Cotiza sergeants begin hunger strike after two-year judicial limbo

Twenty-four sergeants of the Bolivarian National Guard began an indefinite hunger strike on Monday, November 9, at the Ramo Verde military prison in Los Teques. Their lawyers and families say the men are protesting institutional delay that keeps them in legal limbo despite the annulment of their convictions.

Defense lawyer Miguelangel Forero Terán announced the measure outside the Palace of Justice. He said the sergeants suffer severe physical and emotional exhaustion, and that the restrictions affect not only the men but also their families.

“They are tired, sir, the limitations every day not only affect them as people, they affect their family.”

The case stems from the January 21, 2019 military uprising in Caracas, when the sergeants, stationed at the Cotiza command, rejected Nicolás Maduro as president and called on citizens to support them in the streets.

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Chamber declared the initial trial absolutely null, recognizing procedural flaws and ruling in favor of all involved, including those who did not formally appeal. However, the Third Terrorism Trial Court has not scheduled a new trial.

A preliminary hearing was held on April 26, 2026, six months before the hunger strike, and only the crime of treason against the homeland was admitted. In June 2022, twenty-three sergeants received sentences of seven years and nine months, while Sergeant Luis Bandres, identified as the uprising’s leader, was sentenced to fifteen years and nine months.

Most detainees have now reportedly served their full sentences, yet they remain imprisoned. Families delivered new amnesty requests to the Third Terrorism Trial Court on Monday, though the lawyer said judicial processing depends on whether the judge grants a hearing, a practice he said applies to some cases but not others.