Ingrid Betancourt has reportedly been rescued by the Colombian Army. The former presidential candidate had been held hostage since 2002 by the FARC. Ever since, an intense campaign for her release had mobilised, among others, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez (not always very wisely). Recent pictures of her weren't particularly reassuring. Ultimately, it apppears that the repeated raids of the Colombian armed forces have been more successful in securing her release. Now, let's hope the other 700 hostages follow.
posted by Skeptic on Jul 2, 2008 - 34 comments

3 years ago, Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and her campaign director Clara Rojas were kidnapped by the FARC guerrilla who now keeps 3000 hostages in the Colombian jungle (1200 more are held by the paramilitaries and other groups). Because she was a celebrity outside Colombia before her kidnapping, her detention has received a lot of attention abroad (to some people's chagrin), particularly in Europe (where she's been nominated for "citizen of honour" in more than 1000 towns) and Canada (see also this US documentary).

For the other Colombian hostages, however, the main source of support comes from the radio: Las Voces del Secuestro (Voices of the Kidnapped) is a weekly program for the relatives of hostages to send out messages to their loved ones.
posted by elgilito on Feb 23, 2005 - 12 comments