Kidnapped man released without bloodshed

Tumult returned to Sololá Thursday after a local man was kidnapped and held for ransom before being released the next day. His captors demanded 500,000 quetzales (nearly $70,000), threatening to kill him, according to Guatemalan newspapers, La Prensa Libre and Nuestro Diaro.

Alerted by family members, local Mayan leaders rose up, gathering about 2,000 townspeople from the hills above Sololá Thursday evening. They captured three men known to be part of a band of kidnappers. Townspeople roughed up the men and took them to a school, where they spent the night. The next morning, they captured a fourth member of the band.

On Friday, 59 rural village mayors gathered with a huge crowd and presented the four alleged kidnappers to the National Civil Police, who refused to take any action without a judge’s order. At 3 p.m. yesterday, the victim was released from another location, apparently by other members of the band of kidnappers. About three hours later, locals released the four crooks.

We heard about the kidnappings yesterday around noon when Jose, Viña’s creative director, received a phone call, during a meeting two hours from here. On the way home in a chicken bus, Jose and I happened to pass by a large crowd of villagers, gathered by the highway with numerous police vehicles present. We couldn’t tell what exactly was happening, but rumors were swirling last evening, some saying locals had lynched four kidnappers.

In February, locals gathered about 20,000 to 25,000 people here in a soccer stadium, demanding officials take action to stop a wave of kidnappings, threatening to take matters into their own hands. Within hours, they burned several houses, cars and businesses owned by the kidnappers.

I’m happy to hear things were settled peacefully yesterday, without bloodshed. Please pray for God’s peace on Guatemala. To see a photo of the alleged kidnappers and practice your Spanish, reading the news in La Prensa Libre, click here.

Today’s papers were dominated by news of a fight between national and city police in Guatemala City after national police arrested a city police officer who had run over a citizen. City police overwhelmed the four national police and managed to free their buddy. It’s dismaying to see such little respect for the rule of law.

Here’s a cartoon from today's Prensa Libre, showing the fight as crooks look on, cheering, "Hit him. Hit him hard."