CSW is calling on the Mexican authorities to conduct an urgent investigation into the case of a Protestant Christian missionary who disappeared in Guerrero State six weeks ago.
Benito Guevara Arcos, 79, was last seen on 31 March in the town of San Vicente, Chilpancingo de los Bravos Municipality, where he had travelled from the town of Ocotito to preach and give out Bibles.
He was staying with a Protestant Christian friend, who went to look for him when he did not return at nightfall. Upon his enquiries, neighbours told the friend that armed men had forced Mr Guevara Arcos into a car after taking exception to his preaching and taken him away. The friend was later able to confirm that the missionary was being held by an organised criminal group which claimed that it was investigating his identity, even though he had his official identification documents with him.
A few days after the forced disappearance of Mr Guevara Arcos, the criminal group reportedly claimed that they had released him in the town of Amojileca, a 30km drive from San Vicente, on 4 April, and requested that a family member pick him up. Protestant Christians in the area sent two men in a pickup truck along the only road to Amojileca to search for the missionary but were unable to locate him.
Mr Guevara Arcos’ family told CSW that he did not have his phone with him, but that he was carrying sufficient money to have covered the cost of returning home. On 13 April they filed a missing person report with the National Search Commission for Missing Persons in Guerrero State and were provided with police protection as they posted flyers throughout the municipality.
The case has received extensive local media coverage and Mr Guevara Arcos is well-known in the area, however no-one has come forward with information regarding his wellbeing or whereabouts. The family has not filed a report with the Guerrero prosecutor’s office for fear of reprisals from criminal groups.
A new report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) highlights that disappearances in Mexico have increased by over 200% in the last ten years. The IACHR claims that state actors are often involved, either directly or indirectly by allowing organised criminal groups to operate with impunity.
CSW’s Director of Advocacy and Americas Team Leader Anna Lee Stangl said: ‘CSW is deeply concerned for the wellbeing of Benito Guevara Arcos. We urge anyone who may have information as to what has happened to come forward, and call urgently on the Guerrero State and federal authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his forced disappearance. We urge the Mexican government, at all levels, to increase efforts to arrest the influence of organised criminal groups in the country, recognising the specific threat that these groups pose to religious leaders and human rights defenders in particular, and prioritising their protection accordingly.’