Imprisoned Venezuela opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez called on demonstrators to keep alive the mass protests against President Nicolas Maduro's goverment, his wife told reporters.
"We can't stop until we achieve our freedom. I'm on the streets with you, in mind and spirit," he said, according to tweets from his wife Lilian Tintori.
Tintori relayed her husband's words after she visited him on Sunday at a prison outside Caracas
Lopez, a speaker and leader of the opposition, has been detained since 2014 after he was accused of terrorism and inciting deadly anti-government protests.
His family's visit comes days after the government released a video on state television in an effort to dispel rumors about his health condition.
The family had been denied access to the prison for about 35 days.
His wife said Lopez was not aware of the political turmoil and mass protests happening across Venezuela in recent weeks until she filled him in about the unrest during her visit.
"He is good... He is fit and well.... He is isolated. He resists. It is hard but he resists," Tintori said outside the prison.
Since April, opposition leaders have faced off with Maduro and his supporters, accusing him of imposing a dictatorship.
Anti-government protesters want Maduro to step down and new elections to be held. The government has repeatedly blocked any attempts to oust Maduro from power by a referendum vote. It has also delayed local and state elections.
"This isn't [just] a dictatorship -- this is a repressive dictatorship," Lopez said, according to his wife.