Christian Torres/ Contributing Writer
Inspired by the arrest of Venezuelan political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez, doctoral student Albert Pelaez will run for the country’s freedom.
An avid runner, Pelaez said he will use his passion for running to raise awareness on Venezuela’s corrupted government.
“There is a lot of injustice going on in Venezuela,” said Pelaez. “Something needs to be done about it.”
Lopez, a Venezuelan politician who led protests for democracy, was arrested earlier this year and accused of provoking political violence.
Wearing a #FreeLeopoldoLopez T-shirt and with attention from media, Pelaez said he will continue to run until a change in Venezuela occurs.
Pelaez will aso run with the a white flower, similar to the one Lopez held the day he turned himself into Venezuelan authorities.
“If I can stay consistent, people will eventually notice me and hopefully ask questions,” said Pelaez.
Although Pelaez is not Venezuelan, he can relate to what the country is going through.
“Both of my parents were raised under control of a dictator. They have raised me by their ideologies, and they never liked communism,” said Pelaez. “Times were tough for my dad in Spain. Franco was ruthless.”
Left in awe by Lopez’s decision, he said he cannot seem to grasp the idea of willingly giving up freedom for the well-being of others.
“I don’t know if I would be able to give up everything that I love in my life for an outcome that isn’t really in my control,” said Pelaez.
Pelaez has been running since his high school years, and he even ran on FIU’s track team.
But he said the Lopez’s political and social action sparked a fire in him to do what he can for Lopez’s cause.
“It’s the liberties that we take for granted,” said Pelaez. “I can run whenever I want, but he’s stuck and he did it willingly. My motivation is his story.”
Pelaez will be running a string of marathons and half marathons, with his most recent event on Oct. 6 at Key Biscayne on Oct. 6.
He plans on running other well-known races such as the LIFETIME Miami Marathon.
Pelaez said a professional photographer from Univision will be taking shots of him to promote his cause through social media.
He said that even though there is a lot of support for Lopez, not many know how to help his cause.
“If there was a place that people knew they could turn to, more could be done in a more effective way,” said Pelaez.
Ultimately, he hopes his results will help the cause for Lopez’s release and the removal of President Nicolas Maduro, as well as the overall improvement of Venezuela’s conditions.
“Hopefully by just doing what I can, others will do what they can, too, and together we can make this world a better place.”
-bbc@fiusm.com
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