Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio
| Íngrid Betancourt Pulecio | |
|---|---|
Ingrid Betancourt in Redmond, Washington 2010
|
|
| Senator of Colombia | |
|
In office 20 July 1998 – 23 February 2002 |
|
| Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia | |
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In office 20 July 1994 – 20 July 1998 |
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| Constituency | Capital District |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 December 1961 Bogotá, Colombia |
| Nationality | Colombian, French |
| Political party | Oxygen Green Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Fabrice Delloye (m. 1983; div. 1990) Juan Carlos Lecompte (m. 1997; div. 2011) |
| Children | Melanie Delloye Betancourt Lorenzo Delloye Betancourt |
| Alma mater |
Institute of Political Studies, Paris Harris Manchester College, Oxford |
| Profession | Political scientist |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈiŋɡɾið βetaŋˈkuɾ]; born 25 December 1961) is a Colombian-French politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist.
Betancourt was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on 23 February 2002 and was rescued by Colombian security forces six and a half years later on 2 July 2008. The rescue operation, dubbed Operation Jaque, rescued Betancourt along with 14 other hostages (three United States citizens, and 11 Colombian policemen and soldiers). In all, she was held captive for six years after being taken while campaigning for the Colombian presidency as a Green. She had decided to campaign in the former "zone of dissention", after the military operation "Tanatos" was launched, and after the zone was declared free of guerrillas by the government. Her kidnapping received worldwide coverage, particularly in France, where she also held citizenship due to her prior marriage to a French diplomat.
Betancourt has received multiple international awards, such as the Légion d'honneur. In 2008, she received the Concord Prince of Asturias Award. After her release, she was portrayed by some of her fellow captives as "controlling and manipulative"; others described her as "caring" and "courageous". One of them (Luis Eladio Perez) claims Betancourt saved his life.
Betancourt was born in Bogotá, Colombia. Her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, a former beauty queen famous for sheltering abandoned children, served in Congress representing poor southern neighborhoods of Bogotá. Betancourt's father, Gabriel Betancourt, was a minister of Education in both liberal and conservative governments (those of President Rojas Pinilla and President Lleras Restrepo), the assistant director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), then ambassador of Colombia to UNESCO in Paris, and head of the education commission of the Alliance for Progress in Washington, D.C. under John F. Kennedy.
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