- Dolly García, mother of Edwin Colmenares, demanded that Gustavo Petro‘s government intercede to achieve his release | Photo: Caracol Radio
Family, friends and relatives of the Colombian lawyer Edwin Colmenares They held a protest on Saturday, December 9, to demand his release after his disappearance and subsequent detention in Venezuela, on November 1, was reported.
The demonstration took place at the Francisco de Paula Santander international bridge, a border point between Venezuela and Colombia. Colmenares’ mother, Dolly García, knelt on the bridge to demand that the Venezuelan authorities immediately release her son. García also demanded that Gustavo Petro’s Administration intercede to achieve his release.
“Free my son, he is an honest person. We demand answers, where is it. Give me my son, please,” he said, according to a note from The Opinion from Cúcuta.
#Cucuta #Frontera | 🚨 Family, friends and relatives of Cucuteño lawyer Edwin Iván Colmenares García, 34 years old, who disappeared in #Venezuelathey staged a sit-in at the Francisco de Paula Santander international bridge to demand the release of the young man, who was… pic.twitter.com/VOzDFsvQHf
— La Opinión Newspaper (@laopinion_col) November 9, 2024
Who is Edwin Colmenares?
The lawyer is part of the Corporation of Professionals for Comprehensive Community Development (Corprodinco), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that is responsible for providing humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable population on the border of Arauca and Apure.
Sources from the NGO explained to the media that the man has been working with them since 2021 as an administrative lawyer and that he has never brought criminal proceedings.
Colmenares, 34 years old, was detained by Venezuelan immigration authorities on November 1 on suspicion of having “espionage” tasks for Colombian security agencies. The lawyer’s family explained that he used to frequent the Arauca-Cúcuta route to save time and that, to date, he had had no problems in Venezuela.
After hearing the news, the councilor of Cúcuta, Leonardo Jácome, spoke out in rejection of what happened and argued that it is common for people from Arauca to move through Venezuela towards Cúcuta due to the “bad state of the La Soberanía road” in Colombia. .
For her part, María Fernanda Caba, Colombian senator from the Democratic Center party, mentioned that she requested the Foreign Ministry and the Attorney General’s Office of Colombia to move forward “urgently” with the efforts that lead to the release of Colmenares.
At least 19 foreign citizens are detained in Venezuelaaccused of belonging to a destabilization plot against the government of Nicolás Maduro.
Among those detained are seven Americans, two spanishtwo Colombians, a Peruvian, a Lebanese citizen and a Czech.
According to the Venezuelan authorities, these foreigners were captured in various areas of the country and are linked to alleged attempts to hack systems of State institutions and attempt to attack President Nicolás Maduro and other senior State officials. They are also accused of carrying out “intelligence” tasks.
The Venezuelan government has linked these foreigners to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the US Drug Administration (DEA) and the National Intelligence Center (CNI) of Spain.
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#Relatives #Colombian #detained #Venezuela #protested #border #demand #release
**Interview with Dolly García, Mother of Edwin Colmenares**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us today, Ms. García. We understand that you recently staged a protest demanding the release of your son, Edwin Colmenares, who has been detained in Venezuela since November 1. Can you tell us more about your son and the reason for your protest?
**Dolly García:** Thank you for having me. Edwin is a devoted lawyer and has worked with the Corporation of Professionals for Comprehensive Community Development (Corprodinco) since 2021. He
