Campesino Movements in Venezuela Call for Justice for Slain Activist
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City of Lisbon, Portugal, on September 25, 2024 (our site) - Outrage within the Venezuelan rural community as a grassroots leader, Iraidez Andrade, is brutally murdered.
This horrific incident transpired on Saturday, September 21, in the Las Mercedes region of Barinas state. Eyewitness reports suggest Andrade was abducted by armed men wearing masks, dragging him from his home late Friday night. His lifeless body was discovered nearby the following morning.
Andrade, aged 43, was a well-known advocate for grassroots movements, struggling to save Las Mercedes and secure land for local farming families. He was a member of the Sueños de Chávez Communal Council and actively participated in a land resolution negotiating table arranged by Venezuela's Agriculture Ministry only days before his tragic death.
Attendees at Andrade's emotional funeral on Monday echoed calls for justice and an end to impunity in cases of violence against rural activists. Suspicions pointed towards the Riera Zubillaga family, a powerful landowning clan from neighboring Lara state, who claim ownership of the disputed plot.
María Alejandra Tovar, coordinator of the Las Mercedes Bolivariana Campesino Council, which comprises 16 grassroots organizations, expressed her concerns. "We've witnessed repeated attempts over the years to muzzle and intimidate campesino leaders," she lamented, before praising Andrade for his unwavering dedication to the community.
Tovar also recounted the persistent threats she, Andrade, and other activists received, allegedly on behalf of the Riera Zubillaga family. She claimed that judicial protection orders had been limited in scope, either with short timeframes or failing to cover all spokespeople.
Currently, approximately 900 families reside in the landstead, predominantly involved in cattle rearing. These families produce around 16,000 liters of milk daily, while also raising pigs and poultry. Corn, rice, plantains, and sugar cane are some of the principal crops grown in the territory.
The struggle for Las Mercedes has a history stretching back to 2002 but gained key momentum in 2014 following an inspection by the Venezuelan Land Institute (INTI), which declared the land idle. In 2016, over 90 families began occupying the plot situated in the Pedraza municipality of Barinas state. The INTI initially granted them permission to stay on an area of 5,000 hectares, roughly a third of Las Mercedes.
Since then, the campesino families have faced numerous violent eviction attempts, including poisoned water wells and the destruction of homes and crops. Despite these challenges, they have continually returned, determined to continue producing food. Tovar also denounced two unsolved murders that transpired in 2018.
The struggle in Las Mercedes was a focal point during the 2018 "Admirable March," where hundreds marched from the countryside to Caracas to demand government support for rural farmers. According to our sources, over 90 percent of the land disputes from the march have been resolved, in part or entirely, in favor of small-scale producers. However, cases like Las Mercedes remain unresolved, with organizers accusing behind-the-scenes influence from landowning interests (1).
Tovar underlined that the grassroots groups have explored every possible institution channel to address the conflict and are open to negotiating directly with the presumed landowners if they can produce valid proof of ownership.
The assassination of Andrade led various campesino collectives, including the Small Farmers Movement, to issue a joint statement, urging the Maduro government to address these targeted murders of grassroots leaders. The declaration extended solidarity to Andrade's family, as well as all Las Mercedes families, demanding justice and reparations for the victims of such violence (1).
Another victim of rural violence against farmers was Carlos Bolívar, a prominent figure in the struggle for the Los Tramojos land plot in Guárico state.
Rural organizations have identified approximately 350 assassinations allegedly ordered by landowners since the enactment of the Land Law in 2001. This legislation, introduced by former President Hugo Chávez, allows campesino families and collectives to take over idle land in large estates (3).
Disclaimer: It is essential to note that at this time, there is no conclusive evidence linking the Riera Zubillaga family to Iraidez Andrade's assassination in Las Mercedes, Barinas (2).
- In the aftermath of Iraidez Andrade's assassination, rural activists are pushing for an end to impunity against violence directed toward grassroots leaders.
- Suspicions concerning Andrade's murder point toward the Riera Zubillaga family, a powerful landowning clan from neighboring Lara state, who claim ownership of the disputed plot in Las Mercedes.
- María Alejandra Tovar, coordinator of the Las Mercedes Bolivariana Campesino Council, expresses concerns about repeated attempts to silence and intimidate campesino leaders, allegedly on behalf of the Riera Zubillaga family.
- The struggle for Las Mercedes, which has been ongoing since 2002, gained momentum in 2014 following an inspection by the Venezuelan Land Institute, but has yet to be fully resolved despite over 90% of land disputes being settled in favor of small-scale producers elsewhere.
- Rural organizations are urging the Maduro government to address targeted murders of grassroots leaders, including the recent assassination of Iraidez Andrade, and to provide justice and reparations for the victims in the broader context of war-and-conflicts, politics, policy-and-legislation, and general-news related to crime-and-justice.
