{"id":10550,"date":"2023-11-13T16:59:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T16:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=10550"},"modified":"2023-11-13T17:02:35","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T17:02:35","slug":"how-luiz-dias-father-was-released","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/how-luiz-dias-father-was-released\/","title":{"rendered":"How Luiz Dias’ Father Was Released"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

he father of Liverpool star Luis Diaz<\/a> was finally freed by kidnappers on Thursday almost two weeks after he was captured by Colombian guerrillas, with manager Jurgen Klopp<\/a> saying the player was very happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diaz started Liverpool’s loss at Toulouse on Thursday night just hours after his father was taken into the hands of a ‘humanitarian commission’ made up of the Catholic church and the UN. The plan was to take Diaz Snr to a nearby city for medical checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First images released on Colombian television showed him wearing a cap and holding a drink, waving an arm in the air. Liverpool said they were ‘delighted by the news’ and thanked ‘all those involved in securing his release’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Diaz was taken by the left-wing terror group on October 28 in an armed attack and a huge search was launched to locate and release him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was seized at gunpoint along with his wife and the government soon blamed Colombia’s last remaining rebel group, the National Liberation Army. Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was left behind in a car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials said they could not rule out the possibility that he had been smuggled over the border to Venezuela through a dense jungle, meaning he would have been out of reach of Colombian police. A reward of about \u00a340,000 was offered for crucial information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liverpool manager Klopp spoke movingly of the club’s support for their player who was told not to head home for security reasons. All members of his squad had paid visits to Diaz’s home to offer their support and the side’s Latin American players are thought to have taken the lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armed men abducted D\u00edaz Sr and his wife on 28 October in their home town of Barrancas in Colombia\u2019s northern La Guajira state. Though Cilenis Marulanda, the footballer\u2019s mother, was freed hours later, D\u00edaz Sr was smuggled away on a motorbike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local reports alleged that he had been abducted by local mafia but the true identity of his captors was revealed on 2 November when a team of government officials negotiating with armed groups said the ELN, the country\u2019s oldest active guerrilla group, held him hostage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local television channels showed D\u00edaz Sr at an airstrip in the city of Valledupar in Colombia\u2019s Cesar province on Thursday after he descended from a helicopter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government\u2019s negotiating delegation at peace talks with ELN said in a statement it celebrated the liberation and that D\u00edaz Sr was safe and sound, but that the kidnapping \u201cshould never have happened\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe current process with the ELN has advanced like no other until today. Regardless, our delegation considers that the kidnapping of Luis Manuel D\u00edaz has placed our dialogue in a critical situation and because of it, the time has come to take decisions to eliminate kidnapping,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ELN leaders pledged on 2 November to free the 56-year-old, raising hopes of his imminent release, but D\u00edaz\u2019s family, Colombians and football fans across the world were left waiting anxiously for news of his freedom for almost another week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colombia\u2019s president, Gustavo Petro, earlier criticised the armed rebels for putting D\u00edaz\u2019s life in unnecessary danger and harming peace negotiations with the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a willingness expressed by the [ELN\u2019s leadership] to release him as soon as possible but the hours pass and, as time passes, the circumstances in which Mr Diaz is in become very dangerous,\u201d Petro told journalists<\/a> in Washington DC last Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u00edaz\u2019s family demanded proof this week that he was still alive as fears grew for his safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ELN has blamed the Colombian military \u2013 which has been combing a mountain range bordering Venezuela for signs of Diaz\u2019s whereabouts \u2013 for the delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not yet clear who brokered his freedom and whether the armed rebels received payment in exchange for freeing him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u00edaz Jr joined Liverpool from Porto<\/a> for \u20ac40m in January 2022, quickly proving himself one of the club\u2019s most talented players and the Colombian national team\u2019s brightest star. The 26-year-old was absent from Liverpool\u2019s squad against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest but returned to play Luton on Sunday, scoring an injury-time equaliser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ELN\u2019s involvement in D\u00edaz Sr\u2019s capture has cast the world\u2019s eyes on the human rights violations committed by the guerrillas and threatens to derail peace negotiations with armed groups in Colombia. The ELN agreed to a six-month ceasefire with the government in June this year and pledged not to take civilians hostage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sergio Guzm\u00e1n, the director of Colombia Risk Analysis, said: \u201cThe kidnapping of the parents of one of Colombia\u2019s soccer stars and most beloved public figures undermines credibility in the peace process, undermines the credibility of the ELN and worsens the government\u2019s ability to sell Total Peace as a credible alternative to Colombia\u2019s long history of violence and conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor: msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

