The Franco-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt, six years hostage of the FARC in Colombia, welcomed Wednesday, September 16 the request for forgiveness expressed by ex-guerrilla leaders for the crimes committed during the armed conflict, noting that for the first time she had felt in them "
empathy and pain
".
To read also: Bernard Fixot, a passion for Ingrid Betancourt
"
I felt that something had changed
" in "
the words they used,
" the former presidential candidate, an international symbol of the kidnapping plague, told Colombian radio.
“
For the first time they speak from the bottom of their heart,
” she added.
Released during a military operation in 2008, Ingrid Betancourt said she had never previously felt "
humanity
" in her jailers.
“
For the first time, I have in front of me human beings that I did not have in the jungle;
in the jungle, I had doctrinaire, I had enemies.
I read this press release and I see that this time it is from humanity,
”she added.
Kidnappings, "
a very serious mistake
"
In a statement released on Monday, the leadership of what is now a political party known as the Joint Revolutionary Alternative Force said the kidnappings had been "
a very serious mistake
."
She expressed her regret for the "
pain
" and "
humiliations
" inflicted on the victims: "
this burden (...) weighs today on the conscience and the heart of each of us
".
The armed organization used the kidnappings as a lever for political pressure and financed itself with ransoms.
To read also: Colombia: the leader of the ex-Farc confesses to “hate” what his organization was
This is the strongest request for forgiveness expressed by the former guerrilla forces of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) since a peace agreement was signed in 2016 with the Colombian government.
The former guerrillas answer for their actions before a special tribunal for peace created by the peace agreement which enabled the demobilization of around 13,000 Farc rebels, including 7,000 combatants.
The main ex-guerrilla leaders have pledged to confess their crimes before the Justice for Peace (JEP) and to compensate the victims or their families, in exchange for alternative sentences to prison.
If they do not keep their commitment, they will be brought before ordinary justice.
By videoconference, Ingrid Betancourt had declared Monday before the JEP that “
the kidnapping has no expiration date, it does not end on the day of release.
It is murder because the person who suffers it, even if he is lucky enough to be released, is already someone else when he comes out of captivity
”.
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