Betancourt seeks $6.5 million in damages for Colombian hostage ordeal

Betancourt seeks $6.5 million for kidnapping

BOGOTA, Colombia — Former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt is asking Colombia’s government to pay her $6.5 million for damages she suffered as a hostage.

Betancourt was kidnapped in 2002 by leftist rebels while campaigning for president in Colombia’s south, a longtime guerrilla stronghold. She was among 15 rebel captives — including three Americans — rescued six years later by Colombia’s military.

Colombia’s Defense Ministry issued a statement Friday saying Betancourt has no grounds to hold the state responsible. It recalled that Betancourt called the rescue “perfect.”

Betancourt’s request is not a lawsuit. But that option remains open to her.