Bogota/Geneva - Colombia misused Red Cross symbols in the spectacular operation to free Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages held by leftist rebels, President Alvaro Uribe admitted Wednesday. The Colombian government initially denied reports by CNN that the Red Cross symbol had been used in the operation in a possible violation of the Geneva Conventions. But Uribe later admitted that one military official did use the symbols because of his "great nervousness."
"He feared for his life, and he took out the piece of cloth with the Red Cross symbols that was in his pocket," Uribe said.
Broadcaster CNN said it had been offered a video and photographs "by military sources," in which soldiers' uniforms with symbols of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) could reportedly be seen.
The images were taken just before the soldiers left for the rescue operation on July 2 that retrieved the hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Initially, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos denied that Red Cross symbols were used, but also said further investigation were required to determine exactly what had happened.
Uribe later admitted the misuse of Red Cross symbols by one official.
In the official videos of the rescue released by the Colombian military no recognizable ICRC symbols were seen. However, the footage was blurred at several points and showed only portions of the operation.
If ICRC symbols were misused, it would be a substantial handicap to potential future hostage releases, because FARC has agreed in the past to to hand over hostages to Red Cross personnel.
An ICRC spokeswoman said earlier in Geneva that the organization was evaluating the reports and was in close contact with the Colombian government.
According to the Geneva Conventions, Red Cross and Red Crescent symbols are protected and can only be used by authorized personnel. This includes military medical vehicles.
