Published at: 25/03/2026 07:47 PM

(Latest News, March 25, 1967)

• On March 23, 1967, José Manuel “Chema” Saher Eljuri and the doctor who cared for him, José Alberto Ovalles, were shot on El Bachiller Hill, edo. Miranda, by agents of the General Police Directorate (DIGEPOL) and the Armed Forces Intelligence Service (SIFA).
• “Chema” Saher was wounded and, although both waved white flags as a sign of surrender, they were executed by a squad under the command of Lieutenant Trias. The officer previously requested authorization from Caracas regarding the procedure to be followed, since one of the detainees identified himself as the son of Dr. Pablo Saher, governor of the edo. Falcon.
• The highest authorities in Caracas, consulted on the matter, had no leniency with the detainees and ordered their execution on the spot.
• Both the Minister of Defense, Florencio Gómez, and the Minister of Internal Relations, Gonzalo Barrios, gave instructions to kill them “in situ” as soon as possible, cut off their hands and then disappear.
• However, Commander Chema's father arrived in time to rescue the bodies with his hands already severed and take his son to the city of Coro, Edo. Falcon.
• That same day, during the operation on the El Bachiller hill, Jeremías Barrios “Manduley” was also shot when he was trying to break the military siege to enter the mountains.
• The next day, in the midst of turbulent demonstrations and accompanied by a crowd of more than 20,000 people, “Chema” Saher toured for the last time the streets of the city of Coro flooded by the pain of those who came to say a final goodbye to him.

Profile of a revolutionary:

• José Manuel “Chema” Saher Eljuri was born on June 28, 1942 in Coro, edo. Falcon. His parents were Pablo Saher and Rosa Eljuri Abraham. From a very young age, he was linked to political activity, since his father was a senior leader of Democratic Action (AD) and participated in the fight against the dictatorship of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez.
• Chema graduated from high school in 1960, from the Liceo Cecilio Acosta de Coro, Diógenes Barreto Promotion. In April 1960, when AD split, he participated in the founding of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) in the Edo. Falcon.
• He was arrested on May 4, 1962, in an encounter with the police, under the command of Corporal Pablo Romero Nava, at the site called Los Evangelios, 40 km from Pueblo Nuevo, edo. Falcon.
• “Chema” Shaer was taken to the Antonio Smith Hospital, under heavy military custody and then to the headquarters of DIGEPOL, in Caracas. On August 1, 1962, he was taken to the SIFA cells and then to the San Carlos Barracks.
• On September 3, 1962, the Permanent War Council sentenced him to 18 years in prison for military rebellion, to be served at the San Carlos Barracks.
• His father Adeco, as governor of Edo. Falcón, with President Rómulo Betancourt, obtained a pardon, which became effective on March 10, 1964, one day before handing over the presidency to Raúl Leoni.
• Thus, El Chema left the San Carlos Barracks on April 29, 1964 and traveled with his parents to the United States, then to England. There he studied English to continue his career in Economics. In 1965, his parents went to visit him in the city of Brighton and the three of them went on a trip to Lebanon, where they had family members.
• In 1966, El Chema secretly left England and traveled to the Republic of Cuba to attend, as a MIR Youth Delegate, the Tricontinental Conference in Havana and the IV Congress of Latin American Students.
• Later, he smuggled into Venezuela through the border with Colombia. After several stops in different regions, Ezequiel Zamora joined the Guerrilla Front, led by Fernando Soto Rojas “Ramírez”, Félix Canales and Hugo Daniel Castillo “Bejuma”, the latter falling in combat on December 10, 1966.

Mazo News Team