German hostages have to pay themselves for their rescue abroad, the
Federal Administrative Court of Germany decided Thursday in the case of
a former hostage in Colombia.
Reinhilt Weigel, a 36-year-old woman who was kidnapped by the ELN in Colombia in 2003, took legal actions after the German government demanded her to bear the expenses for the rescue helicopter flight.
The highest court in Germany decided Thursday that Weigel has to pay 12,640.05 Euro for the rescue operation as it was her decision to go to a country with heightened risk of kidnapping.
The 36-year-old woman reacted dissappointed to the judgment and said she does not know how to cover the costs. She suffers from back problems since her ten-week kidnapping and can therefore only work part-time.