Secret mass graves were discovered in late April 1994 in a remote area in the Perija hills. They contain scores of human remains reportedly belonging to victims of extrajudicial executions. Some had been buried recently. The remains, mainly of adult males from the local indigenous peasant community, reportedly bear signs of close-up gunshot wounds to the head. They are believed to have been killed by hired gunmen and members of the security forces in the context of land conflicts. The governor of Zulia has orded the dismissal of the chief of rural police and an investigation into the killing.
