Relatives of former vice-president Óscar Denis ask …

100 days after the removal of the former vice-president Óscar Denis on behalf of the Paraguayan People’s Army (PPE), nothing is known of his fate. For this reason, Denis’s relatives They are asking President Mario Abdo Benítez to sign the authorization presented months ago so that the Red Cross can negotiate his rescue. “The state must do something else,” underlines the open letter read a few days ago by one of Denis’ daughters, Beatriz. What is certain is that the government has not yet responded to the requestand while you wait, The Red Cross clarified that if allowed, it will not participate as a negotiator but as a mediator to seek Denis’ freedom. and the two other kidnapped, the policeman Edelio Morínigo and the breeder Félix Urbieta.

The head of the regional delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Simone Casabianca, confirmed that the Denis family contacted the institution to request their mediation with the armed group and that they are awaiting the government’s authorization. “But We are not negotiators, we deal with humanitarian procedures, we are the intermediary. We could pass the message from one to the other but we are not actively involved in the business, the only thing that interests us is the well-being of the victim ”, declared Casabianca in dialogue with the radio Ñandutí.

The Red Cross He has at least 17 successful rescue operations in different parts of the world. For example, participated in the rescue of Ingrid Betancourt, who had been kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Despite this context, Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Federico González described the request from those close to Denis as “a very sensitive and delicate issue”.

“The government is doing everything possible to find Mr. Denis as quickly as possible. They work with the family and they try to give them whatever they ask for and match. Efforts continue and intense research continues. The issue of the Red Cross is very sensitive and delicate because of the implication it can have, it is a difficult scenarioGonzález said, clarifying little or nothing in an interview with Paraguayan 1020 radio.

“100 days without answers”

The daughter of the kidnapped and spokesperson for the family, Beatriz Denis, read last Thursday from the city of Concepción an open letter to the country’s president, Mario Abdo Benítez, in which he demanded that the state provide answers after 100 days of no news from Oscar Denis.

<< Mr. President, we continue to believe, hope and work for this dream country, a nation without war, a nation without hunger or sorrow where good reigns, without blood or mourning under the immaculate tricolor coat … You have sworn to defend the Constitution and said that if you don’t, the Fatherland and God will pursue you. Today they demand it“, specifies the letter addressed to Abdo.

“There are 100 days without result in the operations that the Paraguayan State has carried out and without response to these demands”In another section, the letter read by the daughter of the former Paraguayan vice-president states. Beatriz Denis admitted that the lack of information increases the “uncertainty and anguish” of the family, who are determined to continue looking for the former vice president “until they get his return or information on his situation ”.

In their letter to the president, the Denis family was very critical of the actions of the executive, which they accused of tolerating “a group imposing the lack of guarantees of freedom” in the country. They also demanded that Abdo Benítez mobilize “the human resources and capacities available to the Paraguayan state so that the three hostages can return”.

Removal

Óscar Denis was kidnapped from his ranch in Tranquerita, located in Yby Yaú district, Concepción department, on September 9. Meanwhile, the non-commissioned officer Edelio Morinigo has been deprived of his liberty since July 5, 2014 and the cattle breeder Félix Urbieta since October 12, 2016. So far, nothing is known of the three. The EPP guerrillas also took an indigenous ranch worker who was with Denis at the time of the kidnapping, although he was released a few days later.

The Paraguayan prosecutor’s office announced in mid-October that it had identified six people accused of kidnapping Denis, including one who is believed to be a teenager of Argentine nationality. In addition, the fiscal Federico Delfino commented on the state of the former vice president: “We are processing information that Óscar Denis is still alive. The data we have is sensitive and often we cannot share it with the press.”.

A few days later, Delfino admitted that he could not define whether Denis’ kidnapping was “political”, “extortionate” or “of another kind”. On November 20, the government announced that the Joint Task Force (FTC, a powerful state armed group of police and military personnel) had “killed” three guerrilla leaders: Lucio Silva, Estéban Marin López and Rodrigo Argüello. “Our FTC reports three people killed belonging to the northern criminal group during a clash”, celebrated President Abdo Benítez himself on his Twitter account.

The clash took place in Cerro Guazú, about 50 kilometers from the town of Pedro Juan Caballero, on the border with Brazil. The EPP is an armed group born in 2008 to which at least 64 deaths and kidnappings are attributed. It operates in a well-defined area of ​​the country which includes the northern to the eastern region.

The EPP made public a series of demands for Denis’ release, which included the release of two of its members, which the government did not cede, and the distribution of food by the family between different indigenous communities. Family members complied with what was required, but the Paraguayan guerrillas did not release Denis, 74, who was suffering from serious health problems.