special photo feature

On June 9, 1971, Father Héctor Gallego, the 33-year-old Colombian parish priest in Santa Fe, Veraguas, was seen being taken away by agents of Panama's then-ruling dictatorship. It is thought to be the last time that Gallego was seen, other than by his abductors and those working in league with them.

A few weeks ago, this reporter received a telephone call from the United States, from a man who said that he did not want to identify himself, but who said that he believes that he has the last photograph ever taken of Father Héctor Gallego. He promised to send a copy by mail.

Early in January, the photo came, along with a photocopy with handwritten notes that said:

This photo taken between 04-01-73 and 06-30-1973

Aircraft flew east and came back without Gallegos [sic] about 1 hour or so later.

Got good look at Gallegos as he was bought thru fence, but didn't know who he was until about 2 years ago. Saw [h]is picture on Internet, rung bell instantly.

Hector removed from back of National Guard pick-up with locked camper top.

Hector Gallegos [sic] handcuffed and holding arm

DENI agent with uzi over shoulder

National Guardsman's wearing 38 special

Manuel Noriega in silk Cuban shirt

If this photograph is what it is purported to be, and if the memory of our anonymous source --- the photo came in an envelope with a return address of "J.C,  Cumberland KY 40823" --- is to be trusted. It would mean that for two years, during which there was a storm of press coverage and protest about the priest's disappearance, Father Gallego was held in a clandestine jail. We know from other cases that some of the dictatorship's other victims, including the disappeared labor activist Heliodoro Portugal, who died in captivity of undetermined causes and was buried in a parking lot behind a military barracks in Tocumen, were held for many months in secret places of detention.

It has long been rumored that Father Gallego was thrown out of an aircraft over the Pacific Ocean. There have been various versions of this. If this photograph is genuine, do we see Gallego being moved from one secret place of detention to another, or do we see him being led to his extrajudicial execution? Or, as one version of the Gallego story has him being thrown out of a helicopter, was he headed east toward Tocumen for a connecting flight?

There have been false leads about Gallego's specific fate before. The Panama News has been hoodwinked by people sending malicious letters or emails over false signatures before. As part of the propaganda campaign leading up to and during the 1989 US invasion of Panama, there were false images and accounts of Manuel Antonio Noriega circulated --- purported pornographic videos, the "cocaine" in his freezer and so on. One participant in that propaganda campaign, Bosco Vallarino, is mayor of Panama City. For any number of sick reasons, somebody could be playing a hoax on The Panama News. It's important to say that at this moment the photograph's provenance and authenticity can't be verified.

However, there are intrinsic things in the image that might lead to its verification, or, on the other hand, proof that it's either a fake or has been misrepresented. For example, one colleague at another publication has run this photo by his sources and identified the location as Panama City's old Paitilla airport. It may be possible to determine the number on the aircraft. Although we can't distinguish any faces, by other means it might be possible to identify some of the people in the photograph.

So is it responsible to publish a photograph that can't be verified? In this case, mentioning all of the caveats that have been mentioned, this reporter has determined that it is. It is because it could lead to further research that would uncover more of the truth of what happened to Héctor Gallego. It is because, although this photograph would be evidence in a murder case and will eventually be turned over to prosecutors, long and bitter experience tells us that to turn it over, unpublished, to governmental, religious or corporate authorities could lead to its suppression even if it can definitively be shown to be genuine.

And understand what it means if this photograph is what the anonymous source says it is. Many Panamanians believe that Father Gallego should be canonized as a saint. If the image is genuine, then it will likely take its place alongside the Golden Altar and the Black Christ of Portobelo as one of Panama's most important religious icons.

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