he father of Liverpool star Luis Diaz was finally freed by kidnappers on Thursday almost two weeks after he was captured by<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dia.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10386,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/klopp-wont-force-diaz-to-play-liverpool-boss-delivers-injury-update-as-salah-ignores-transfer-talk\/","url_meta":{"origin":10550,"position":0},"title":"Klopp won\u2019t \u2018force\u2019 Diaz to play; Liverpool boss delivers injury update as Salah ignores transfer talk","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jurgen Klopp has delivered an update on Liverpool attacker Luis Diaz, who has been training ahead of this weekend\u2019s game against Luton Town. It was revealed last week that Diaz\u2019s parents had been kidnapped in Columbia. His mother was released a few days ago and a representative of the rebel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dia.jpeg","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15955,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/champions-league-table-after-match-day-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":10550,"position":1},"title":"Champions Lea\u200bgue table after Match Day 4","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Bayern Munich top the Champions League table after Match Day 4. The Bundesliga champions held their nerves to beat Paris Saint-Germain in France, despite going down to 10 men. Luis Diaz scored a brace, before he was sent off in the first half. Joao Pedro pulled one back for PSG.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/UCL-table-4__AoShP.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/UCL-table-4__AoShP.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/UCL-table-4__AoShP.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/UCL-table-4__AoShP.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12780,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/the-life-and-times-of-father-grimes-dead-at-93\/","url_meta":{"origin":10550,"position":2},"title":"The Life And Times Of Father Grimes, Dead At 93","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"September 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Remmy Asiteza Namasagali College\u2019s former headteacher known for introducing computer studies in Uganda, Father Damien Grimes is dead at the age of 93. The Namasagali College Alumni Association in a Thursday statement indicated that Fr Grimes breathed his last at his country home in the UK on September 4,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tribute"","block_context":{"text":"Tribute","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/tribute\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/430107_dcf4b7425b3e405bbfd1835799d53ea6mv2.webp","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/430107_dcf4b7425b3e405bbfd1835799d53ea6mv2.webp 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/430107_dcf4b7425b3e405bbfd1835799d53ea6mv2.webp 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/430107_dcf4b7425b3e405bbfd1835799d53ea6mv2.webp 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9508,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/liverpool-medical-set-after-player-leaves-training-camp-ahead-of-huge-summer-transfer\/","url_meta":{"origin":10550,"position":3},"title":"Liverpool medical set after player leaves training camp ahead of huge summer transfer","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"July 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jordan Henderson will undergo a medical on Saturday after leaving a Liverpool pre-season training camp in Germany ahead of his lavish move to Al-Ettifaq. Henderson will bring to an end a 12-year stay at Anfield after being offered \u00a3700,000 a week by Steven Gerrard\u2019s Al-Ettifaq. The Liverpool captain has faced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Soccer"","block_context":{"text":"Soccer","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/soccer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AA1ecICY.jpeg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AA1ecICY.jpeg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AA1ecICY.jpeg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AA1ecICY.jpeg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AA1ecICY.jpeg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12722,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/former-england-manager-eriksson-dies-aged-76\/","url_meta":{"origin":10550,"position":4},"title":"Former England manager Eriksson dies aged 76","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"August 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has died at the age of 76. He was suffering from pancreatic cancer . A life long Liverpool fan , Sven-Goran Eriksson was granted his dying wish in March this year to manage a Liverpool football game full of former stars including Steven Gerrard. Eriksson,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/bad31400-639f-11ef-8903-cb190cc555df.jpg-1.webp","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/bad31400-639f-11ef-8903-cb190cc555df.jpg-1.webp 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/bad31400-639f-11ef-8903-cb190cc555df.jpg-1.webp 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/bad31400-639f-11ef-8903-cb190cc555df.jpg-1.webp 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2487,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/life-and-times-of-liverpools-gerard-houllier\/","url_meta":{"origin":10550,"position":5},"title":"Life and Times of Liverpool’s Gerard Houllier","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"December 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Gerard Houllier was the pioneering manager who led Liverpool Football Club into the 21st century.He did so with deftness, diplomacy and progressiveness, easing an institution once accused of being stuck in the past on its first, slightly hesitant steps towards modernisation. \u201cEvolution rather than revolution,\u201d was Houllier\u2019s message upon arriving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/sports-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ger.jpeg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ger.jpeg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ger.jpeg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ger.jpeg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ger.jpeg 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0aOV-2Ka","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10550"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10555,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10550\/revisions\/10555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}