Wednesday’s unilateral release of four FARC hostages unleashed a wave of emotion at Caracas airport yesterday evening, but it quickly dissipated as they relayed news of their fellow detainees. Luis Eladio Perrez told those gathered at the airport that Ingrid Betancourt is “very sick” and that she suffers from a liver condition.

"Ingrid is mistreated, they have vented their anger on her, they have her chained up in inhumane conditions," said Perrez, who last saw the Franco-Colombian hostage for several minutes on February 4^th. In a letter Betancourt wrote to her family, dated last October, she described Perrez as a confidant.

This news reinforces Betancourt’s fears, which were sparked in October when a letter, and a video showing Ingrid in poor shape, were released. “We know that she has had a bad liver ever since the hunger strike she undertook in the 90s to protests against the corruption of former Colombian President Ernesto Samper,” Ingrid’s sister Astrid Betancourt told FRANCE 24. At the same time, Fabrice Delloye, Ingrid’s ex-husband, told the AFP that she suffers from “recurring hepititus B.”

What’s more, Betancourt “suffers abuse from other hostages, who have a go at her in addition to the poor treatment she receives from the FARC. Due to her strong character and her five escape attempts, Ingrid is chained at night,” Astrid said.

“If there aren’t negotiations, this will end badly,” predicted Hervé Marro, spokesman for Ingrid Betancourt’s support group agirpouringrid.com, on FRANCE 24. “There is still time to do it. If not, we’ll lose Ingrid and the other hostages.”

But Astrid Betancourt considers the release of these four hostages, all former Colombian parliamentarians, a positive sign. “I’m still optimistic because the release of Clara [Rojas] and Consuelo [Gonzales] at the beginning of the year was supposed to be the only unilateral release of hostages. But now they’ve released others. The FARC are moving in the right direction,” Astrid said.

“Since the international community has its eyes fixed on the FARC, they know that they have to respect international humanitarian law in order to have their status as a terrorist group suspended. The first step is unilaterally releasing all civilian hostages.”

However, the FARC have said that they are now waiting for a military retreat from the Colombian government before they proceed with any new hostage releases.

International support

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for Betancourt's release Thursday, during a visit to South Africa, saying that, "it is a matter of life and death."

The French President added that he is prepared to go to Colombia to personnally collect the hostage if necessary.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, acting as a mediator in hostage negotiations, asked FARC leader Manuel Marulanda to treat Ingrid Betancourt as an emergency situation.

“We have to succeed, in one way or another, in improving this situation, at least during the days that she continues to pass in captivity,” Chavez declared.

Astrid added that, “the fact that Ingrid had the chance to meet, even momentarily, Luis Eladio Perrez, leaves us thinking that she might have been subsequently moved to a different camp than the one in question.”

With the release of four parliamentarians, Gloria Polanco, Orlando Beltran, Luis Eladio Perrez and Jorge Gechem, the total number of hostages unilaterally released since the beginning of the year has risen to six.

43 ‘political’ hostages remain in captivity, including three Americans and Ingrid Betancourt, “the sole woman still in the hands of the FARC,” according to Hugo Chavez.