“Why do they spend 19 days treating them well and then kill them for no reason?”: Brother of Paúl Rivas
Ecuadornews:
Ricardo Rivas, brother of the journalist Paúl Rivas who was murdered by irregular groups with Javier Ortega and Efraín Segarra, expressed the need for the Government to clarify and make transparent the actions that were carried out during the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the journalist’s team. Among his concerns, he said, is the time lapse between the last time contact was made (April 7), until the news that they have been killed begins to circulate. “It is not known what happened, because in the photographs they are not mistreated, why they spend 19 days treating them well to kill them without any reason, that is not clear to me,” he announced.
Ricardo Rivas mentioned that it was a fact that they never imagined how the kidnapping and its outcome occurred. “Our family has grown, the three families are one,” he said.
He pointed out that the only thing they are looking for is to get to the truth, “even though we have to keep doing actions, we will have to mourn inside”.
Rivas explained that they had several meetings with the Crisis Committee in which they were informed about some steps that were taking place. “At the beginning the communication was not fluid, it was claimed and then they gave us daily information. We understand that by reservation and secrecy we do not get to know some of the details, “said the journalist’s brother, noting that after the outcome he had,” I decided on the formation of an independent international committee to make the information transparent and accessible to the truth for the tranquility of the Ecuadorians, the Government and the families “.
Among the concerns they have, he said, is the time lapse between the last contact (April 7), until the news that they have been murdered begins to circulate. “It is not known what happened, because in the photographs they are not mistreated. Why spend 19 days treating them well to kill them without any reason that is not clear to me, “he announced.
Rivas said that they were never informed “at what point the negotiation was going or what parameters had been given”. He said that 4 scenarios were raised and the last one was an incursion. “We want to know if there was something of that for the kidnappers to change their attitude,” he demanded.
In addition, he indicated that as families, from the beginning, they asked for the names to be revealed, “but the UNASE told us that by reservation and to save time for investigations they reserve, until in the end we reveal the names”.
He stressed that from the beginning they were warned that it was not a normal kidnapping, “but the lack of experience in these cases by the authorities played there. Therefore, it was necessary to go to other instances that do have experience in this and that does not mean that it is bad, only that there is no experience and it could be learned, but it was not brought alive and it is a failure from any point of view ”
Rivas stressed that “a Colombian person volunteered twice through a medium and we put it on, but they told us that when the stage arrives they will analyze it. It was never ignored. ”
Regarding the position of the Colombian government, he described it as “very lukewarm” and criticized the fact that it has only recently been issued an official statement. “The position of Mr. Nobel Peace Prize (Juan Manuel Santos) does not facilitate anything to us, that of peace, in this case, there was absolutely nothing. Therefore, I demanded better coordination with the Colombian Government. The 7 lives are very close to a Nobel Prize and any other situation, “he said.
On what was said by the minister, César Navas, that “we are not negotiating, it could have caused stupor in the kidnappers”. He considers that there are many factors that could have caused this outcome, “maybe some terms were not handled with caution, but the final result is there”.
Therefore, “what they seek is to make clear what the mistakes were, so that it does not happen again in the country and experience is gained”. He emphasized that he supports Ecuador as a country of peace, but questioned “where are the actions. This is not a problem of the 3 families, but of all Ecuadorians. ”
Finally, he insisted on the unity that Ecuador needs and that “they are not against the Government or against any sector and cannot be divided at this time.”
For his part, Cristian Segarra, son of the driver Efraín Segarra, expressed the complexity of this fact in the life of him and his family. On the repatriation of the bodies, he stressed that it is another uncertainty because they do not know where they are, “they tell us that the Red Cross is working on the issue, but all we know is that we have to keep fighting and asking the government for answers.”
“The authorities have to be honest and clear with everything that happened and is happening on the border. The Ecuadorian people must raise their voice of protest, in unity, because this cannot go unpunished, “he concluded. (I)