ANDREA SEABROOK, host:
This week, Colombian guerrillas freed two women they had held in a jungle camp the better part of a decade. The women have since spoken out about the harsh conditions they were held in. And they voiced concern for the hundreds of hostages, including three Americans, who remain in captivity.
NPR's Juan Forero has this update from Bogota, Colombia.
JUAN FORERO: Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzales are enjoying their new found freedom since Venezuelan President Hugo Chaves brokered a deal with their captors, the FARC guerrilla organization. But it won't be soon before they forget the horrors of being held against their will for years on end, deep in Colombia's vast wilderness.
Gonzales, a former congresswoman, abducted in 2001, spoke of hearing how her husband died during her captivity. She knew about it because the daughter provided the news in a radio message taped in Bogota.
Ms. CONSUELO GONZALES: (Through translator) She said, mommy, I don't have good news. Daddy died last night of a heart attack. I imagine how you feel. You want to scream and cry.
FORERO: Rojas, a politician kidnapped in 2002, recalled how she and the guerrilla commander conceived a baby boy, and how she gave birth in a jungle camp. Months later, the boy, Emmanuel, was taken from her and later wound up in foster care while she remained a hostage.
Ms. CLARA ROJAS: (Through translator) I was only able to be with him for eight months. After that, I couldn't get any news.
FORERO: Living in the jungle meant rice and beans every day, unless the rebels were able to hunt wild game. It meant sleeping on hammocks or on the ground. It meant passing the time playing cards or scrounging up a magazine to pass the time. All there was, in fact, was time.
In a long interview with Colombia's Caracol Radio, Gonzales said that Colombian policemen and soldiers held by the rebels were chained, day and night - when they bathe, when they use the bathroom, when they marched. She said the hostages also lived with the possibility that the rebels would kill them, especially if an army attack came.
Ms. GONZALES: (Through translator) We were calmly notified by those in charge that in a rescue attempt, the order they had was to kill us.
President HUGO CHAVEZ (Venezuela): (Speaking in foreign language)
FORERO: In a speech, Venezuela's President Chavez said the FARC is an army and political actor, not a terrorist group as the United States and Europe say. He says the terrorist label should be dropped, and that would help in negotiations leading to the release of other hostages.
Pres. CHAVEZ: (Through translator) I ask that of the governments of this continent and the governments of the world.
FORERO: The Colombian government rejected Chavez's suggestion, saying that the FARC's actions have shown that the group is a terrorist organization. And Colombian officials pointed to Gonzales' words to Caracol. Gonzales says the guerrillas showed little concern for their hostages.
Ms. GONZALES: (Through translator) In some moments, some of them, perhaps a minority of those who take care of hostages feel bad about the conditions we live in. They try to cheer you up, saying calm down. At some moment, this will end. But that's the biggest gesture I can think of.
FORERO: For Gonzales, of course, the nightmare has ended, but she promises to work now for the release of those she left behind.
Juan Forero, NPR News, Bogota, Colombia.