Colombia Three undecided about attending trial

A spokeswoman for the three Irishmen facing trial for allegedly training anti-government rebels in Colombia has said the men have not yet decided whether to attend their trial.

At a preliminary hearing yesterday, the presiding judge set December 2 as the starting date for the court case.

Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley refused to attend the hearing, but issued a statement saying they were in Colombia to observe the country's peace process and feel they cannot get a fair trial because of comments made by senior Colombian politicians and soldiers.

Catriona Ruane from the Bring them Home campaign said the three men will decided with their lawyers whether or not they should attend the trial.