Hello I'm Luke Jones. Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

In BBC OS conversations we bring people together to share their experiences and this time

it's conversations on life in Venezuela. Since July's disputed presidential election, there have been mass anti-government protests

leading to fatalities, injuries and the detention of hundreds of opposition supporters.

In our conversations you can hear the pride and hope that people have for their country,

but also people's underlying fear.

You have to be very careful nowadays who you're talking to, what you're saying to the people

around you, they can ask you for your phone and if they see something that they consider

it suspicious, you can can go in prison.

The election result that handed President Maduro a third six-year term in power

has been described as undemocratic by independent observers

and fraudulent by the opposition, while many other nations including the United States,

those in the European Union and several in Latin America have refused to accept it. The opposition in Venezuela

the other day also called for worldwide protest at the weekend. In response, President

Maduro has accused opposition voices of producing fake evidence and suggested the likes of the

US are behind what he described as a coup attempt.

Life in Venezuela has been hard following years of recession and shortages of basic goods.

Estimates suggest millions of people have left the country in that time and that's

where we start with our first conversation. My colleague Liqua Zbarak brought

together three of those who are now abroad,

Alejandra in Spain, Jinzia in the UK and Estefania who is now in Chile.

It feels like living a duller life in a sense, being worried and heard about all the news about my home

...