Colombia 3 Decison Imminent
Published: 6 September, 2003
Three Irish Men Face Colombian Judge’s Imminent Decision
ACT FOR JUSTICE NOW
* The juryless trial, before a single Colombian judge, of Irishmen Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan began on October 4, 2002 and concluded on August 1, 2003 after 7 adjournments. The men are courageously represented by Colombian human rights lawyers.
Judge Acosta has reserved judgment and his verdict is expected soon, possibly in October.
* Our focus, at this critical stage, is the Colombian government.
The Colombian government needs to know that the world is watching how fairly and independently their judicial system operates.
We are asking that Judge Acosta be permitted to make his judgment BASED ON THE EVIDENCE, free from political or military pressure from Colombia or the U.S. or any other outside influence. If that happens, we are confident of the result.
* The evidence is clearly on the side of Connolly, McCauley and Monaghan. Based on the evidence it provided at trial, the prosecution has NO case with regards the principle charge of training FARC military.
The men were arrested in August 2001 in the open Peace Zone. Peace advocates from around the world have also traveled there, including elected political leaders and human rights activists from around the world. The three men declare they were in the zone to share their experiences from the Irish peace process and to bring back to Ireland what they learned from the Colombian peace process, which was ongoing.
The prosecution’s case was filled with inconsistencies and allegations refuted by clear video evidence, countered by testimony from credible defense witnesses and authenticated affidavits placing the defendants elsewhere when they were supposedly training FARC. These include Irish government diplomats and human rights organization workers who testified at trail, former employers, and others.
The forensics do not support the case against the men either. Dr Keith Borer, a famous, independent forensic scientist, examined all the materials in regard to the forensic tests carried out at the US Embassy [a very suspect event in itself and an indictment against Colombian independence in the case] and stated in court that there is NO forensic evidence against the men. Colombian forensic tests proved negative after 113 tries to find a positive result.
Dr. Borer also testified that FARC technology is unchanged during this time and that FARC and IRA technology were and remain very different.
In other words, there is no evidence, real or theoretical, that these men were training FARC.
* CONTACTS:
Address your remarks to President Alvaro Uribe and the U.S. Ambassador, Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno. Both can be contacted by E-mail through the Colombian web site: www.colombiaemb.org.
, The Embassy of Colombia, 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, D.C. 20008; Phone: 202 387-8338; Fax: 202 232-8643; E-mail: emwas@colombiaemb.org
There are Consulates in the following cities: Atlanta, New York, Houston, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. These can also be accessed through: www.colombiaemb.org.
WHAT TO SAY:
* You are familiar with the facts of the trial.
* All you ask is that Judge Acosta be given the space to make an independent judgment based on the evidence presented at trial and be free from outside political or military influence.
* Indicate that you are concerned that justice be done and will be carefully noting reports from international legal observers and civil and human rights groups.
* Lastly, you hope that Colombian justice will be fair and impartial.
WHAT NOT TO SAY:
* Don’t get into the legal details or lecture about justice, etc.
* Don’t be confrontational, angry or insulting.
Your tone with Colombian diplomats should be serious but friendly and positive. Above all, we want them to know we are watching.