Lilian Tintori


Lilian Adriana Tintori Parra is a Venezuelan activist, athlete, television and radio host. Tintori is the wife of Leopoldo López, a Venezuelan politician sentenced in 2015 to nearly 14 years in prison for "inciting violence" during street protests the year before. She has also led groups who have opposed the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Early life and education

Tintori was born in Caracas, Venezuela on May 5, 1978. Her mother is Venezuelan and her father from Argentina. She studied at Merici Academy. She earned a bachelor's degree in preschool education with a minor in political communications from the Andrés Bello Catholic University.

Career

Entertainment

In 2001, Tintori was part of the reality TV Show . The show was a big success in Venezuela. Even though Tintori did not win, this experience helped her build a career in the entertainment industry. Tintori was a television host for RCTV and Televen, a former radio personality for , and Ateneo 100.7. Eventually, Tintori's face was seen on billboards in Venezuela. The Atlantic described her as "a celebrity in her home country, famed for her looks and charisma".
Tintori was Venezuela's 2003 Kitesurfing National Champion and is the founder of the Prokite Foundation, which works to provide kitesurfing gear to unprivileged kitesurfers. Tintori is also an ambassador for the Socieven Association, which works to raise awareness of the plight of the deaf and blind. She also works with the BFC Foundation for its violence against women campaign and with the Young Foundation for Human Rights.

Human rights

Following the arrest of her husband during the 2014 Venezuelan protests, Tintori became a face of Venezuela's opposition movement. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, she denied interest in politics while telling The Atlantic that "Leopoldo is the politician... I’m a human-rights activist, a Venezuelan, a mother, and a victim myself, and I’m very close to the victims of my country". She traveled internationally to meet with individuals such as United States vice president Joe Biden, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy and Pope Francis, to seek assistance with the releasing her husband and other political prisoners in Venezuela.
President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro sees Tintori as a threat and has called for her work to be "neutralized" and described her as a "terrorist". According to Tintori, Venezuelan authorities often follow her and intimidate her daily. While visiting her husband López in prison, she, as well as her mother-in-law, have been forced to undergo "intimate" strip searches by Venezuelan authorities, with Tintori's children present at times.
On 29 August 2017, the scientific police of Venezuela stated that they found 200 million bolívares in cash–around 10,000 USD at that time– split in four wooden boxes in a car belonging to Tintori. Tintori and two vicepresindents of the bank BOD were prohibited from leaving the country during the investigation. Tintori assured that the money was for personal use and expressed that the Venezuelan government was attempting to prevent her from going on an international tour to meet with European leaders. On 2 September 2017, she was prevented from leaving for Europe, prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to tweet his support.
Tintori, on June 14, 2017, was awarded the 2017 Palabra Prize.

Personal life

On 19 April 2007, Tintori married Leopoldo López. They have three children: Manuela Rafaela, born in 2009; Leopoldo Santiago, born in 2013; and Federica Antonieta, born in 2018.

Awards and honors