Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate who was held captive by the FARC for six years, accuses Colombia of treating her “worse than a criminal” since she was rescued in 2008, La Nacion reported Thursday.
The Colombian former politician, who spent six years in FARC captivity, said that the country was carrying out a “moral stoning” against her, that was “totally unexpected.”
According to Betancourt, when she sought government compensation for her time as a hostage the media distorted the facts of her request, and the government launched a campaign against her. The French-Colombian dropped the case because “this is a country that has no respect for its victims. Honestly … they treated me like a criminal. Worse than a criminal, because Pablo Escobar was not treated like me.”
Betancourt also stated that she has no intention of returning to Colombia.
She added that with the death of “Mono Jojoy” and “Raul Reyes,” the FARC has “no political project, no credibility and was reduced to a group without the ability to act militarily.”