Lawmakers Abducted in 2002 Make Appeal
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In a video released by Colombian guerrillas, 12 kidnapped lawmakers pleaded with their government to work with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to help obtain their release.
The video, which aired on Colombia’s Caracol TV station, was the first sign in 15 months that the provincial congressmen might still be alive. Leftist rebels seized the men in April 2002.
In the video, three of the men beg Venezuela to grant them political asylum. The appeal could be an effort to enlist the leftist Chavez, who they believe has leverage with the guerrillas, to take up their case because the Colombian government has failed to win their freedom.
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