Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt staged a concert in Paris as part of a day of rallies in Europe and Latin America seeking the release of captives still held by rebels in the Colombian jungle.
Ms Betancourt called for the release of the hostages as she addressed a crowd of several thousand people who came to watch around 30 artists perform in a square across the river Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
Colombian star Juanes, Spain's Miguel Bose, and French artists Renan Luce and Michel Delpech were among the singers playing at the concert.
Colombia's rebels must lay down their arms and free the hundreds of hostages they still hold, Ms Betancourt told the concert-goers, many of whom waved Colombian flags and chanted 'freedom, freedom'.
Madrid and other European cities saw smaller support rallies for the hostages, but the main events were held in Latin America with the highlight a concert in Colombia by pop star Shakira.
Ms Betancourt, who also holds French citizenship, was rescued 2 July by Colombian armed forces who said they tricked her captors into handing her over along with three Americans and 11 other Colombian hostages.
The 46-year-old politician was abducted in 2002 by rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) while campaigning for the Colombian presidency.
After being reunited with her children who live in Paris, she returned to France where her ordeal in the Colombian jungle had turned her into a cause celebre.
FARC continues to detain an estimated 700 hostages. Up to 2,000 more are believed to be held by the National Liberation Army, another leftist rebel group.
