In 1992, Danielle Mitterrand risked dying during a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan, because of her commitment to human rights and her foundation.
Danielle Mitterrand Although she was first lady when her husband was the president of the Republic from 1981 to 1995, it does not mean that she was content to remain in his shadow. very committed, in 1986, she created the France Libertés foundation, who works for “human rights”. However, his commitment did not please everyone. In the summer of 1992, she had decided to go to Iraqi Kurdistan. But during his stay, his convoy is targeted by an attack.
A car bomb killed 5 people and injured 14 others. For her part, the wife of François Mitterrand escapes unscathed but visits the survivors in the hospital. When she returns to France, the former first lady gives an interview to journalists, during which she returns to the drama, with astonishing lightness. “We are in a country at war anyway, and there are continuous attacks. Well, we run the risk”, she launched in front of the camera. Asked about the possible “questioning of [s]we act”, Danielle Mitterrand was formal. “Do you think I’m a girl to give up?”, she replied, visibly unintimidated by the fact that she could have lost her life, far from her family.
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A former first lady with a strong temperament
In April 2018, in the magazine 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, broadcast on France 2, Frédéric Mitterrand, the nephew of the former President, assured that “Francis [était] shared on his idea of commitment”. “Danielle almost died for her fight for the Kurds. He was very attentive and very admiring of the commitment she had made”, he asserted. A woman of character, the former first lady complicated the lives of certain members of her entourage. In the documentary May 10, 81, change life?, broadcast on La Deux last May, Gilbert Mitterrand spoke of his mother’s strong temperament: “Above all, never forbid her to go where she thought she should go. François Mitterrand’s collaborators could say from time to time: ‘Danielle, she pisses us off anyway’.”
Article written with the collaboration of 6Medias
Photo credits: AGENCY / BESTIMAGE