February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The three, James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley, were barred from leaving Colombia after they were first acquitted earlier this year of training Colombia’s FARC rebels in bomb making techniques, but convicted of a lesser charge of passport fraud.
Colombian law allowed the government to successfully appeal the acquittal on the more serious charge.
Catriona Ruane of the support group, the Bring them Home campaign, called on the Irish Government to intervene.
“This is a political decision and a blatant miscarriage of justice,” said the Sinn Fein assembly member.
The three were arrested at Bogot_ Airport in August 2001 and have been confined to Colombia ever since, either in prison or under house arrest.
In June this year, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern personally intervened in the case in an effort to secure early release for the three, when he met 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. Connolly was for a time Sinn F