Liberation politics

摘要

Hellish tales of men chained to trees, debilitating diseases, and surgery carried out with a kitchen knife have emerged from Colombia's jungles with the release of two women held captive by leftist farc rebels for the past six years. It is believed to be the first time hostages have been freed without any quid pro quo. After a botched release attempt in December, Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo were handed over to a Venezuelan-led commission on January 10th and flown to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, to greet awaiting relatives and a beaming Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president, who had brokered the deal.