Liberating
Hostages from the FARC Frees Every Colombian
...
"In the recent history of this
country, no scourge has crushed our collective soul as kidnapping has done … To
see the faces of every kidnapped person who regains their freedom - by rescue,
by fleeing or after being liberated - is to witness a symbol of the battle to
win back dignity."
Ingrid Betancourt
just after her release: The saga of this Colombian with dual French
citizenship - who was kidnapped six years ago in the midst of running for
the Colombian presidency, has captured both of those nations. She may
well be the next president of Colombia.
Every society needs symbols to
enable it to survive. In her fragile humanity and admirable courage, Ingrid
Betancourt embodies the
parable of our nation's overwhelming tragedy. The image of Ingrid means many
things to Colombians. But fundamentally two: the struggle for dignity and the
hope for civility.
So when, with her strength of
mind, her trembling and her faltering voice, she said: "Thank you
Colombia," it was felt by all Colombians. Not only did she shed a
tear - we all did. Not only for Ingrid but for three United Statesiens [people from the U.S.] and 11 police and
soldiers who also embraced freedom. On this day, every Colombian was just a
little freer. Because in the recent history of this country, no scourge has
crushed our collective soul as kidnapping has done.
[Editor's Note: The public
statement from the three freed U.S. hostages, who's Cessna went down in the
jungle during a drug surveillance mission in 2003, says in part: "We want
to offer our heartfelt thanks to the Government and the Armed Forces of Colombia.
The operation they conducted to rescue us was one for the history books - something
we will never forget for the rest of our lives. Colombia is a great nation with a great people, and the
struggle they have endured with the FARC for more
than 40 years is a shining testament to their great spirit].
This tragedy has also been an
exploration of the human condition. For not only do the most basic instincts
emerge during the oppression of captivity, but also the most noble sentiments
and values which extol human beings who are forced to confront adversity. The
value of life - and the risk of death during attempts to flee; permanent
humiliation at the hands of captors; the brotherhood that binds the kidnapped;
the love for one’s fellow who shares this state of vulnerability; the
psychological condition of being confronted with the endless passage of time;
the social adaptation to psychological slavery; the new power relationships in
this new caged-reality … these have all come out in the incredible stories told
by each of the abductees, whose messages are metaphors for a country that has
built its character and identity within a maelstrom of violence.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
But seeing the faces of each
kidnapped person who regains their freedom - by rescue, by fleeing or after
being liberated - is to witness a symbol of the battle to win back dignity. That of Ingrid, with her courage and fortitude challenging the
symbolic basis of her victimizers' despotic and brutal authority. And
that of each of the 11 police and soldiers, whose words have the strength of
rock and who, with fists held high and tears in their eyes, exalt in liberty
and fraternity. Who is more a democrat than someone who - after eight years in
captivity suffering the worst insults to dignity - can reclaim liberty,
coexistence and civility?This is also
the fight of a nation to find dignity in its collective subconscious. A nation
confronted with its own history, shaken by an endless fratricidal war - but
also facing a future in which it has been unable to draw a clear identity in a
complex, voracious and globalized world.
COLOMBIAN TV: VIDEO OF HOSTAGE
RESCUE
(WITH TRANSLATION PROVIDED BY
AL-JAZEERA)
Hearing Ingrid's generous and
magnanimous words; feeling how the soul of a human being came to life in the
voices of each and every soldier and policeman that spoke to the world
intoxicated with freedom shedding a tear as so many Colombians did; seeing in
yesterday’s images the portrait of a collective struggle for a civilized
country: this is what makes Colombia an admirable nation.
Ingrid Betancourt thanks Colombian President Alvaro Uribe after her release, in Cartagena, Colombia, July 2.
U.S. government contractors who's Cessna went down in the jungle during a drug surveillance mission in 2003, Keith Stansell, left, Marc Gonsalves, center, and Thomas Howes, in an aircraft in Colombia after being rescued from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, July 2.
Keith Stansell, right, and Marc Gonsalves after landing back in the United States at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, July 3. Until their release, they were the longest-held American hostages in the world.
[LATEST NEWSWIRE PHOTOS: Hostages Held By FARC, including three Americans, Freed].
