Here is the report of a victim of the Bolivian Rapist EL
NEGRO!!!
Please tell this story to every traveller in South America
-----------------------------------------------------------
La Paz 7th October 1997
DEAR FELLOW TRAVELLERS
I feel it is important to tell as many travellers as
possible in South America about the bad experience I had in
Rurrenabaque. This is my story; I went on a tour with my
friend and two other travellers for seven days in the jungle
with ECO-TOURS. We felt very lucky yhat we were going with
the 'highly recommended' guide -'NEGRO' ISRAEL JANCO. The
special extra I got on the tour was that this nice friendly
man decided to sexually assault me.
On the last night of the tour Negro Israel Janco gave me
five pills that he said were for 'anti-swelling' (I had a
badly swollen hand). I now know they were valium and they
were given so that Negro could do whatever he wanted with me
and hope I would be sleeping too deeply to know about it.
But I did wake up to find my trousers ripped and Negro
Israel Janco sexually assaulting me.
Back in Rurrenabaque I discovered that Negro Israel Janco
had raped another traveller last year. It was a big town
scandal. The girl went to the police and town government.
ECO-TOURS was closed only to be re-opened as soon as the
girl left town. A few weeks later Negro was back working as
a guide. I decided I had to do something about this man. I
have spent five weeks of doing everything in my power to do
something about Negro Israel Janco; five weeks of daily
visits to the seemingly co-operative police and town
government where they forever promised -manana, manana -and
delivered nothing; after fruitless phonecalls to 'my' German
Embassy where I was greeted by nothing but indifference,
still Eco-tours was open and Negro Israel Janco was swimming
with gringas in the Pampas.
Finally after four weeks Eco-Tours got closed down -but
despite the fact that the police knew exactly where Negro
Israel Janco was -hiding in the Pampas -and despite endless
assurances that they would go and arrest him, still he was
free.
The police were full of words and no action. I was banging
my head against a brick wall. In the end I considered paying
myself to transport the police to the Pampas to arrest him.
But I came to understand that then I would have to stay
indefinitly to ensure he would be brought to trial since I
know how easy it would be for Negro to buy his way out of
trouble. What finally made me know that I could do no more,
that I would not see Negro Israel Janco arrested whatever I
did, was that I heard he had escaped to Brazil.
So I left Rurrenabaque feeling I had wasted so much time and
energy to ensure this man was punished and would not work
with tourists again.
Why am I telling you all this?
From my experience over the last five weeks I have learnt I
cannot have any faith in Bolivian law. The reality is that
in towns such as Rurrenabaque there is no real law to ensure
justice for women who are raped or sexually assaulted. The
local people sort the problems out themselves -a father or
brother shoots the perpetrator. For travellers there is
nothing, no justice, the assault of somebody who leaves town
is easily forgotten -especially when bribes are offered to
the authorities to help them forget. There is every
possibility that Negro Israel Janco will be back in buisness
working as a guide in a few months.
The only hope I have that Negro Israel Janco won't work
again and have the opportunity to rape more women travellers
is to tell my story to other travellers and ask that it is
not forgotten amongst you. Please spread this story. Please,
if you're going to Rurrenabaque be aware of this man and
help ensure he never gets the opportunity to work with
tourists again. Ask in the agencies, hotels and restaurants
if he is back working. Make sure Rurrenabaque as a town does
not forget that this man is a rapist.
Tourism is valuable to Rurrenabaque -if the authorities feel
that Rurre is getting a bad name because of what happened
maybe, miracle of miracles, they will arrest him when he
returns. This will only happen if the town knows that you
and every other traveller knows about Negro Israel Janco and
my fruitless attempts to get him arrested.
If he does return to Rurre he will either work in NAHAMA
TOURS owned by one of his brothers or in a new agency opened
by the family to replace Eco-Tours. I am quite sure that the
other agencies would not employ him. To avoid any confusion
-there is a guide called Negro working for Fluvial Tours
-this is a different man.
I don't believe in anything anymore. I have used every last
drop of energy with this thing, but I can't just forget and
shut-up, words can be powerful, so please help me spread my
story and keep it alive. Help ensure that the police and the
authorities don't forget about what happened to me and don't
continue to allow known rapists to work with travellers and
go unpunished.
Thanks for listening!
Maike Aselmeier
[There are 8 posts - the latest was added on Wed 26 May, 6:20]
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A few buddies of mine and are heading to the area this
September on leave and we'll look Mr. Janco up and teach him
some manors.
You are very brave, Maike. I wish you all the best to put your life back together. My heart goes out to you and other such victims. With love and respect,
Hopefully those fellows out for justice will teach him some
"manners" because otherwise they might be offering
architectural or design lessons instead. I also hope that
these "gentlemen" will forego wearing anything that marks
them out as U.S. Marines when they "teach" this hideous
rapist a lesson -- this might also teach other people who
don't know the details of this case that Americans are thugs
or that we also don't respect the rule of law.
Arcangel, just remember that this NEGRO well receieve
justice whether it is from the town government,or any other
government agency. He will be punished!
my heart goes out to you and I understand the futility you
are feeling of all your fighting. My sister went through a
similar thing (in a supposedly civilised country, canada)
and i FOUGHT FOR 2 YEARS to see justice done. I didn't
really win... it seems a similar thing here...
I can't add anything constructive - all i can say is good on
you for bringing it into the public forum and one day this
bloke will get his. For every victim that speaks out there
are many more scared and silent... full power to you for
your strength.
Kia kaha.
Kick Negro's fuckin' ass!
There are times for civility, law, and order, and there are
times when things break down. At those times you make your
own laws and you enforce them. That is justice.
All of you that are flexing your muscles to go on a beating
mission...why? Just because someone has written something
here doesn't make it true. Perhaps, just perhaps, the story
might be made up for various reasons.
Secondly, here lies a moral for all travellers/holiday
makers. Take precautions and act safely. Taking unknown
tablets from a non-medical source is crass
irresponsibility. You "may" have been assaulted - and that
is wrong - but you have to accept responsibility for your
own actions. In life you tend to get what you deserve.
Ya, OK, fine. The story might be made up for various
reasons. Let me think of one... OK, got one. It's a huge
conspiracy be western women to have an otherwise innocent
man burned at the stake. What's their motive? Hmmm... oh
yes,got it, simple hatred, right- good enough. They MUST be
lying.... right?
So when do any of us believe anything?
Do you believe the moon is real? Are you sure? You probably
do. At a certain point, you accepted it as fact and moved
on. So where is that line? We all draw it in different
places for different reasons.
In a democratic society a court comes into action when
people draw there lines in different places over the same
issue. We are asked to suspend our individual opinions and
wishes in favour of a collective process. But what if that
process fails in your eyes? At what point do you refuse to
accept the results and begin direct action? Anyone has the
right to begin such action as much as you have to condemn
it. Right and wrong is not absolute, but subjective. If one
looks, one will see that in this world right and wrong has
always been decided and imposed by those who have had the
ability to do so, and the results, if not neutral, are
always in favour of the powers that be.
I would have no problems seeing that asshole toasted for
his actions. That is justice to me. Primitive?
Undemocratic? I couldn't care less. What kind of justice is
a clusterfuck-spiderweb of corruption where everyone is
kissing everone's ass while you are way, waaay out of the
loop? Justice by the book broke down a long time ago in
that part of the world.
regards