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Guerillas belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) kidnapped Ms. Betancourt as she campaigned for the Colombian presidency on February 23, 2002.

She was held captive for six years in Colombia’s vast rain forest, a jungle so dense that the ground is completely invisible from the air. 

On July 2, 2008, she was liberated with 14 other hostages in a daring rescue staged by the Colombian army. Ms. Betancourt has since continued to dedicate her life to democracy, freedom and peace, as well as campaigning for the release of more than 700 hostages still being held captive by the FARC by keeping their plight in the limelight. “I will not feel totally free, not happy, as long as one of my companions remains jailed in the jungle,” she has said. Ms. Betancourt has also urged neighboring countries to help Colombia work on political transformations by democratic means.

She has said often since her release that she does not seek revenge against her captors and favors dialogue and reconciliation to end Colombia’s decades-old guerilla war.