On Friday six months ago, 74-year-old Viennese Eva Gretzmacher was abducted in Agadez in Niger. Her son Christoph is now insisting on politics and public. “It’s no longer about one person,” he says.
Exactly six months ago Eva Gretzmacher was torn apart from her daily life. On January 11, armed men invaded their house in Agadez in Niger, threatened a guard with a gun, opened the door violently and dragged the Viennese in the night in an off -road vehicle. After that there was no trace of her, every message. No commitment, no claim.
Only on her 74th birthday, almost four months after the crime, the kidnappers reported: a single photo, skilled about intermediaries, shows Eva for the first time. Exhausted, drawn – but live. In captivity to the IS-Close group Eigs somewhere in the border area between Niger and Mali. On her side: Claudia A., a 67-year-old Swiss woman who was deported to Agadez in a similar way in mid-April. Since then, both women have been considered hostages of the same terrorist group.
It is a nightmare for the son of Gretzmacher Christoph. In an open letter he writes what many do not dare. “I don’t write to give hope where there is none. But I write because hope lives.” He has been fighting for months – against the gradual disappearance of kidnapping by public consciousness.
And he wants more visible movement, even at a diplomatic level. “Switzerland came later – but seems to act more coordinated,” Christoph tells the “Kroon”. “It is known that work is being worked on at many levels – and some things are deliberately quiet. But sometimes visible signs are needed – a calm but clear signal that the matter is not forgotten. It is no longer just a single person, but that responsibility becomes visible at difficult moments.”
The Viennese lived in Niger for almost three decades, founded educational projects, organized sewing agents for girls, concerts for young people, courses for women. She was not a helper from outside – she was part of the community. And yet: six months after her kidnapping, she disappeared – political, public, diplomatic. “Don’t forget them!”, Her son looks. “Talk about it! Help to break the silence!”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
