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December 2, 2008 7:23:40 AM CST

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Hostages in Colombia

"The FARC terrorist group doesn't have any excuse. They've fooled Colombia and now they want to fool the international community." -Alvaro Uribe

While the exact number is of hostages is unknown—the BBC reports FARC may be imprisoning up to 800 people in secret jungle lairs—the fate of a few high-profile captives, including former vice presidential candidate Clara Rojas and three US contractors, has garnered plenty of media attention as talks of a deal continue to start and stall.

Stories

Stories 1 - 20 of 57

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  • November 2008

    • Betancourt Back in Colombia for Anti-FARC Tour

      AFP  |  Nov 30, 08 6:04 PM CST

      Betancourt Back in Colombia for Anti-FARC Tour

      (Newser) - Former FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt returned to Colombia yesterday to kick off a tour aimed at getting the rebels to disarm, AFP reports. "I am so very happy to be here," said Betancourt, who has received death threats from FARC and will keep her Colombia visit brief. She met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and is slated to meet Brazil's president on Friday. More »

  • September 2008

    • Betancourt: Pope, Faith Saved Me

      Reuters  |  Sep 1, 08 2:54 PM CDT

      Betancourt: Pope, Faith Saved Me

      (Newser) - Ingrid Betancourt realized her dreams today when she met privately with Pope Benedict, Reuters reports. The freed French-Colombian hostage says she was overcome with emotion after hearing the pope appeal for her release on the radio during her 7 years in captivity. The 46-year-old Catholic had never read the Bible—"a dusty old book"—before being abducted, but it is now her "instruction manual for happiness." More »

  • August 2008

    • Red Cross Cries Foul Over Colombia Deception

      BBC  |  Aug 6, 08 3:14 PM CDT

      Red Cross Cries Foul Over Colombia Deception

      (Newser) - The Red Cross chided the Colombian government today for its "deliberate misuse" of the Red Cross symbol during a mission to rescue hostages, the BBC reports. “If authenticated, these images would clearly establish an improper use of the Red Cross emblem, which we deplore,” a spokesman said of footage from the July 2 mission that freed politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 others. More »

  • July 2008

    • 1M-Plus March for Colombian Hostages

      AFP  |  Jul 20, 08 6:50 PM CDT

      1M-Plus March for Colombian Hostages

      (Newser) - More than a million people marched in Bogota, Columbia and other world capitals today demanding the freedom of captives held hostage by leftist rebels in the Columbian jungle, AFP reports. Recently liberated captive Ingrid Betancourt led chants of "No More hostages" in Paris on Columbia's independence day, as famous musicians from across the globe staged a concert there. More »

    • Freed US Hostages Bare Brutal Life With 'Animals'

      CNN  |  Jul 11, 08 3:48 AM CDT

      Freed US Hostages Bare Brutal Life With 'Animals'

      (Newser) - Three freed American hostages who spent more than five years as captives of Colombian guerrillas paint a harrowing picture of their treatment in a CNN interview. Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes, rescued last week, spent much of their time in captivity chained by the neck, and were subjected to forced marches, harsh conditions and constant threats, they report. More »

    • Betancourt Bares 'Soul Hell' of Captivity

      CNN  |  Jul 10, 08 6:09 AM CDT

      Betancourt Bares 'Soul Hell' of Captivity

      (Newser) - Freed hostage Ingrid Betancourt lived in "soul hell" for years in captivity under a constant threat of death, she said in a riveting interview on CNN's Larry King Live . "I lived for nearly seven years with the awareness that death was my everyday companion," she said. "It was hell. It was hell for the body, it was hell for the soul, it was hell for the mind." More »

    • Our Marriage May Be Over: Betancourt Hubby

      Associated Press  |  Jul 9, 08 2:03 PM CDT

      Our Marriage May Be Over: Betancourt Hubby

      (AP) - The husband of rescued Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt says their marriage may be over. In an interview with the Bogota newspaper El Tiempo, Juan Carlos Lecompte acknowledges what many noted when the two reunited in front of TV cameras after last week's rescue—Betancourt greeted him coldly. More »

