Axel Blumberg
Encyclopedia
Axel Blumberg was an Argentine
engineering
student at the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires
, who died at the age of 23, after being kidnapped
for several days in March 2004. He was returning from his girlfriend's home when he was intercepted by his kidnappers.
Allegedly local police were involved in the kidnapping or at least in the protection of the kidnappers. Neighbours of the kidnappers had called the police when they saw Blumberg escaping then being beaten by his captors; the police turned a blind eye.
Argentina was at the time in the midst of a wave of extorsive kidnappings, often remaining unsolved after badly conducted investigation. In three cases in the present decade, the extorsive kidnappings ended in murder: Juan Manuel Canillas, who was killed by his kidnappers in July 2002, Diego Peralta, in August of the same year, and the aforementioned Axel Blumberg, in March 2004. A large portion of Argentine society viewed (and still does) the police forces as corrupt and inefficient, political leaders as unsupportive, and penal laws excessively lenient; in this context, Blumberg's murder caused an uproar and was the catalyzer for massive demonstrations, protesting this perceived impunity and supporting Axel's father, Juan Carlos Blumberg
, in his search for justice.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
student at the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires
Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires
The Buenos Aires Institute of Technology, is an Argentine private university located in the city of Buenos Aires...
, who died at the age of 23, after being kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
for several days in March 2004. He was returning from his girlfriend's home when he was intercepted by his kidnappers.
Allegedly local police were involved in the kidnapping or at least in the protection of the kidnappers. Neighbours of the kidnappers had called the police when they saw Blumberg escaping then being beaten by his captors; the police turned a blind eye.
Argentina was at the time in the midst of a wave of extorsive kidnappings, often remaining unsolved after badly conducted investigation. In three cases in the present decade, the extorsive kidnappings ended in murder: Juan Manuel Canillas, who was killed by his kidnappers in July 2002, Diego Peralta, in August of the same year, and the aforementioned Axel Blumberg, in March 2004. A large portion of Argentine society viewed (and still does) the police forces as corrupt and inefficient, political leaders as unsupportive, and penal laws excessively lenient; in this context, Blumberg's murder caused an uproar and was the catalyzer for massive demonstrations, protesting this perceived impunity and supporting Axel's father, Juan Carlos Blumberg
Juan Carlos Blumberg
Juan Carlos Blumberg is an Argentine textile entrepreneur and victims' rights advocate who rose to prominence following the 2004 murder of his son, Axel Blumberg.-Early life and tragedy:Blumberg was born in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires...
, in his search for justice.
External links
- Gotkine, Elliott. "Could a kidnapping change Argentina?", BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
News. (July 22, 2004) Official website of the "Fundacion Axel" organization. Axel's Shrine at the Goethe Institute.