures and audio recordings made in the ambassador's residence were taken without his permission and he did not know who did them, but he ruled out that it was the ambassador.
"We ended up with a text that I signed. I said that I abided by the decision, although I did not agree with it."
Gonzalez said in return, he sought written guarantees in a second document that his daughter and her family including two children, who remain in Venezuela, would be safe, along with his car and apartment.
He said he did not at that stage seek guarantees for the release of political prisoners. Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal estimates that since July 29, 1,692 people have been arrested, many in protests, though 80 teenagers were released on Sept. 1.
"That is one of the causes that we are permanently pushing for in Venezuela and in all international forums where we can bring it to light," he said.
Gonzalez declined to enter into specifics of targeted measures foreign powers could impose such as sanctions or export bans on fuel. "It is a subject I don't want to address, but any effort to convince political actors to respect the will of the people is welcome."
