COLOMBIA: COLOMBIAN REBELS RELEASE PROOF-OF-LIFE VIDEO OF SEVERAL HOSTAGES HELD BY THE FARC
Record ID:
588532
COLOMBIA: COLOMBIAN REBELS RELEASE PROOF-OF-LIFE VIDEO OF SEVERAL HOSTAGES HELD BY THE FARC
- Title: COLOMBIA: COLOMBIAN REBELS RELEASE PROOF-OF-LIFE VIDEO OF SEVERAL HOSTAGES HELD BY THE FARC
- Date: 23rd January 2004
- Summary: (EU) CALI, COLOMBIA (FILE - APRIL 11, 2002) (RCN - NO ACCESS COLOMBIA / CNN SPANISH) 1. VARIOUS OF KIDNAPPING OF REPRESENTATIVES IN CALI 0.26 (EU) MOUNTAINS OF COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 2. MCU (Spanish) PROOF-OF-LIFE VIDEO OF KIDNAPPED REPRESENTATIVE, JAIRO HOYOS, SAYING: "Mr. President, those who are going to die (referring to himself and other hostages) greet you. Mr. President, what is the strategy for us, the hostages? We wait and wait and wait." 0.44 (EU) SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN, COLOMBIA (FILE) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 3. VARIOUS OF REBELS IN FORMATION (4 SHOTS) 1.00 (EU) MOUNTAINS OF COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 4. MCU (Spanish) PROOF-OF-LIFE VIDEO OF KIDNAPPED REPRESENTATIVE, FRANCISCO GIRALDO, SAYING: "Doctor Alvaro Uribe Velez, the country has believed in you because you have spoken out on this (referring to kidnappings). I ask you to come to a humanitarian accord (referring to ongoing debate over an accord for a prisoner/hostage exchange with rebels) one way or the other. The relatives and hostages feel deceived and humiliated because of this. It is good that you have made steps so far and haven't danced to the rhythm of the FARC, but nor have you tried to dance to the rhythm of our country." 1.36 (EU) BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (JANUARY 23, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 5. SV ANGELA GIRALDO, SISTER OF HOSTAGE FRANCISCO GIRALDO 1.42 6. VIDEO OF GIRALDO ON TELEVISION 1.46 7. CU ANGELA GIRALDO CRYING 1.54 8. CU TELEVISION SET WITH GIRALDO SPEAKING 1.59 9. MCU (Spanish) ANGELA GIRALDO, SISTER OF GIRALDO, SAYING: "It is very sad because you want to have them here at your side, not have to see them on a video. We are very worried about them because they say that beyond the danger of a rescue mission, there are also dangers in the environment - the dangers of the jungle. They are in permanent danger, in constant danger and they are asking the President for great proof (of his taking steps to get them released)." 2.28 (EU) SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN, COLOMBIA (FILE) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 10. REBELS WALKING 2.33 11. VARIOUS OF REBELS TALKING (2 SHOTS) 2.43 (EU) MOUNTAINS OF COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 12. MCU (Spanish) PROOF-OF-LIFE VIDEO OF KIDNAPPED HOSTAGE, CARLOS ALBERTO CHARRY, SAYING: "Mr. President Alvaro Uribe I come to you with the pain of being separated 710 days ago from my family and feeling as though your government has forgotten about us. I am a good citizen and I demand that as a proponent of democracy, you don't delay another instant from signing the humanitarian accord because Colombians that have damaged the society are being rewarded with pardon and while other citizens are condemned to rotting away in the Colombian jungle as the soldiers and the politicians forget." 3.14 (EU) SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN, COLOMBIA (FILE) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 13. VARIOUS OF REBELS IN FORMATION (2 SHOTS) 3.28 (EU) MOUNTAINS OF COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 14. MCU (Spanish) PROOF-OF-LIFE VIDEO OF KIDNAPPED REPRESENTATIVE JUAN CARLOS NARVAEZ SAYING: "That the national government and the guerrilla is violating fundamental consideration of human morality, political good sense and judicial order. Maybe the guerrilla doesn't know anything about international human rights, but what the Colombian government is doing is unacceptable." 3.44 (EU) BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 15. LV/SLV/SV VARIOUS OF COLOMBIAN PRESEIDENT ALVARO URIBE MEEING WITH EUROPEAN UNION COMMISSIONER CHRIS PATTEN (5 SHOTS) 4.03 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th February 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: CALI, SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN AND BOGOTA, COLOMBIA AND MOUNTAINS OF COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Reuters ID: LVADDMJNAKFJVUMOH5ZY5SD3J9RY
- Story Text: Colombian rebels release proof-of-life video of
several ex-regional representatives being held hostage by
the FARC.
Twelve ex-regional representatives held captive by
left-wing rebels for almost two years, made a dramatic
appeal for freedom in a videotape released to media on
Saturday (January 24), and to relatives of the hostages on
Friday.
The tape, recorded and edited by the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia, a guerrilla army known as FARC,
comes after U.N. special advisor on Colombia James LeMoyne
urged President Alvaro Uribe and the rebels this week to
take steps toward a prisoner exchange accord to revive
stalled peace talks.
In the 48-minute-long video, the politicians from the
department of Valle - who were kidnapped on April 11, 2002
in the southwestern city of Cali - appeared one-by-one,
talking to their families and demanding that Uribe come to
an agreement with the FARC on a humanitarian accord.
Other high-profile hostages held in the same group with
the ex-representatives include former presidential
candidate Ingrid Betancourt, three U.S. citizens working
for the U.S. Department of Defense, five ex-congressment,
an ex-minister, an ex-governor and several soldiers and
police.
"Doctor Alvaro Uribe Velez, the country has believed in
you because you have spoken out on this (referring to
kidnappings). I ask you to come to a humanitarian accord
(referring to ongoing debate over an accord for a
prisoner/hostage exchange with rebels) one way or the
other. The relatives and hostages feel deceived and
humiliated because of this. It is good that you have made
steps so far and haven't danced to the rhythm of the FARC,
but nor have you tried to dance to the rhythm of our
country," said hostage Francisco Giraldo.
This is the third proof-of-life video of this group of
hostages that the FARC has handed out since their capture.
It comes two days after United Nations Special Envoy to
Colombia James LeMoyne called on the government and the
rebels to reach some sort of agreement for a hostage
release.
Angela Giraldo, sister of hostage Francisco Giraldo,
said she is very worried about her brother and saddened by
his situation.
"It is very say, it is very sad because you want to
have them here at your side, not have to see them on a
video," she said.
Other relatives watching the video said that the
hostages looked strained and weak, but otherwise in good
health. Although the majority seemed optimistic about being
released, others couldn't hide their desperation.
"Mr. President Alvaro Uribe I come to you with the pain
of being separated 710 days ago from my family and feeling
as though your government has forgotten about us," said
hostage Carlos Alberto Charry.
In May of 2002, the FARC killed the governor of the
department of Anitoquia, Guillermo Gaviria, and the
ex-Defense Minister Gilberto Echeverri in a failed rescue
operation. The were among the same group.
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