Freedom

 

Eleven tourists and their eight Egyptian escorts taken hostage last week were freed today after Egyptian and Sudanese forces raided their hideout, allegedly killing six of the kidnappers. Sources reports that the former hostages have been taken to Cairo, where they are all doing well. There is no confirmation on whether the ransom requested by the kidnappers had been paid.

Iraqis offer hostage’s body for female detainees

 

A few months back, the captors of five British men claimed that one of them had committed suicide a few days before the one-year anniversary of his abduction. Today the Sunday Times reports that those hostage takers offered to swap the body of the man – known only as Jason – in exchange for 10 Iraqi women and other elderly persons who have been detained in U.S. custody. The British Foreign Office has rejected the deal, taking the stance that there should be no negotiations with hostage takers.

News from several fronts

–Just an hour ago, the Associated Press reported that Sudanese troops have closed in on the desert hideaway where 19 tourists and Egyptian tour guides have been held since taken hostage on Monday.

–Ingrid Betancourt announced today that she would form a foundation focused on human rights. She also stressed that dialogue was essential to dealing with terrorism, and noted that concerns for her security impede her return to Colombia at this time.

–The Taliban carried out a mass kidnapping of 150 labourers in southwestern Afghanistan this week, and three hostages who were sick were freed yesterday. The provincial government of Farah Province is said to be negotiating for the remaining hostages.

A kidnapping in Egypt

 

A tour group was snatched in Egypt near the Sudanese-Libyan border today. The 11 European hostages were seized with their guides and security guards, however, the governor of the area denies they were victims of terrorist activity. “The valley is very secure,” said Gen. Ahmed Mokhtar. Though no group has claimed responsibility, the Arab media has reported that ransom negotiations are underway.

New anti-kidnap squads in Mexico

Responding to a huge outcry over the surge in kidnappings in the past year, the Mexican government has announced it will invest more than one million U.S. dollars in setting up anti-kidnapping units within state police forces. Since coming to office in late 2006, President Felipe Calderon has been losing the ongoing battle against powerful drug lords, who supposedly are responsible for the 600+ abductions this year alone. Human rights groups say there may be even higher numbers of kidnappings that go unreported. Other measures being considered to fight this crime are special high-security prisons for kidnappers and standardised anti-abduction laws; some affluent Mexicans also are getting electronic chips implanted so that their whereabouts can be detected by satellite.

A bitter critic changes her tune

 

The mother of Marc Gonsalves, one of three U.S. contractors held hostage in Colombia for almost six years after their plane crashed in the jungle, has renounced her previous contempt of the Colombian government and now plans to seek citizenship in that country. Jo Rosano (pictured) was so happy to have her son back safe and out of the FARC’s hands, that swearing allegiance to Colombia seemed like the perfect tribute to a country she says she now loves.

 

Colombian President Uribe is slated to meet with Gonsalves and his two colleagues, along with Ingrid Betancourt, when he visits the United States next week. Uribe personally approved Rosano’s bid for citizenship.

Children as kidnappers

Four peace activists were kidnapped in Basilan in the southern Philippines Monday, and two remain in captivity. But the twist in this news story is that the hostage takers may be boys as young as 15 years old. Thus says the Philippines Inquirer today. While the military claims the kidnappers are members of Abu Sayyaf, those who witnessed the event said it was perpetrated by a group of youths who flagged down the van that the workers were riding in, and therefore it is impossible to tell who the boys are affiliated with.

Two of the hostages escaped, while two women are still being held. A crisis committee has been formed to deal with the situation.

French Army perform bold hostage rescue

As reported previously, the number of hostages held by Somali pirates in recent weeks is staggering. So it was a bold move on the part of the French Army today when it rescued two French Polynesians who had been seized in the Gulf of Aden two weeks ago. President Sarkozy is said to have approved the mission, which ended with one pirate dead and six others captured. The move comes one day after the European Union discussed the possibility of sending a naval mission to the region to thwart further attacks.

“Thirsty for harmony and peace”

I try not to let the most high-profile ex-hostage dominate this blog, but I do want to draw attention to some of Ingrid Betancourt’s activities over the last week. Before winning a humanitarian award in Spain on Wednesday, Betancourt pressed the United Nations to establish an international bill of rights for victims of terrorism, a proposition which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is said to be seriously considering.

Meanwhile, in an interview with a Swiss magazine, Betancourt talked candidly about the inhumanity of her captors, and the need for dialogue to end hostage crises. She also stated: “The decisive point is that everyone has to know that there can be no impunity. Whoever crosses the red line must know that – negotiations or no negotiations – sooner or later he will be held accountable.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Absolutely abhorrent

In case you missed it, earlier this week Israeli Cabinet Minister Rafi Eitan suggested that it might be an acceptable option to kidnap Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in order to bring him before an international tribunal. Eitan argues that Ahmadinejad’s nuclear and verbal threats against the state of Israel warrant his being seized and brought before the Hague.

Such a suggestion – especially coming from a government official – should be condemned in the strongest terms. Regardless of what anyone feels about Ahmadinejad (and certainly his denial of the Holocaust and Israel’s existence doesn’t win him many friends), putting forth kidnapping as a political option is simply abhorrent. To Mr Eitan, let me remind you: kidnapping is a crime against humanity. To publicly condone such a gesture would be like promoting slavery or torture or breaking any other basic human right that must be kept sacred.

Iran’s representative to the UN has expressed outrage at the proposal and has demanded the UN Security Council take firm action against these threats.