Betancourt to be Awarded French Legion of Honor
( AP Photo/Jacques Brinon) :: Ingrid Betancourt smiles before her radio address to hostages in Spanish on RFI (Radio France International), Monday July 7, 2008 in Paris. Betancourt, freed from six years of captivity in a Colombian jungle, plans to write a play about her experience that she said in an interview published Sunday will plumb the soul of the human condition.
Updated: 7/7/2008
French officials say former hostage Ingrid Betancourt will be awarded the Legion of Honor on Bastille Day.
Betancourt — who was released from six years of captivity in a Colombian jungle last week — will receive the prestigious award on July 14. Bastille Day is France's biggest national holiday.
She's also scheduled to address the National Assembly, the lower house of France's parliament, on Wednesday.
President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said Monday that Betancourt will be decorated along with other Legion of Honor recipients. Betancourt is a dual French-Colombian citizen.
Supporters across France had been holding vigils for Betancourt's release throughout her time held by leftist Colombian rebels. She flew to France shortly after her release in a Colombian military operation.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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