Yolanda Pulecio - Kidnapping of Ingrid

Kidnapping of Ingrid

Her daughter Ingrid was kidnapped on the road to San Vicente. Since the kidnapping of her daughter Ingrid by the violent FARC guerrilla group while campaigning for the presidency of Colombia, Pulecio has been advocating for her release and the hundreds of others held as hostages.

Pulecio has criticized both presidents Andrés Pastrana and Álvaro Uribe for not doing enough for the release of the hostages, as well as not collaborating on achieving a possible humanitarian exchange of prisoners for hostages between the government and the FARC guerrilla. When senator of Colombia, Piedad Cordoba and President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez were named as facilitators by the government of Álvaro Uribe, Pulecio supported their initiatives alleging that they had achieved in a few months what had not been done in 5 years of the kidnapping of her daughter. Regardless, they were not able to secure her release.

After the rescue of her daughter in "Operación Jaque" Operation Jaque (carried out by the Colombian army via an order of President Álvaro Uribe with the assistance of military intellgience operatives of the USA), Pulecio left Colombia and moved to France. She has received some criticism from several Colombian organizations for "forgetting the rest of the kidnapped people once Ingrid was rescued". 2 years later in July 2010, her daughter Ingrid Betancourt filed suit against the Republic of Colombia for "economic hardship and moral damage" during the time she was kidnapped. After great public disapproval and vocal opposition by the government, Ingrid Betancourt then withdrew her lawsuit. The role her mother Yolanda Pulecio played in this, if any, is unclear.