December 1, 2024, 4:00 AM
December 1, 2024, 4:00 AM
Yesterday, a group of invaders took over land in Santa Rita, located in the province of Guarayos in the department of Santa Cruz. They evicted a police contingent that arrived at the scene to protect the property.
According to the testimony of the workers who were on the property, this irregular group suddenly arrived at the property and asked them to leave the place once the harvest they have on several hectares is finished. In addition, they were warned that if the uniformed officers return to the place, they will face the consequences.
“They made the police flee by singing, they beat them, they didn’t do anything to us, but they warned us that the harvest had to end and we would leave, because if not we would pay with the consequences. “We are scared,” said a worker.
And at the call of the owners, a contingent of 300 police officers arrived on Friday to Santa Rita, a property that consists of more than 6,000 hectares. A total of 200 invaders installed around 60 huts on the cultivated land for approximately three months. The eviction operation carried out on Friday was peaceful, but yesterday the response generated violence.
The properties have been coveted since 2021 by these oppressors.
In response to the eviction, the Vice Minister of the Interior Regime and Police, General Jhonny Aguilera, stated that these criminal acts that respond to criminal organizations will not be tolerated that “what they do is divide up plots of land to profit and harm not only society, but to food production.”
“We are going to carry out immediate monitoring, we are coordinating actions with the Air Force, we are not going to tolerate this type of actions and it is appropriate that we carry out criminal investigations and judge these people, these are not people in search of land, but rather criminal organizations,” Aguilera stated after being contacted by the press.
He pointed out that the invaders, at the time of taking over the properties again, were in possession of firearms, such as shotguns to generate fear, therefore, he said that they will take all actions to restore the rule of law.
In this regard, the lawyer specializing in agrarian issues, Álvaro Latorre, told this medium that they are intercultural people belonging to San Julián and that they are affiliated with said municipality, but not with Guarayos.
He identified at least six intercultural leaders for whom there are arrest warrants and that to date the Police have not complied with, as he denounced.
“Since May, the Police have not caught these bullies. As long as they are not caught and taken into custody, nothing will change,” he criticized the effects on the legal security of the land.
Milfred Delgadillo, legal advisor of INRA, arrived at the property and assured that after the eviction process, notification was left to the natural and legal persons, since the protagonists of the subjugation of that extensive property could not yet be identified.
