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16th
International Advocacy Competition |
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SPEECH
IN DEFENCE OF THE
LIBERATION OF INGRID BETANCOURT Etienne ROSENTHAL "Leading citizens of I thought of the cry of Antigone as she went willingly to her death as I read the one and only letter that Ingrid Betancourt had written the day of her kidnapping, that FARC sent to her family. More than 1000 days have gone by
since In other words, a small eternity for her family, her children Melanie and Lorenzo and all her friends both known and unknown who have discovered the gentle face of this big hearted activist. Ingrid Betancourt was born in
Bogotá on Gabriel her father dedicated his life to education, firstly setting up an Institute to fund student loans, then his work as Minister of National Education that led to his service with UNESCO. Yolanda Pulecio, Ingrid's mother was only 18 years old when she set up the first Hostel for Children abandoned on the streets of Bogotá and it was completely natural that her work on behalf of the disinherited brought her later to the Senate. Be of service, yes, but with honour! Ingrid studied Political Science
in Doubtless she had in mind the deep
concern shown by her parents for the less fortunate when walking up the
Champs Elysées on The assassination on Ingrid flew to Bogotá in January 1990 with deep anger in her heart. The people of Colombia welcomed Ingrid by opening the doors of Parliament to her, first as a Deputy in 1994 then as Senator in 1998 with a mandate to return dignity to Colombia, of course, but also international prestige, by fighting against corruption and the taking over of power by the drug traffickers, power held absolutely in the hands of President Samper. I cannot help but think that if
the successor to the last mentioned, President Pastrana had respected his
promise to bring in political reforms and had never broken the peace
agreement, the extreme right would never have won the presidential
elections in 2002 thereby putting President Uribe in power for four years
in A believer in strong government, he promised his people an end to the civil war and described the right-wing paramilitaries as terrorists just as he did the left-wing guerrillas. The decommissioning of paramilitaries militias? Fine! But why bring out the heavy guns against FARC when one agrees to sit at a table to negotiate an Amnesty for atrocious crimes committed by the paramilitaries? Indeed how can you explain such a difference in the treatment of right wing paramilitaries and left - wing guerrillas? Is it because of the alleged links
between President Uribe and the Congratulations, gentlemen, on the
picture that you paint of democracy in That image will last for quite some time to come! I will not burden myself with
diplomatic formulae in order to "deal" with a vague promise of
freedom with a government that did not know how to prevent the
assassination in 1996 of Elisabeth Montoya. I have heard that she had in
her possession proof of the links between President Samper and the drug
cartel in In the name of Human Rights, 1/ I demand that Everyone knows that it is unrealistic to wish to free a hostage by bombing these jailers and that she would face certain death as happened on 5 May 2003 in the case of two advocates of non violence Guillermo Gaviria, governor of Medellin and Gilberto Echeverri, former Minister of Defence, both kidnapped by FARC during a peace march. Ingrid Betancourt reminded you in
the last video made by FARCand shown on "A rescue mission, if it is not successful, should not be undertaken." It is a case of neither more nor
less than respecting the terms of article 3 of the International
Convention against hostage taking, passed by the General Assembly of the
United Nations on " The State in the jurisdiction where the hostage is detained as a result of a crime, takes all steps it judges appropriate to improve the fate of the hostage, especially in order to bring about his/her freedom and, if need be, ensure his/her departure following his/her release." 2/ I demand that Ingrid Betancourt be freed within the absolute context of a humanitarian exchange with FARC prisoners. Firstly because the Colombian
Government has shown that it was able to negotiate peacefully with
terrorists as is evident from the freeing of hostages held by the M19
group in the Embassy of the As well and above all because a historic precedence has existed since the agreement of "Les Pozos" reached in June 2001 between President Pastrana and Manuel Marulanda, Chief of the FARC. President Uribe, What is the value in freeing 50 rebels into the jungle for a government that allows the illegal activities of 20000 paramilitaries and that will get in return the release of 59 hostages, among them 22 politicians including Ingrid Betancourt? Why refuse to demilitarise, on a selective basis, two areas of the department of Caqueta, when the Colombian Government already agreed to such a demand in 1970 to obtain the liberation of Senor Londono, father of a former Minister of Internal Affairs and Justice? Don't you understand that it is a case of merely avoiding all armed attacks during the humanitarian exchange? And you cannot really say, either, that you do not want to force FARC to negotiate in Bogotá, even in a foreign embassy because by speaking ambiguously one loses all credibility. President Uribe, I am saying to you publicly in the name of the Betancourt family: The time for hesitation has passed, we are waiting for an immediate and tangible answer; the liberation of Ingrid, in a safe and sound condition. Dear Yolanda, Astrid, Melanie, Lorenzo, Fabrice, Juan-Carlos, and all those who fight publicly or in the background to obtain the liberation of Ingrid, Clara, and so many others. Dear Ingrid, I know well that Justice in When I think of those responsible for your kidnapping risk a term of between 20 and 40 years in prison under the terms of article 170.3 of the Colombian penal Code! It is not surprising that the United Nations Human Rights Committee is outraged by the low number of enquiries undertaken by the government with regard to the most serious violations of International Human Rights Law! But are you aware that an International System of Penal Law has existed since 17 July 1998,when the Statute of Rome, creating the International Court of Penal Law, was agreed by 120 countries, among them Colombia. The Statute of Rome came into
effect on Since then all those who are found
guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes are liable to be
brought before the I am telling you, your family and
all those who struggle for peace and Human Rights in this country: First of all because Next because all armed groups have one thing in common: they have all committed terrible crimes that cannot be compensated for either by reparation or reconciliation. I have said it and I repeat today
in Article 8, paragraph 2C of the Statute of Rome defines by "war crimes" the serious violations of article 3 shared by the 4 Geneva Conventions of the 12 of August 1949, ratified by Colombia in 1960 and in particular, mentions the kidnapping of people who have no direct links with a war, in the case of an armed conflict that is not of an international nature. Either it chooses the road of a
lasting peace and refers to the President Uribe, because it is to you I turn, finally: You have been elected because civilians could take no more of the violence that reigns in your country and because you have promised them peace. You must understand that the freeing of Ingrid Betancourt and beside her, all the hostages, demands above all a universal political response but one that has regard for the basic human rights of each human being. It is your turn to take action for
Equality and Justice in Etienne ROSENTHAL. |