Armando Rafael Payares de Aguas, a member of the left-wing Patriotic Union (UP), was abducted from his home in the town of Copey, Cesar department, on 17 February 1995 by armed men. He has not been seen since. Although the area is heavily militarized as a result of guerrilla activity, the vehicles involved in the abduction of Armando Payares seem to have been able to leave Copey without hindrance. Since its formation in 1985, more than 2,500 activists of the UP have been killed.
