Republican News · Thursday 21 February 2002

Colombia Three to face charges

On Saturday 16 February, Colombia's Attorney General office announced its decision to press charges against the three Irishmen who were arrested in the Latin American country in August 2001. Jim Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly will face charges of training laft wing FARC rebels in Colombia and of using false documents, the attorney general's office said.

After seven months of investigation, prosecutors sent their case against Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley to a federal judge on Friday 15 February, said Carolina Sanchez, spokeswoman for the attorney general's office. No trial date has been set, but Sanchez said it could begin within a month. If they are found guilty, the three Irishmen could be sentenced to up to eight years imprisonment.

Agustin Jiménez, president of the Committee for the Solidarity of the Political Prisoners and a lawyer representing the men, said they will appeal the prosecutor's decision. "They are innocent. They did nothing of what prosecutors are saying", said Jiménez.

Under Colombian law, prosecutors had eight months from the time of the men's arrest to formally submit the case for a trial or drop the case. If the federal judge overrules the defence appeal, he will then set the trial date.

So far, the attorney general's office has ignored evidence put forward by the Colombia Three's defence team challenging the credibility of the two main prosecution witnesses - a civil servant and a FARC supergrass. The prosecution has also ignored expert forensic opinion that the men had no contact with explosives. Following the men's arrests, contradictory results were claimed from explosives and drugs tests carried out by the Colombian authorities (negative) and the US embassy (positive).

The three men have strenuously stated that they travelled to San Vicente del Caguán, the main city within the demilitarised area created to hold peace talks between FARC and the Colombian government, to study peace negotiations. In a statement published by Colombian media, the Colombia Three point out how their detention in the country is being used by those in Colombia and abroad who wish to damage the country's peace negotiations.