They were captured by a paramilitary group working for a landowner on June 14
By: LaTabla/Data Journalism Platform 29 SEP 2025
The Fifth Control Court of Barinas state ordered on Friday, September 26, the trial of 22 farmers who remain imprisoned, in a case stemming from their alleged kidnapping by armed men working for landowner Elpidio García.
The preliminary hearing, where the prosecution presented the findings of its investigation, ended with Judge Miliena Meléndez deciding to proceed with the trial of the farmers. According to witnesses, the judge openly insisted that the defendants confess to the charges, and when they refused, she immediately ordered the case to go to trial.
The farmers, members of the Bolívar and Zamora Farmers’ Council, were captured on June 14 at La Rubiera ranch in Pedraza, Barinas. Local press reports indicate that a group of armed civilians with regional accents stormed the area, firing weapons and detaining them. The Farmers’ Council has been involved in a decade-long agrarian conflict with landowner Elpidio García over the use of lands belonging to the Nation.
Human rights organizations and independent media that have followed the case have described it as a “paramilitary kidnapping.” A witness who managed to escape reported that the attackers, dressed in civilian clothing and carrying long guns, were acting under the orders of García Sánchez.
The developments of the preliminary hearing are interpreted by local observers as confirmation of the manipulation present in the justice system of the Llanera region, which appears to favor one side in a land conflict. The case continues its judicial course amid a strong debate over land access and impartiality of justice in the region.