Biography of Ingrid Betancourt | Colombian politics.

(Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio; Bogotá, 1961) Colombian politics. Former candidate for the Presidency of his country, suffered an ordeal of more than six years as a captive of the guerrillas of the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia (FARC). Converted into a symbol of all the hostages, was released on July 2, 2008 by the Colombian army in a spectacular operation in the jungle.

Daughter of the politician Gabriel Betancourt, Minister of education during the military regime of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (1953-1957), and Yolanda Pulecio, beauty queen and member of the House of representatives, Ingrid Betancourt was born in one of the most rancid lineage of the country of origin franco-normando families. Student of the French school of Bogota, the family went abroad following the diplomatic career of the father, which became Colombian Ambassador to UNESCO.

Ingrid Betancourt

Ingrid studied at a British private school and at the Institute of political studies in Paris, where he was a student of what would be French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and in which would be, in 1983, a Bachelor's degree in international relations and foreign trade. That same year he married fellow diplomat Fabrice Delloye, and studies so it acquired French nationality, who shared with the Colombian. Fruits of this marriage, ending in divorce in 1990, were his sons (1985) Melanie and Lorenzo (1988).

He did not return to Colombia until 1989, coinciding with the political earthquake caused by the murder of Luis Carlos Galán, leader of the Liberal Party and presidential candidate that his mother had worked. He worked as a consultant in the Ministry of finance and was affiliated to the Liberal Party to denounce corruption and despotism which, in his view, gangrenaban to the political class and frustrated any change.

In 1994, he starred in his first political campaign, as scourge of corruption, as steely as irreverent language, and was elected member of Parliament in the House of representatives. It formed part of the "The four Musketeers" Group (with Maria Paulina Espinosa, Carlos Alonso Lucio and Guillermo Martínez Guerra) who won notoriety for its title. Betancourt came in dissent when he accused the President of the Republic, Ernesto Samper, also liberal, of accepting money from the Cali cartel. Along with Martinez Guerra protested with a hunger strike when the Parliamentary Committee formed ad hoc exonerated Samper.

In 1997 he married second wife Colombian publicist Juan Carlos Lecompte; at that time he worked on a memoir titled the rage in the heart, which would be published in Paris in 2001, before his abduction. After leaving the Liberal Party, Betancourt founded the party green oxygen, environmentalist and progressive trend, whereby attended the 1998 parliamentary elections. She was elected Senator with the highest number of votes (over 150,000), after having dealt with controversial played and have accused the Liberals keep "shameful relations with the criminals in the country", in reference to drug traffickers and paramilitaries. He came to distribute condoms that symbolized the fight AIDS"corruption" through the streets.

The passion of Ingrid Betancourt by the debate and the controversy knew no truce. The same year, in the presidential battle, militated in favour of Andrés Pastrana, a conservative who promised political reform in depth and opened peace talks with the Communist guerrillas of the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia (FARC). In the 1999 elections, the Green oxygen party won Mayor of San Vicente de Caguan, a town in the "zone" enabled the Government to meet with the rebels.

Soon Betancourt felt disappointed, so he left his seat in the Senate, and the 20 May 2001 launched his own presidential campaign for elections in 2002, which lashed out tirelessly to Horacio Serpa and Álvaro Uribe opponents for his alleged collusion with corruption and paramilitary groups, respectively.

After the failure of the dialogue with the guerrillas, and despite warnings from the Government and military commanders, Betancourt decided to visit the area of San Vicente de Caguán, of activity endemic guerrilla, to express solidarity with the Mayor, according to said. During his trip in car, on February 23, 2002, she and her adviser Clara Rojas were abducted by the FARC, at a roadblock, and became "prisoners of war". The family kept his presidential candidacy, which obtained less than 1% of the votes. During his captivity, in response to those who had censored his adventure, he said: "it has been said that we were responsible for, reckless, and that we are therefore guilty of being here kidnapped." That is a great cruelty or much ignorance".

Ingrid Betancourt in an extracted image
a video of the kidnappers (2007)

Handcuffed into a shack, sometimes with a chain around the neck, in the middle of barbed wire, or forced into strenuous walks through the jungle, her captivity was to last more than six years despite raising a broad movement of international solidarity, as well as some controversial attempts at negotiation and rescue of the French Government and the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. President Uribe maintained his refusal to any political concessions in Exchange for the release of the hostages.

Only three tests of life were disseminated by his jailers. The first two (2002 and 2003) showed Betancourt even with good physique and firm voice. Then silence, and rumors. The third was not obtained by the army until November 2007, capturing several guerrillas who had in his possession documents on the captives. In a video, the hostage appeared Gaunt, silent and somber, and in a letter to his mother established a comparison between slavery fought by Lincoln and the situation of the hostages. His conclusion was stark: "Here, we live like dead".

July 2, 2008, the Colombian Minister of Defense, Juan Manuel Santos, announced the release of Betancourt and other hostages 14 (three American entrepreneurs, seven soldiers and four policemen Colombian), in a military operation, named after the code name of "Jaque", was term with boldness and brilliance in the jungle. The Minister explained that his confidence men, infiltrated the FARC, had deceived the jailers by giving them a false order of conduction of the hostages handcuffed to another camp. When took place the transfer by helicopter, the military were disarmed rebels and announced the end of the captivity.

Greeting after the liberation

Those released were transferred to the base of Catam (San José de el Guaviare), where he gave thanks to God by the end of his captivity, Betancourt attributed to a miracle of the Virgin, in her first and touching words. Although before his kidnapping was an indifferent Catholic, revealed that faith had helped it much and that every day he prayed with a rosary hand made. He expressed his gratitude to the President and the army, confirmed the official account of the rescue and denounced the cruel strategy of the FARC. He said between sobs that he consecrated to the release of all the captives. Its looking weak yet firm, his appearance in television channels caused a profound shock in Colombia and altered the political landscape in favor of Uribe.

Betancourt was reunited with her children in Bogota and immediately traveled to Paris ("France is my home," said), where President Nicolas Sarkozy decorated it with the Legion of honour, which she dedicated to "all those who suffered and those who remain captives". Accompanied by his family, on September 1, 2008 was received in audience by Pope Benedicto XVI-private, fulfilling one of their first desires. His return to Colombia seemed uncertain, since the guerrillas declared it "military objective". The same year she was awarded the Prince of Asturias Concord Prize. The jury estimated that Betancourt personified "to all those who are deprived of freedom" and welcomed "his defense of human rights and the fight against terrorist violence, corruption and drug trafficking".

Extracted from the website: Biografías y Vidas