    • Hostages Captivate Hollywood

      Variety  |  Jul 8, 08 6:42 PM CDT

      Hostages Captivate Hollywood

      (Newser) - Film projects revolving around last week’s rescue of 15 FARC prisoners are already taking shape, Variety reports. Rumors abound about rights deals and production agreements. Although not everyone is convinced that the bloodless rescue is dramatic enough material for a box office blockbuster, "it's as memorable as Entebbe, the Hindenburg disaster, or other huge events that stay with us," one producer says. More »

    • FARC Will Punish Remaining Captives: Ex-Hostage

      CNN  |  Jul 8, 08 10:15 AM CDT

      FARC Will Punish Remaining Captives: Ex-Hostage

      (Newser) - Speaking to the media for the first time since his rescue Wednesday, a former FARC captive warned that remaining hostages would face retribution over the escape, CNN reports. “Right now, they're being punished because we got rescued,” said US government contractor Marc Gonsalves. They’ll be made to don heavy backpacks and “forced to march with a chain around their neck while a guerrilla with an automatic weapon is holding the other end.” More »

    • Captors Turned Brutal After Betancourt Escape Attempt

      CNN  |  Jul 7, 08 12:50 PM CDT

      Captors Turned Brutal After Betancourt Escape Attempt

      (Newser) - Ingrid Betancourt and the other former hostages of Colombia’s FARC faced aggression and abuse from their captors—and each other, CNN reports. Rebels were relatively cordial until Betancourt and former Colombian legislator Luis Perez made an escape attempt in 2005, surviving for 5 days in the jungle before they gave up. More »

    • Betancourt Plans to Write Captivity Play

      BBC  |  Jul 6, 08 7:27 PM CDT

      Betancourt Plans to Write Captivity Play

      (Newser) - Ingrid Betancourt’s ordeal in Colombia will soon hit a stage near you, the BBC reports. The French-Colombian politician, sprung last week from 6 years of captivity, will pen a play based on her experiences. “People need to understand this, but I can't just write it down the way it happened,” she said, insisting a book wouldn’t work for the project. More »

    • Rebel Bomb Revenge Plot Foiled in Colombia

      Reuters  |  Jul 6, 08 8:53 AM CDT

      Rebel Bomb Revenge Plot Foiled in Colombia

      (Newser) - The Colombian army seized nearly a ton of explosives near Bogota, foiling a bomb plot by the rebel group known as FARC, according to authorities. Military officials suspect a series of bomb attacks were planned across the capital in the next few days in retaliation for the recent high-profile rescue of 15 hostages, including Ingrid Betancourt, Reuters reports. More »

    • Hostages Rejoice on Rescue Video

      Associated Press  |  Jul 4, 08 8:38 PM CDT

      Hostages Rejoice on Rescue Video

      (AP) - Video recorded during the rescue of 15 rebel hostages shows them filing grim-faced toward the helicopter that would fly them to safety, then hugging one another and crying with joy after they are aloft and realize they are free, the AP reports. Watch the video on the MSNBC link below. More »

    • Betancourt Outlines 'Diabolic Behavior' By Rebels

      New York Times  |  Jul 4, 08 4:51 PM CDT

      Betancourt Outlines 'Diabolic Behavior' By Rebels

      (Newser) - Speaking after her arrival in Paris today, Ingrid Betancourt says she was tortured during her 6 years as a hostage of Colombian rebels, the New York Times reports. “I was in chains all the time, 24 hours a day, for three years,” she said, describing "diabolical behavior" by her captors. “I tried to wear those chains with dignity, even if I felt that it was unbearable.” More »

    • Betancourt Arrives in Paris

      CNN  |  Jul 4, 08 11:08 AM CDT

      Betancourt Arrives in Paris

      (Newser) - Ingrid Betancourt returned to France today after 6 years in captivity in Colombia, CNN reports. "I have been dreaming for 7 years for this moment," the French-Colombian politician said at Villacoublay airport outside Paris. "I owe everything to France. You all shared my despair, my family's despair. I am carrying all of you in my heart." More »

    • Disorganized Rebels Duped By Hostage Rescuers

      New York Times  |  Jul 4, 08 2:15 AM CDT

      Disorganized Rebels Duped By Hostage Rescuers

      (Newser) - The Colombian military's daring rescue of FARC guerilla hostages relied on increasing disarray within the rebel ranks, the New York Times reports. Latin America's longest-running insurgency has suffered a near-total communications breakdown in recent months. With the command structure in chaos and rebels depending on "medieval" communications methods, the time was right for the army to pounce.