As Sinn Fein frets, DUP gloats

Last Thursday in Bogota, the men — James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley — were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 17 years to 17 years and six months and fined as much as $225,000 on charges that that they had helped train Colombia’s FARC rebels in bomb-making techniques. Monaghan and McCauley were IRA members, while Connolly was Sinn Fein’s representative to Cuba. Last April, the men had been acquitted of FARC-related charges but were convicted of the lesser charge of passport fraud and were ordered to remain in the country. They left prison in June and supporters say they have not seen them since.
The British and Irish newspapers last week had a field day over the overturned verdict, accusing the IRA of training Colombian guerillas in the use of mortar bombs, despite evidence in court that suggested no similarities between republican bomb-making techniques and those used by the FARC.
The DUP has begun to suggest that the peace process could be affected. Ian Paisley Jr. welcomed the verdict and sentences, saying that written representations he had made to the Colombian authorities “had not been in vain.”
The sentences, he said, were “indeed welcome news” and reflected “the serious nature of the activities they engaged in. Their relationship with the anti-American drug distribution network of FARC is of grave concern.
“It appears as if Sinn Fein/IRA will have to wait a few years longer before welcoming their fellow travelers home. These prisoners are unlikely to benefit from any early release scheme.”
Fellow DUP man Sammy Wilson went further, even suggesting the names of Christmas carols that could be adjusted to celebrate the verdicts and sentences, which, he said, were early Christmas presents for the people of Northern Ireland.
“At least one government albeit on the other side of the world, has not bowed to the threats and whinging of republicans,” he said. “I’m told that already funds are being raised for the legal costs through the sale of a Christmas singalong album.”
The tracks, said Wilson, could include, “We’ll Not be Home for Christmas,” “Away in a Jailhouse,” “Can’t You Hear Jail Doors Slamming,” “We Three Jailbirds of Bogota Are,” and “We’re Gonna be Lonely This Christmas.”
More seriously, he said, it was “important that the Colombian authorities hunt them down. The sooner they are caught and put behind bars the better and if the Irish and American governments really are harder on terrorism since Sept 11th then we should expect no pleas for clemency from them.”
This contrasted with the views of Sinn Fein assemblyman Gerry Kelly, who described the verdict as “an enormous denial of justice.” He said there was “disbelief and anger” at the sentences and called on the Irish government to intervene.
From the moment of their arrests, Kelly said, “there was extensive false reporting in the media and the investigation was closed before key witnesses were interviewed.
“There was persistent political interference in the judicial process. No evidence was presented to substantiate any of the serious charges laid against these men. It was obvious to anyone who followed the trial that the men had no case to answer on the major charge.
“There was no forensic evidence against the men and key prosecution witnesses were discredited when all three Irishmen were able to prove to the court that they were not in Colombia on the dates the witnesses claimed to have seen them.”
Sinn Fein’s Caitriona Ruane, who heads the Bring Them Home campaign and who is now in Colombia, said: “I have lost confidence in the Colombian legal system. This case is only the tip of the iceberg.
“We turned down the offer of Colombian state protection because of their links with right-wing groups and decided their best hope of staying alive until the outcome of the appeal was to go into hiding.”
The three were arrested at Bogot_’s airport in August 2001 and have been confined to Colombia ever since, either in prison or under house arrest.
Last June, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern intervened in an effort to secure early release for the three, meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe during a visit to Mexico.
During the initial trial the Colombian authorities argued the three had previous links to the IRA. Monaghan and McCauley were convicted in Northern Ireland of possessing arms. McCauley was wounded by police at an IRA weapons dump 22 years ago.