Jhon Frank Pinchao

Jhon Frank Pinchao Blanco (born in 1970) is a Colombian policeman with the rank of sub-intendant who was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group [ [http://www.eltiempo.com/conflicto/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3559026.html EL TIEMPO.com] ] after Farc's attack on the town of Mitú, Vaupés Department on November 1, 1998. [ [http://www.elmundo.es/1998/11/03/internacional/03N0029.html EL MUNDO.es] ] [ [http://www.eltiempo.com/multimedia/video/judicial/VIDEO-WEB-PLANTILLA_VIDEOS-3559159.html?id_recurso=3559159&id_articulo=3559026 CityTV; Video reposrt of FARC's attack] ] [ [http://www.semana.com/wf_InfoArticulo.aspx?idArt=103669 Revista Semana; El subintendente John Pinchao se les fugó a las Farc tras nueve años de secuestro] ] He escaped in 2007.

Hostage

The attack on Mitú lasted 12 hours until the policemen ran out of ammunition, then FARC took over the town for 3 days. Pinchao was among the approximately 60 policemen taken as hostages. During the FARC-Government peace process (1999-2002) the Colombian government brokered a deal with the FARC and all policemen held as hostages were freed with the exception of six, including Pinchao. In July 2003 the FARC allowed a journalist, Jorge Enríque Botero to interview them. [ [http://www.eltiempo.com/conflicto/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3559026.html EL TIEMPO.com] ] [ [http://www.semana.com/wf_InfoArticulo.aspx?idArt=103669 Revista Semana; El subintendente Jhon Pinchao se les fugó a las Farc tras nueve años de secuestro] ] After that, Pinchao was not seen again until after his escape in 2007.

According to the Colombian Army, the guerrilla commander in charge of the hostages was Gerardo Aguilar Ramírez, aka "Cesar," Commander of the Southern Bloc's 1st Front and member of the Central Command of the FARC. [ [http://www.eltiempo.com/conflicto/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3559026.html EL TIEMPO.com] ]

Freedom

In a televised interview with Caracol TV, Pinchao partially narrated his quest to freedom. He mentioned that while in his almost nine (9) years of captivity he had seen political figures Ingrid Betancourt and Clara Rojas also held as captives. [ [http://caracol.com.co/noticias/428062.asp Caracol Radio; Ingrid Betancourt está viva, asevera el policía que se le escapó a las Farc] ] He had also seen the three American contractors Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves also kidnapped by the FARC. [ [http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwskid07e.shtml US Embassy in Bogota] , [http://www.townhall.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?contentGUID=56eecc76-44ff-4d38-aadf-7026a3857cbf townhall.com; Colombia Hostage Was With 3 Americans] ] Pinchao planned a way to escape for a year, and on April 28 2007, he walked through virgin jungle for seventeen days until an indigenous group took him to a group of Police's Jungle Commandos, who were in the area destroying narcotics and narcoprocessing labs in the jungles of Vaupés by the Papuri River in the municipality of Pacoa. Pinchao was severely dehydrated and showed signs of malnourishment. On May 15 2007 Pinchao was transferred to a police base in San José del Guaviare and then to Bogotá. He was taken for check-ups at the National Police Central Hospital were he finally was reunited with his family.

Family

Pinchao is son of Luis Evelio Pinchao and Rosa Blanco. Jhon Pinchao Blanco has a son, who was born while he was in captivity.

References

ee also

*Fernando Araújo also escaped after being kidnapped by FARC.