Hostage

The French news is on permanent stand-by for any news surrounding Ingrid Betancourt, a Columbian Green politician, French citizen and ex-senator taken prisoner by the FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, over six years ago. There have been marches in Paris, rallies all over the country and el Presidente himself has offered to be a go-between in order to get her freed

Whatever your opinion is about the FARC (drug smuggling kidnapping gangsters/freedom fighting heroes operating in difficult circumstances) it is easy to forget the thousands of people the Columbian government has also taken prisoner including these three Irish detainees held on fabricated charges http://www.troopsoutmovement.com/columbia3.htm and further afield Shereen Mohammad Hasan, from Bethlehem city, who is being held hostage/kept prisoner (the terms used are highly charged, of course) for 'resisting the occupation of Gaza'. http://www.imemc.org/article/53989 Her health is rapidly deteriorating, as well as Betacourt's, thanks to the Israeli forces robust interrogation techniques, but there will be no international media campaign for her release.

Funny that.