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Palacios kidnapping unites Afro Hondurans Edwin – one of five brothers in the Palacios family – was kidnapped from his home in La Ceiba,sdd Honduras on October 30, 2007. Five armed men entered the Palacios home in the La Ceiba neighborhood of Las Mercedes sometime near dawn: they tied up the boy’s mother and father and abducted Edwin from his home.
Edwin René
Palacios with this father, Eulogio In the wake of the kidnapping, Central America’s largest Black rights group, the Organización de Desarrollo Étnico Comunitario/Ethnic and Community Development Organization (ODECO), issued a statement demanding that the Honduran government do more to create “concrete policies for security” instead of mainly relying on informants to help solve crimes after they have been committed. Members of La Ceiba’s local soccer team, Club Deportivo Vida, have posed with banners asking for Edwin’s release and safe return. The majority Black residents in La Ceiba, the third largest city in Honduras, have donated funds toward the cause. And since Edwin himself plays soccer on the local Honduras team “Las Mercedes,” his teammates also took it upon themselves to collect money towards the 200,000-dollar ransom demanded for his release. Each
of these efforts was much appreciated by the boy’s father Eulogio Palacios. Eulogio suffered a mild heart attack soon
after the kidnapping. He has spoken about his shock that anyone would commit such a crime against his family: Edwin
may be the youngest in a family of soccer players, but only Wilson, a member of the Birmingham City “Blues”, is
earning a large income from the sport. The family itself is still poor, Eulogio declared. Wilson made his name on the first division Honduras team “Olimpia,” where two of his brothers,
Jerry Nelson Palacios and Johnny Eulogio Palacios, now play. The oldest brother, Milton José Palacios, plays for the
Club Deportivo “Marathón” team. Club Deportivo Vida has petitioned for the safe release of Edwin Wilson was first distinguished by his play with the Tegucigalpa-based “Olimpia,” the nation’s most prestigious
soccer team. His Birmingham City team issued a statement following the abduction, asserting “The club is supporting the player
at this difficult stage and helping him remain in constant contact with his family in Honduras. … Wilson has the club's
permission to return back to Honduras at any time, if he so wishes.” Wilson
did return to La Ceiba, taking what’s termed a “compassionate leave” from the English team. He spent more
than three weeks there trying to negotiate a release for Edwin. At one point in mid-November rumors surfaced that Edwin had
been released from his kidnappers. But those rumors were never true – in fact, they only exasperated the loss the Palacios
family still feels. On November 29th, Edwin’s mother Orfilia Cacho gave a press conference, begging for the return of her son. “We haven’t done anyone any kind of harm to merit this degree of suffering. I don’t
even know what more they want, because we’ve come up with the money they asked for,” she said. Yet even with the ransom paid, the 15-year-old is still being held against his will. The only
word the Palacios’ have had about Edwin is a series of phone calls from the kidnappers. They have said they are
ready to return the boy, but have not yet done so. |
A few days later, the men sent a ransom note to the family, demanding payment for his release.
Each one of the Palacios brothers began their soccer career playing with La Ceiba’s team, the Club Deportivo Vida.|
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