Colombia 3 and the plight of a missing author
As far as can be ascertained she has not been released.
Her biography is an indictment of Colombia as a haven for drug cartels and corrupt political leaders.
Many of us would like to know what James Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly were doing in Colombia and what, if any, is their present connection with the republican movement.
Just because they may be republicans, whether disillusioned or otherwise, it does not necessarily follow that they remain members of the same movement as Sinn Féin.
The assumptions which have been made in the press and the accusations which have resulted need to be addressed so that the Irish people, long weary of political violence, may obtain a clear picture of the purpose and activity of this trio in Colombia.
In particular, we would like to know whether they were there as official representatives of any organisation in this country.
Justice and openness should be the hallmarks of any quest for enlightenment on the arrest, detention and trial of these three Irishmen.
There are powerful international as well as corrupt local forces operating inside Colombia; people are regularly assassinated or threatened with assassination if they challenge civic corruption, which is so rife.
Should your readers still wonder why the present trial gives such cause for concern they ought to read Ingrid Betancourt’s biography first published in France under the title ‘La Rage du Coeur’ and subsequently translated into English by Steven Rendall as ‘Til Death Do Us Part.’
In the meantime, let us be glad that public representatives have travelled to Colombia to raise awareness about the case in question.
In so doing they may also raise awareness about the nightmare of political life in Colombia and the need for the international community to focus on the plight of Ingrid Betancourt.
We can be certain that the legal process is not straightforward.
There may well be a number of agendas being played out in that courthouse and the defendants are unlikely to get a fair trial.
John Robb,
85, Charlotte Street,
Ballymoney,
Co Antrim.
