Interviews with Rodrigo Diamanti

Venezuela still possesses some democratic characteristics. The most important one is that we can still hold elections, and we can still reclaim our democracy through that process. What we have to do is gain time so that the government doesn’t completely limit the freedoms of dissidents. The only way we can win in the upcoming elections is by not losing all means of communication with which we can tell people that a better country is possible. The best way to gain time so the government doesn’t succeed in closing down every independent radio or T.V. station by nationalizing them is by having foreign congressmen or parliaments raise awareness about the situation in Venezuela. Whatever chance we get, our job is to convince Venezuelans that we must change if we don’t want to find ourselves in a situation like Cuba or Iran.

Rodrigo Diamanti of Venezuela is president of “Un Mundo Sin Mordaza” (A World Without Censorship), a network that promotes freedom of speech in the Americas and around the world.

In 2007, Diamanti obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Andres Bello Catholic University of Caracas. Two years later he received a master’s degree in political studies from Complutense University in Madrid. He is a founding member of the Venezuela Student Movement of 2007, which works for free and fair elections, transparent governance, freedom of expression and association, and reconciliation in Venezuela.

Diamanti is a senior fellow of the Alliance of Youth Movements (Movements.org) and has lectured in Turkey, Spain, Mexico and the United States.