Farmers Protest Killing of Peasant Leaders

The vice president led thousands of farmers in a march to protest the killings of peasant leaders who backed the government’s land reform campaign.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel vowed to punish those responsible for the slaying of dozens of leaders since the campaign began several years ago.

“For each attempted murder against one of our peasants, we will immediately expropriate millions of acres of land,” Rangel said in a speech at the rally in central Venezuela.

Peasant leaders and human rights groups link the deaths of as many as 150 activists to the land reform, which expropriates state and privately owned land deemed to be idle.