Editorial: La Tabla/Plataforma de Periodismo de Datos 6 NOV 2025
Nelson Lepesqueur, 32 years old, has been returned to the National Guard barracks in Barinas following a risky surgical procedure, despite the facility lacking medical care or hygienic conditions to ensure his recovery.
The decision was made by Judge Maribel del Valle Márquez, who ignored medical recommendations to keep him in a healthcare center or a suitable residence.
Lepesqueur, one of three farmers arrested in February 2024 as part of the #caseCanaguá, underwent surgery for a bilateral inguinoscrotal hernia and a cyst in the epididymis. His arrest has been reported as part of a crackdown to criminalize peasant struggles in Barinas, driven by timber businessman Ramón Homero González. Agricultural organizations have pointed out that this strategy involves judicial and administrative instances aimed at evicting small farmers and facilitating the private exploitation of high-value commercial forest resources.