A Haitian judge has decided to release 10 American missionaries accused of kidnapping children in Haiti, Reuters reported Wednesday afternoon.
This is a follow up to this post:-
Haiti Officials Arrest 10 U.S. Baptists for ‘Orphan Rescue’ Attempt
PORT-AU-PRINCE (BP)–Reuters news service reported Wednesday evening that the judge overseeing the case of 10 Baptist volunteers who are currently in jail has decided to release them — perhaps as soon as Thursday — although other reports out of the country said no final decision has been made.
The five men and five women were arrested Jan. 29 and accused of trying to kidnap 33 children out of the country, but the volunteers said they were simply taking the kids to safety in the Dominican Republican and that the children, ages 2 to 12, either were orphans or that the parents had granted permission. The volunteers denied there was any wrongdoing.
“The order will be to release them,” a source told Reuters. “One thing an investigating judge seeks in a criminal investigation is criminal intentions on the part of the people involved and there is nothing that shows that criminal intention on the part of the Americans.”
The Associated Press and NBC News, though, reported that no final decision had been made, although AP said a decision was imminent.
Group leader Laura Silsby is a member of Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, as are group members Charisa Coulter, Carla Thompson and Nicole and Corinna Lankford. Three detainees are from Eastside Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho: pastor Paul Thompson, his son Silas and church member Steve McMullen. The other detainees are Jim Allen, a member of Paramount Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas, and Drew Culbert, a firefighter who also is an assistant youth pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. Bethel Baptist is the only church not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
And this is quite a scathing analysis of the Southern Baptists arrested in Haiti, but this does show the Baptists to be seriously naive at best.:-
Reuters is reporting 10 Southern Baptists arrested in Haiti January 29th could be released Thursday.
Jeff Groenewald of Listen Up TV posits at the Holy Post that the 10 Americans should be cut some slack. Groenewald believes the 10 should be given the benefit of the doubt. His reasoning is they’ve been tried in the media, Christians are about putting themselves at risk to serve others and the group meant well.
The ends does not justify the means, ignorance of the law even in catastrophic conditions is not a defense. International standards are in place for sound reasons and are respected and adhered to by most groups.
Richard Hall of connexions:
I’m sure their hearts were in the right place and they went to Haiti with the best of intentions. But you can’t just take children. You can’t.
The 10 were charged with child abduction and criminal conspiracy.
We do know the group did not act under any national direction from the Southern Baptist Convention, they didn’t have to. With baptist polity of autonomy, SBC churches are free to do their own thing. Some do with so with excellence, some do not. We now know why residents of Callebasse were so willing to hand over their children. We also know leader Laura Silsby is facing charges in the US. While some SBC leaders caterwauled all the way to the White House, many others understood that the focus these 10 do-gooders garnered took life giving resources and attention off the very children they abducted and from the parents who handed them over.
Tags: Church Life, News
February 14th, 2010 at 1:13 am
The Haitian government must keep the children in mind when dealing with those 10 Americans. There is something going on with the kidnapping of so many children. I doubt those parents told the truth, that they freely gave their children to some strangers. Why would they when someone is waving cold hard cash in their faces. My dream is for them to dig deeper and find out rather this is part of a ring of child predators.
America has a serious problem with child abduction, kiddie porn, child rape and the like. I went into a resturant with my granddaughter and all the men stared at her and kept watching us. What is scary shes only 7. I got a feeling about where the little girls were going. After finding out that there was no orphan in the Dominician of Republic I thanked and praise God plus the Haitian police.
February 14th, 2010 at 1:17 am
God you are so good for helping those little innocent children, in Haiti, get away from the witch and the wolves, those 10 Americans. Thank you again I love you.