Diary Of A Kidnapped Columbian Governor

The dramatic rescue and release of Colombia hostage Ingrid Betancourt on July 2, 2008, riveted the world’s attention. Another kidnapping victim that year was the governor of Antioquia, Guillermo Gaviria Correa. Little known is his embrace of nonviolence as a political strategy that led to his capture by the FARC and his death during a failed rescue attempt May 5, 2003. The book is being published on the seventh anniversary of his death.

Is a non-killing society possible? Here is the story of how Governor Guillermo Gaviria of the state of Antioquia, in Colombia, paid with his life for taking this question seriously. Knowing that kidnapping and death were real possibilities, Gaviria, inspired by the nonviolent principles of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, believed they could be applied in one of the most violent places on earth. Thus he organized a peaceful march in solidarity with coffee growers in Caicedo. The five-day march ended with his capture by the FARC.

Held for over a year in the jungles of the Colombian countryside, the governor kept a diary and wrote letters to his wife, family, and colleagues. This book is a compilation of his diary and letters, translated from the original Spanish into English. The editor had the privilege to meet the governor’s widow, Colombian Senator Yolanda Pinto de Gaviria in 2007. Her heartfelt desire was to bring her husband’s story to a broader English readership. A translation and editing team from Akron (Pa.) Mennonite Church accepted the challenge and partnered with the Center for Global Nonkilling to bring this amazing story to light.