Republican News · Thursday 31 January 2002

Declaration of Jim Monaghan

"Former political prisoners have always played a central role in Irish Republican politics. Today many of the political leaders within Sinn Féin are former political prisoners. The role of prisoners and former prisoners was recognised as crucial to the development of the peace process within the community at local level.

organisation called Coiste na n-Iarchimí was established. Its primary aim was to help former prisoners reintegrate into society and to enable them to use their abilities to shape the new society that will emerge from the Irish Peace Process.

In 1999/2000 I was granted a position within Coiste. It was a full-time paid position. I was the director of a new sub-unit in Dublin called Tar Isteach. My job, indeed the project, was funded by the Irish government as part of the peace process. Similar projects were and are funded by the British government in the north of Ireland.

Many of the discussions that we had during the course of our work in Coiste identified the need for social justice and how that could be achieved. We recognised the need to study other situations and see how conflict resolution processes were developing. To do that we knew that it was necessary to meet face to face with others in different countries who were engaged in broadly similar processes.

Witnesses have already explained in detail the problems facing former prisoners including travel restrictions. With these problems come dangers. Because of these and previous experiences in travel shared by each of us we felt it wiser and safer to travel by legitimate means but using a different identity.

I came to know Martin McCauley through the ex-prisoner community, our friendship developed when Martin and his family were forced to move near Dublin following threats to their lives. I have known Niall Connolly for a number of years. He is a native of Dublin and returns there on his regular trips home from Latin America. I knew Niall worked on humanitarian projects in that region. The three of us share the same broad political interests. Niall and I travelled to Nicaragua together a few years ago.

In the summer of 2001 the three of us travelled to Colombia principally to see the peace process but also to enjoy a holiday. For reasons already stated the three of us travelled with different names. We travelled openly and the way all other travellers would. We visited the peace zone.

We spent several weeks in the zone. We talked to a great many people. We shared experiences about the peace processes in Ireland and Colombia.

We discussed the involvement of outsiders in such processes. From an Irish perspective the advice and experiences of people involved in South Africa, Palestine, East Timor and other regions in Latin America were very important.

We discussed the process of becoming involved in a political system seen as hostile and the gains and the problems that resulted from such a course of action. We talked at length about the role of former prisoners in political developments in Ireland and the Irish peace process.

We met with members of the FARC. We learnt from them about the great number of visitors and political representatives who had visited the zone. This included members of the Colombian government and many people from outside Colombia.

Since we were arrested at El Dorado airport there has been a constant flow of misinformation and false allegations against us. The Embassies of the United States and Britain have both intervened to distort the truth. We were then driven to a military barracks, northamerican officials were present. After this we were brought to the Prosecutor's office. Everything was happening very fast, there were a lot of soldiers about. We denied meeting the FARC initially because we thought it would make matters worse for us.

The US forensics have been exposed as bogus. The stories of satellite pictures, video tapes and so on have been proven to be false. The British Embassy alleged that I am a member of the IRA. It is illegal in Ireland, North and South, and in England to belong to the IRA. I have lived openly, and travelled to all parts of Ireland over the past 17 years. I have not been arrested or charged in relation to any of these allegations. I reject them. I am not a member of the IRA.

False evidence has been presented to this court. This is clear in the case of the US Embassy. The British Embassy also presented as factual evidence what amounts to no more than wild claims. Witnesses produced by the Colombian military have been proved to have given false testimony.

The charge of training the FARC is a false charge, based on false evidence. The training never happened, and I and my friends are therefore not guilty.

I would like to conclude by thanking my family and friends who have supported me in every way since my arrest. The work carried out on our behalf by everyone involved in the "Bring Them Home" Campaign has given us strength

Thank you all.