Politicians to attend trial of Colombia Three

OBSERVERS from three continents are expected to attend the controversial trial of three Irishmen accused of training FARC rebels in Colombia which is due to resume in the capital, Bogota, today.

Three Irish parliamentarians are among the 14 international observers who will hear the prosecution and defence make their closing arguments as the trial enters its final phase.

The trial judge is likely to deliver a verdict in September to the three men at the prison where they are detained.

On trial, after their arrest in August 2001, are: Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and Jim Monaghan. They are also accused of travelling on false documentation. The trial, which began last October, has been adjourned seven times.

Last night Madeleine Connolly, mother of Niall Connolly, said: “We’re still very concerned about the men’s safety. The trial has dragged on for far too long and they should be sent home because the allegations against them have been so badly discredited.”

Catríona Ruane, chairwoman of the Bring Them Home Campaign, who entered the jail yesterday, said the three men should have been home with their families two years ago. She claimed the case against the men was “deeply flawed”, adding: “No evidence has been presented to the court, prosecution witnesses have perjured themselves on the stand and have obviously been schooled by the Colombian military.”

Fianna Fáil Senator Mary White, one of the representatives who has travelled to Bogota, said she had been requested by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs “to formally report back to them on the trial”.

Also attending the trial are: MEP Niall Andrews (Fianna Fail) and Seán Crowe, Sinn Féin deputy for Dublin South West, as well as Pat Daly, a criminal law solicitor and Ronan Munro, who is a criminal law barrister.

The arrest and trial of the men have provoked furious controversy, not only in this country but abroad. The circumstances of the men’s arrest and detention have prompted Australian MP Paul Lynch, along with a number of Australian lawyers and trade unionists, to declare their wish to observe what is believed to be the final stage of the protracted affair. Also expected to attend the trial are US lawyers and human rights’ activists.