A UK-based Christian human rights group has called on the Mexican authorities to investigate the case of Benito Guevara Arcos, a Protestant missionary who disappeared six weeks ago in the Guerrero state.
The 79-year-old missionary was last seen 31st March in the town of San Vicente, Chilpancingo de los Bravos Municipality, where he travelled to preach and hand out Bibles.
After travelling there from the town of Ocotito, Arcos had stayed with a Protestant friend, who later looked for him when he didn’t return at nightfall.
During the search, neighbours said armed men had forced Arcos into a car because they objected to his preaching.
The friend later confirmed that the missionary was being held by an organised crime group which claimed that it was investigating his identity, despite him having acces to his official identification documents.
A few days following the forced disappearance of Mr Arcos, the criminal gang reportedly claimed that they had released the missionary in the town of Amojileca, a 30km drive from San Vicente, on the 4th April.
They added that they had also requested for a family member to collect him from the town.
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, according to the Christian human rights group.
Mr Guevara Arcos’ family told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (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.
“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,” said Anna Lee Stangl, CSW’s director of advocacy and Americas team leader.
She added: “We urge the Mexican government, at all levels, to increase efforts to arrest the influence of organised criminal groups in the country.”
Emphasising the threat that these groups pose to religious leaders and human rights defenders, Stangl said that the authorities should prioritise “their protection accordingly”.
On 13th April his family 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 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) has highlighted that disappearances in Mexico have increased by over 200% in the last ten years. The IACHR claimed that state actors are often involved, either directly or indirectly by allowing organised criminal groups to operate with impunity.