Yolanda Pulecio

Pulecio is the mother of Astrid Betancourt and Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt who spent six and a half years in captivity after being kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia until July 2 when she was rescued by the Colombian Armed Forces in Operation Jaque, 2008.

[4] In 1969 her husband Gabriel was appointed as Ambassador of Colombia to the UNESCO and the family returned to live in Paris, France.

Since the kidnapping of her daughter Ingrid by the violent FARC guerrilla group while campaigning for the presidency of Colombia, Pulecio has been advocating for her release and the hundreds of others held as hostages.

When senator of Colombia, Piedad Cordoba and President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez were named as facilitators by the government of Álvaro Uribe, Pulecio supported their initiatives alleging that they had achieved in a few months what had not been done in 5 years of the kidnapping of her daughter.

2 years later in July 2010, her daughter Ingrid Betancourt filed suit against the Republic of Colombia for "economic hardship and moral damage" during the time she was kidnapped.