They report another Colombian held in Venezuela

The family of Cucuteño lawyer Edwin Iván Colmenares, 34 years old, is experiencing an ordeal, whose whereabouts have been unknown since November 1st after he crossed border with Venezuela for the state of Apure.

From then on, his mother, Dolly García, lives desperately searching for a sign of life, because the only thing she knew was that he was detained by the Venezuelan guard.

Colmenares works in the department of Arauca and for two years has worked as a legal officer of the professional corporation for comprehensive community development, Corpodinco.

According to the mother, the Colombian citizen was detained when they requested the documents. He told THE TIME that the young man decided to enter Venezuela in order to save his way to go to Cúcuta and visit it, but he never arrived.

Given the situation, which is not the first that has occurred with Colombian citizens in Venezuela, the lawyer’s family asks the Foreign Ministry to make a statement about what happened and that they hope Colmenares returns home.

“It’s just that in Colombia it’s 14 hours and in Venezuela it’s 4. It happened and at the Amparo they gave them papers, they were going to seal it and they left it there. My son managed to write to a classmate who told him that they had him detained, and she verified and yes. He saw that they took my son out in a van and took him away. Since that moment I don’t know anything about him, he doesn’t appear, we already have a tax complaint, Gaula, the Foreign Ministry, we have knocked on doors, the government is also carrying out the process,” García said.

When asked if his son had a criminal record, he reported that he does not report anything negative, and is very studious, as he has doctorates, is specialized, and is pursuing a master’s degree.

Another Colombian captured in Venezuela: they accuse him of being a mercenary

Arley Espitia is a 24-year-old man from Boyacá who has already been detained in Venezuela for two months for allegedly belonging to a paramilitary group in Colombia.

However, it seems that history is not that way. According to his family’s version, the young man, who has dedicated his entire life to agriculture in Boyacá, had decided to accompany a friend to that country and take a vacation.

As explained to THE TIMEthey arrived in Cúcuta and crossed the border by car, but when carrying out a review of papers under the Venezuelan guard, he was detained on September 13 and since then his relatives have not heard from him.

A month later, at a press conference by the Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, it was learned that Arley Espitia was classified as a “mercenary.”

In the transmission, an entire map of alleged infiltrators to attack the security of Venezuela was revealed. Spaniards, Americans, Ecuadorians, Colombians are on that red list, and it was assured that because they speak Spanish they belong to a group of mercenaries.

“This is an errand from the paracos, Arley Espitia, he is a recruiter of paracos, he has ties to the paracos, this gentleman brought people from the Aragua Train,” said the official, recounting the supposedly criminal record of the Colombian.

THE TIME He consulted with Lorena Espitia, Arley’s sister, who indicated that the Colombian authorities have not given him a reason for his future and freedom in Venezuela.

He assures that Arley has only worked in a sauce factory and in a wafer warehouse, which only left for Bogotá until 2024.

“Diosdado Cabello gave news that there was a group of mercenaries who had a plan to overthrow Venezuela, there he mentioned my brother, he said he was part of a paramilitary group. That is not true, we are from the countryside, we are farmers, our entire lives have been dedicated to farm work,” says Lorena.