***

September third has been designated the day to focus on Arlene Escarleth Lopez’s case by the Three Days Three Daughters campaign.

Quoting the campaign page about her case:

Olga stepped out to the nearby store, leaving her daughter in the care of her grandmother. An aquaintance came in and said she was sent by Olga, the mother, to get the baby. The grandmother believed the stranger and gave the baby up. When Olga returned and learned what happened, she knew her baby had been kidnapped and ran into the street to try to find the kidnappers, but with no luck, and she has not seen the acquaintance since. Arlene was only one month old at the time of the kidnapping. It is believed that Arlene is now living in the midwest, having immigrated in December, 2006.

Her adopted name has been changed to Cindy Garcia. She is believed to be currently residing in Illinois with her American adoptive parents.

Her Guatemalan Mother is Olga Lopez.

Arlene was taken from her Grandmother almost three years ago, on September 27, 2006.

Again, I encourage readers to do further research on the case.

Pound Pup Legacy has a good overview page on the case.

Arlene Escarleth disappeared on september 27, 2006 when she was 1 month. Believed to be adopted abroad.

Olga recognized her daughter’s picture, and according to Survivors Foundation, they know the US location of the girl and are waiting DNA tests. See quote possibly under the name Cindy Colwell Thomas.

The PPL profile also contains a number of links for further research.

Rather than attempting to characterize any of the aspects of the story, I’d rather direct readers to the raw documentation, first in it’s original format, and then via ‘Google Translate’ to English.

Imprecise as the translations are, one can at least begin to get the feel of it.

***

First and foremost, here is the Sobrevivientes homepage itself,

and via Google Translate, Spanish into English. Be sure to also explore some of the sidebars and document links.

Sobrevivientes flyer-

(From the homepage via the translation,)

After 36 years of systematic human rights violations in Guatemala we have the slogan: “Never again” to the acts of violence that left thousands of Guatemalan families bereaved as were cases of extrajudicial executions, kidnappings, massacres, forced disappearance, among others. However, despite the efforts of civil society because these acts were not repeated as we are sad day day Guatemalan families face today acts of violence that cause pain and fear,with impunity in most of them.

This is the situation for children; Angiely, Arlen Escarleth and Heidi Sarai, now under the identity of “Karen Lopez Garcia Abigail (Abigail Monahan Karen Vanhorn), Cindy Garcia (Cindy Thomas Colwell) and Kimberly Jimenez Azucena (Azucena Kimberly Ocheltree ) in 2006 were torn from the arms of their mothers, who since then have remained a constant struggle to determine the whereabouts of their minor daughters, as well as research that leads to identify those responsible so that they face justice for the crime of human trafficking among others.

Some consider that this is a losing battle that will not bring the children back to the country, which have other moms and kids that they want a “burden”, these people definitely do not know what love is A mother and what it can do for the love of a daughter or a son, only this feeling that we know we know that the struggle of Mrs. Rachel, Olga and Loyda is unwavering love of a fight and we have therefore decided to accompany and support them in this journey that is full of visitudes many challenges and risks. It has been two years of searching, and we know the truth and we have gone through the same thing in court to prove that the processes of adoption through which the children came out of the country are run by abnormal trafficking networks that for years have been enriched with the marketing of our children in the market for international adoptions, which is why we demand the annulment of these processes and the adoption is invalid and girls return to their country and within your home .

As we call upon the judges of the court of first instance civil fifth, seventh to the court of first instance and the civil court of first instance civil eighth to make the relevant proceedings in accordance with the law by applying the principles of speed, promptness, efficiency and justice above all a favor because it is not what is claimed before our courts, but law enforcement.

The event begins today, but we do not know when it will end as this will depend on the speed and promptness with acting judges. Found to be the solidarity of the people, social organizations and the involvement of institutions of state to President Alvaro Colom, President of Congress and chairman of the Judiciary, we can not ignore the responsibility levels State by these facts. Because this is not a problem but all three wells Guatemala bleeds that day by day the actions of criminal groups and the lack of enforcement of justice.

Guatemala, July 15 2009

Also see these two news stories:

Prosecution asks Guatemala withdraw the immunity of a judge accused of approving adoptions anomalous

and via Google Translate, Spanish into English

And

Mothers start a hunger strike to recover stolen daughters in Guatemala

and via Google Translate, Spanish into English

Three Guatemalan mothers, accompanied by activist Norma Cruz, today launched a hunger strike in the capital in order to recover his daughters, who were reportedly stolen in 2006 and given in adoption in United States.

Cruz, leader of the Survivor Foundation, which supports female victims of abuse and violence, told reporters today that the hunger strike that began on the outskirts of the Supreme Court (CSJ), the capital of Guatemala, will be for an indefinite period.

“What we seek with this measure is void of the three processes of adoption of the girls,” were presumed to be delivered illegally to the United States people, “he said.

The accompanying activist in the hunger strike Olga Lopez, Raquel Rodriguez and Loyda Par, whose daughters were allegedly stolen in 2006, at various points around the city of Guatemala.