Missing Peruvian Pastor Finally Laid to Rest
by Jeremy Reynalds
June 12, 2007
SURREY, ENGLAND (ANS) -- The remains of Pastor Jorge Parraga Castillo were finally laid to rest in Huancayo, Peru, last week, 18 years after he was taken away by the Peruvian military.Human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported in a news release that the pastor's remains were positively identified and returned to his family for burial last month. The May 31 funeral service was attended by his family, members of his church, and human rights workers who have long been investigating the case.
According to witnesses at the exhumation, CSW reported, family members immediately recognised scraps of clothing found with the remains as those of Pastor Parraga. A DNA analysis confirmed the identification.
On Oct. 25 1989 in the village of Atcas, the evangelical pastor was detained by Peruvian soldiers along with two other men. They were tortured and beaten in the presence of their families before being taken away in a truck. The men were never heard from by their families again. Pastor Parraga's wife, Ida Beltran, who is disabled as a result of a car accident, was left with seven children all under eleven years of age.
As of yet no one has been charged with Pastor Parraga's disappearance and subsequent murder. According to CSW, officials from the Peruvian Ministry of Defense have refused to provide investigators with information on military personnel stationed at the Manta base, where his body was found, at the time of his disappearance and death.
In 2005 an exhumation was carried out on the Manta base, at the site indicated by witnesses. The bodies of the two men taken with Pastor Parraga were found but his body was missing. A second exhumation was held in early May 2007.
Peace and Hope, a Peruvian human rights organization, has spent a number of years investigating the fate of Pastor Parraga. CSW stated that in recent years, witnesses came forward with important information. According to these witnesses, the pastor had been taken to a military base in Manta, where he was killed under torture and interrogation. In an effort to hide the signs of torture, the soldiers then reportedly doused the bodies with gasoline and set them alight, later burying the remains on the base. Evidence collected during the May exhumation seems to confirm the witness statements.
Family members have called on the Peruvian government to cooperate with investigations and provide the relevant information to the Attorney General's offices so that an investigation can move forward.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide's National Director, Stuart Windsor, said in a news release, "The location and identification of Pastor Parraga's remains is a bittersweet achievement. While his family is finally able to mourn him properly, they must now deal with the reality of his death and we extend our deepest sympathy to them. We join them in calling on the Peruvian government to do everything in its power to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice."
CSW noted that human rights atrocities occurred on a massive scale throughout the 1980's and 1990's in Peru as government forces battled extreme leftist guerrilla groups the Shining Path. The number of victims was estimated by the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation to be more than 69,000. CSW reported that while the Shining Path was responsible for the majority of these, government forces were also found to have been to blame for a significant percentage.
According to CSW, it is believed that Pastor Parraga may have been targeted specifically because of his work as a pastor. In rural areas like Atcas, pastors regularly travel by foot to visit the communities under their care. Investigators working on this case believe that this may have led the military to believe Pastor Parraga was a member of the Shining Path.
CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, and works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs. For more information, go to www.csw.org.uk.
© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission.
