Colombia 3 Acquittal OVERTURNED - Sentenced to 17 years

Published: 17 December, 2004

"A Mammoth Miscarriage of Justice"

Action Request - Protest and Demand Justice now! Target Irish and Colombian governments. {See reaction and political action contact information below.}

The three Irishmen acquitted of training rebels in Colombia's civil war, Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan, have now been sentenced to 17 years following an appeal by the Colombian Attorney General.

The men were acquitted as the original case had collapsed after weaknesses in forensic evidence, contradictory accounts of who was where when, and the testimony of paid informers were exposed.

I. Reaction

Supporters denounced the decision as purely political and a "mammoth miscarriage of justice". The families of the three men, who were free on bail in Colombia, were shocked by the ruling.

Catriona Ruane of 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." UN representatives in Colombia have also been alerted and the campaign team will make arrangements in the next few days to fly to Colombia.

SF president Gerry Adams called it “a grievous miscarriage of justice, which will come as no great surprise given the record of Human Rights abuses by the Colombian government."

The Colombian court system goes into recess on Friday, and the men's lawyers are expected to see them within the next day.

It is understood there is one final step in the legal process open to the men, an extraordinary appeal to the Supreme Court. The earliest that any appeal can be lodged is mid-January.

Sinn Fein MLA, Gerry Kelly, said, "There is disbelief and anger that the men have been sentenced to 17 years despite the fact that they had no case to answer. I am calling on the Irish government to intervene and demand that the men are immediately brought home."

"From the very moment of their arrest Martin McCauley, Jim Monaghan and Niall Connolly had basic rights were denied, 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. Despite being found innocent by the court that examined the case against the men, they have now been sentenced to 17 years imprisonment.

"Today's verdict is a breath-taking denial of justice. There is disbelief and anger at what has occurred today. I am calling on the Irish government to intervene and demand that the men are brought home immediately."

II. Action Request and contact information

a] The Irish Government

The Irish Government has been very helpful, providing practical and political support. Call on them to continue working for justice for their “citizens.” They should be highly insulted and concerned by these developments.

• The Irish government: The Irish Ambassador to the US is Noel Fahey. Contact him at Embassy of Ireland, 2234 Mass Ave NW, Washington DC 20008; phone 202-462-3939; fax 202-232-5993. E-mail: http://www.irelandemb.org/feedback.html.

b] The Colombian Government

Demand that an appeal to the Colombian Supreme Court be allowed.

At this point, controlling our anger and disgust doesn’t make much sense. We tried diplomacy and got the equivalent of a judicial mugging. Blast away at them.

• Call, fax or write a personalized e-mail directly to the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at rdh@presidencia.gov.co or through the Colombian web site http://www.colombiaemb.org

In the US, contact: Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno, The Embassy of Colombia, 2118 Lero Place NW, Washington, D.C. 20008; Phone: 202 387-8338; Fax: 202-232-8643; E-mail: emwas@colombiaemb.org

There are Colombian Consulates in the following cities: Atlanta, New York, Houston, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. These can also be accessed through http://www.colombiaemb.org