Concern for Colombian lawyer held in Venezuela on suspicion of treason

Relatives finished the lawyer Edwin Ivan Colmenares Garcíawho was detained by Venezuelan immigration authorities, on suspicion of alleged espionage for Colombian security agencies.

Colmenares, 34 years old, works for the Professionals for Comprehensive Community Development Corporation (Corprodinco)a non-profit institution that carries out community projects and provides humanitarian aid to vulnerable people, such as mothers who are heads of households and out-of-school youth, among others.

Sources from that group, with identity, told EL COLOMBINO this Wednesday that they were in their 29th year of work. “We have never been in contact with the Army or the police.” They said that Colmenares, who has been working with them since 2021, is an administrative lawyer and has never initiated criminal proceedings.

Security agencies, also consulted by this newspaper, pointed out that he did not perform intelligence activities for them either. So where did the alleged espionage suspicions come from?

This story began on November 1, when Colmenares left Arauca, where he works, for Cúcuta, the city where his family lives. His acquaintances said that he has made this trip often for two years, and that’s it To save time he travels through Venezuelabecause there is a better road there and the way is shorter.

At noon his passport was stamped at the José Antonio Páez International Bridge in the town of Arauca, he crossed the border and presented himself at the Administrative Service checkpoint

Identification, Migration and Immigration of Venezuela (Saime), located in El Amparo, Apure state.

At that time he was arrested and, apparently, available to the Bolivarian National Information Service (Sebin)to be questioned on suspicion of being a spy.

Since then, the family has not been in contact with him again, so they filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office and asked for assistance from the Colombian Foreign Ministry.

Corprodinco reiterated that Colmenares has four functions: 1). Conduct interviews and assessment of cases with special protection needs according to humanitarian aid guidelines; 2). Provide information and guidance to the community in humanitarian aid and access to health and education services; 3). Lead general training meetings from a prevention approach that targets stakeholders; 4). Participate in technical support meetings.

Leonardo Jácome, councilor of Cúcuta, He spoke on social networks, revealing that “this Cucuteño friend, Iván Colmenares, came from Arauca to Cúcuta and took the route through Venezuela, as usual due to the bad condition of the La Soberanía road, he was held by his ‘ National Guard and there is no news. “He is a young professional, a defender of social causes, and no one answers.”

In the same way, it was expressed Senator María Fernanda Cabal, of the Democratic Center party: “Edwin Iván Colmenares García is a Colombian who was detained by the Venezuelan Guard when he was traveling from the city of Arauca in Colombia through Venezuela towards Cúcuta to visit on his family. “I have asked @PGN_COL and @CancilleriaCol the measures that led to his emergency release.

EL COLOMBINO contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find out how the case is being handled, but at the end of this article we had not received a response.

From Corprodinco they asked quick fix“We are awaiting news of his release.”

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