Wednesday 01 October 2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Panama Readies Trade
Deal with Canada
Honduras to
Achieve Energy Sovereignty
Colombia In Shock Over
Grisly Baby Murder
Brazil, Venezuela Sign
Seven New Agreements
Peru Well-Prepared For
Global Financial Crisis
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Colombia In Shock Over
Grisly Baby Murder
BOGOTA - A grisly case
of father kidnapping his
own baby in Colombia has
caused public shock and
outrage after the body
of the kidnapped boy,
only 11 months old, was
found on Monday.
The baby's disappearance
was reported last week.
On Sunday, the child's
father was arrested for
allegedly orchestrating
the kidnapping of his
own son.
The father later
confessed that he paid
250 U.S. dollars to a
woman to kidnap the baby
from his home in Chia in
northern Bogota, so he
did not have to pay the
child support
maintenance.
The woman, now in
prison, has admitted the
kidnapping. The two will
face a jail sentence of
up to 16 to 30 years.
However, many people and
legislators are
demanding life
imprisonment for them.
The gruesome murder has
sparked strong public
anger and dismay
nationwide. A national
moment of silence is
planned for Wednesday in
the child's memory.
Meanwhile, people in
Chia were staging a
demonstration to condemn
the killing.
President of Colombia's
Congress Hernan Andrade
said he was considering
resuming deliberations
on life penalty for
crimes against children.
"It will be necessary to
approve the referendum
of meting out life
penalty for this and
other crimes committed
against children,"
Andrade said. The
country abolished life
penalty in the early
1900s.
"The society must take
drastic and overwhelming
measures to protect
children," Colombian
Communication Minister
Maria Guerraesas said.
"It is inconceivable
that a father abandoned
his son and then
kidnapped him. We must
be united to denounce
such kind of crimes and
punish the
perpetrators," the
minister added.
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