Dublin must intervene for Colombia Three

Last week, Jim Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly received the devastating news that they will have to remain in Colombia pending an appeal lodged by the Attorney General's Office. Judge Jairo Acosta ruled that the men could not leave the country until the appeal against their acquittal on charges of training FARC guerrillas is heard, which could take many months or even over a year.

Caitríona Ruane has recently returned from Colombia after three and a half weeks there working, along with others, to secure the release of Martin McCauley, Jim Monaghan and Niall Connolly.

She says the appeal is a politically charged decision by Attorney General Luis Camilo Osorio, a government stooge infamous for his human rights record.

"The real question is who ordered the witnesses to lie, who fabricated a case against the three men in the first place? The attorney general — Luis Camilo Osorio," says Ruane. "Who is now appealing the case? The attorney general — Luis Camilo Osorio. Because of one man in Colombia, three innocent Irishmen are in jail."

Since Osorio became Attorney General back in July 2001, under the presidency of Andrés Pastrana, the office of the state prosecutor has lost credibility with organisations at home and abroad. Osorio has managed to bring his actions to the attention of the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Their reports support the concerns of many Colombian organisations that he is more interested in pleasing the government than in delivering justice.

In relation to the trial of the Colombia Three alone, Judge Acosta has ordered an investigation into two of the witnesses for perjury. The Attorney General's office brought these witnesses forward and logical questions are begged: Where did the perjury start and stop? Who coached the witnesses? One was in a military barracks under protestive custody for the duration of the trial. Serious questions have to be answered.

Is the Dublin Government going to allow a human rights abuser decide that three Irish citizens, already acquitted, should stay in jail? Caitríona Ruane of the Bring Them Home campaign, who met the man in 2002, says the government is aware of Osorio's appalling record. The following is a summary of that record, which has brought such disrepute to his office.

Caitríona says the men remain strong and determined, despite the disappointment of the appeal of the judgment. The men remain in the notorious La Modelo jail, where they are constantly in danger.

She paid tribute to the human rights lawyers in Colomba who have defended the men, at great personal risk and expressed particular concern for Pedro Mahecha, whose life was under threat last week.

The Bring Them Home campaign is working to secure the men's release and is continuously lobbying the Dublin Government to intervene directly, Bertie Ahern to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, to secure the men's release and safe passage back to Ireland.

On Friday, Ruane and fellow Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly will raise the matter at a meeting with Dublin Government officials. Ruane has urged all those who are concerned about the three men to redouble their efforts to lobby political representatives and to protest to Colombian embassies around the world.

"We have a message for the Colombian Government," says Ruane. "We will not stand by while three Irish citizens are being unjustly treated in Colombia and we are calling for your support in the weeks and months ahead. We will get them home and let nobody be in any doubt about that."