Holding a poster of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, recently released Franco-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt joined demonstrations around the world on Sunday urging an end to kidnappings.
Shalit has been in captivity in the Gaza Strip since being abducted by Palestinian militants in a June 2006 cross-border raid. Negotiations for his release have been slow, particularly amid a fragile Gaza cease-fire now in place between Israel and Hamas.
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“We want freedom for everyone,” said Betancourt, drawing loud applause from the crowd, many of whom chanted the Spanish word for freedom “Libertad!”
