Freedom of the County
Back to List11/11/2003
Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.
Melanie Delloye Betancourt accepts the Freedom of the County of South Dublin for her Mother Ingrid Betancourt by Mayor Maire Ardagh at County Hall Tallaght on 10th November 2003
Pictured here signing the Scroll and the Roll of Honour.
The Mayor is pictured also with Melanie and her friend and fellow student Marion Chatelard in the Council Chamber flanked by the French, Columbian and Irish Flags
Melanie is working to raise awareness for the plight of her mother and other hostages in Columbia.
Ingrid Betancourt, Politician, Presidential Candidate, Civil Rights Campaigner and Peacemaker, was kidnapped on her way to San Vicente, a town in Columbia. She was taken hostage by a rebel group FARC and was last seen in a video message, made in May 2003 and screened in August.
A campaign headed by family, friends and 280 committees has now spread to 35 countries. Given Ingrid’s French - Columbian nationality the campaign is huge in France. There, 730 councils have formally passed motions of support and the city of Paris is one of the many cities that have given her symbolic freedom. 135 Councils in Belgium have passed motions of support for Ingrid and the 3000 other hostages. Other countries have done the same 9 in Canada, 6 in Ireland, 3 in Spain, 2 in Italy and 1 in Argentina., USA Mexico and Luxembourg.
Since June 2002 when South Dublin passed the motion of support, Roscommon County Council, Balbriggan Town Council, Fingal, Dun Laoghaire and Dublin City Council have also passed resolution of support.
At 6.30 pm on Monday 10th November, Melanie accepted on behalf of Ingrid the Freedom of South Dublin County. Melanie, 18 years old, is a student educated in Colombia, New Zealand, and France. She speaks Spanish, French and English. She arrived in Ireland on 7th November and departed on 11th following the ceremony.
During her time here, she did interviews with a number of Radio Shows, including Marian Finucane and the Wide Angle Newstalk 106, she spoke to Student groups and signed copies of her Mother book " La Rage de Coeur" in International Books in Sth Frederick St.
It is hoped that her time here will raise awareness for Ingrid detained now for nearly 22 months and for all the other hostages.
Released on behalf of Benny Hickey, Head of Corporate Services
Email: benny.hickey@sdublincoco.ie