Marco Vinicio Calderon Cruz
disappeared on 20 July 1982 in Guatemala City
desaparecio el 20 de Julio de 1982 en la ciudad de Guatemala
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States in its 1983 reported Vinicio's disappearance. It was registered as Case Number 8077.
In case Nº 8077 relating to Marco Vinicio Calderón Cruz, Civil Engineering student, sixth Semester at the University of San Carlos, 21 years of age, Physical Education Professor and Basketball Referee, it is alleged that he was kidnapped by three unknown armed men who put him in a
small suburban station wagon, red, with shaded windows and no plates, the night of Tuesday, July 20, 1982, at approximately 10:00 p.m., on 18th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue, when after refereeing a game of basketball in the Olympic gymnasium “Teodoro Palacios Flores”, he was escorting a colleague to her car.”
See: http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Guatemala83eng/chap.3.htm
A selection of stories ran in the Guatemalan daily newspapers are presented here as well as a letter from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights acknowleding case Number 8077.
The Human Rights Centre of The American Association for the Advancement of Science also contains a reference
about Vinicio’s disappearance in this report about human rights in Guatemala:
http://shr.aaas.org/guatemala/ciidh/org_rep/english/appendix.html
An anonymous person has posted a picture of Vinicio wondering about his whereabouts: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cprurbana/3564825797/
If you would like to light a candle one evening this rainy season (in Guatemala) or winter (Southern hemisphere) or summer (Northern hemisphere) to shine his path or keep him warm wherever he is, please send a picture of the lit candle to me.
Thank you,
In case Nº 8077 relating to Marco Vinicio Calderón Cruz, Civil Engineering student, sixth Semester at the University of San Carlos, 21 years of age, Physical Education Professor and Basketball Referee, it is alleged that he was kidnapped by three unknown armed men who put him in a
small suburban station wagon, red, with shaded windows and no plates, the night of Tuesday, July 20, 1982, at approximately 10:00 p.m., on 18th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue, when after refereeing a game of basketball in the Olympic gymnasium “Teodoro Palacios Flores”, he was escorting a colleague to her car.”
See: http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Guatemala83eng/chap.3.htm
A selection of stories ran in the Guatemalan daily newspapers are presented here as well as a letter from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights acknowleding case Number 8077.
The Human Rights Centre of The American Association for the Advancement of Science also contains a reference
about Vinicio’s disappearance in this report about human rights in Guatemala:
http://shr.aaas.org/guatemala/ciidh/org_rep/english/appendix.html
An anonymous person has posted a picture of Vinicio wondering about his whereabouts: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cprurbana/3564825797/
If you would like to light a candle one evening this rainy season (in Guatemala) or winter (Southern hemisphere) or summer (Northern hemisphere) to shine his path or keep him warm wherever he is, please send a picture of the lit candle to me.
Thank you,
Details withheld.
Estoy seguro que tu hermano va a recibir estos mensajes, tu pedido esta cargado de fuerza espiritual que me ha llegado directo al corazon. Respondo con el mismo sentimiento.
Un abrazo
Proclamo en voz alta la libertad de pensamiento y mueral el que no piense como yo (Voltaire). AE y f.
L Fam
Perhaps those of us who were born and have always lived in the west do not always fully appreciate the freedoms we have. It is good to be reminded of their value and importance by you and your brother.
Peace and light.
We had a good discussion at dinner the other night after we all read your email - you brother's story evoked our kids to recall that my father's brother and parents "went missing" in 1941 in Latvia.
As they say in the jewish culture - I wish you a long life. Love M and family.
For Marco Vinicio - Always with you and your family, my friend.
Lei hace unos dias tu e-mail. Desde entonces en mi cabeza han estado dando vueltas sin descanso los recuerdos de los anos de enfrentamiento entre sonadores que sin importar los riesgos de sus propias vidas, simplemente lucharon por lo que considerban seria una mejor alternativa para aliviar el sufrimiento y opresion de la mayoria de los guatemaltecos. Muchos nos involucramos sin tener una imagen clara de las dimensiones titanicas que conlleva el cambio de rumbo de la historia. Unos seguiamos a los otros. Lo que estaba en juego tenia que despertar todas las fuerzas ciegas internas y externas en contra de tal atrevimiento de cambio. Muchos simplemente eran simpatizantes, pero igual fueron removidos del derecho a la vida. Pareciera que el fin nunca llega. Pareciera que los opresores han logrado el control de la humanidad. Pero es solamente apariencia. Un dia, no muy lejano, resusitaran a nivel universal los conquistadores de justicia. Aprovecho para encender una candela por todos los olvidados y desconocidos. Edgar
This is very disturbing reading. I remember when I was at university reading about the kidnappings of innocent people and political activists in parts of Central and South America. I hope the situation in Guatemala has improved. It never ceased to distress me reading about such disappearances and acts of torture on innocent citizens. I will light a candle and hope that whatever has happened, your bother did not have to suffer or come to great harm.
Nb - This is the candle lit by Bill, an Aussie who I first met back in 1986 and who was pivotal in my first few years of settlement Down Under - a guide and a person who persevered assisting me with the English language.
From Del Rio family to Marco Vinicio!
A reflection - Soul candle
This is really beautiful, to see how people reach out from their different places in life to celebrate the life of a person. In the Jewish tradition we light candles when someone dies or it the time of year they did, it's called "soul candle" and meant to help the soul of the person who died to go to a higher level in the sky. the "soul candles" are defined as such and you can just use any candle.
What I really love here is first, the variety, that as i said earlier, makes me feel that people from so many different places reach out to be part or remembering him and supporting you, but even more, it made me look at lighting candles in a different way - for me it was always about remembering a person, not with elevating their souls, but when i saw these pictures it made me think about a presence- lighted candles have a special almost tangible presence (beyond the matter of the candle) that can be in a way transformed to the person who is no longer present. i don't know .. now that i think about it its quite obvious, but i never so particularly thought about it that way, so thank you for that.
I have a younger brother, we are close, although he lives in Israel. I can't imagine losing him. I simply can't. I can see how living in a place that took hm away, is simply not an option.
What I really love here is first, the variety, that as i said earlier, makes me feel that people from so many different places reach out to be part or remembering him and supporting you, but even more, it made me look at lighting candles in a different way - for me it was always about remembering a person, not with elevating their souls, but when i saw these pictures it made me think about a presence- lighted candles have a special almost tangible presence (beyond the matter of the candle) that can be in a way transformed to the person who is no longer present. i don't know .. now that i think about it its quite obvious, but i never so particularly thought about it that way, so thank you for that.
I have a younger brother, we are close, although he lives in Israel. I can't imagine losing him. I simply can't. I can see how living in a place that took hm away, is simply not an option.