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Colombia 3 lawyers to visit the men’s families
24 November 2001 --
COLOMBIAN lawyers linked to the campaign to repatriate the ‘Colombia Three’ are
to visit the men’s families in Ireland. And the three suspected IRA men –
accused of training FARC guerrillas – have been transferred to another jail, it
has emerged. Caitriona Ruane of the “Bring Them Home” campaign, which is
attempting to get the three sent back to Ireland, said the lawyers will also be
requesting a meeting with the Irish government. Ms Ruane said the visit has been
made necessary because the Colombian government has placed visa restrictions on
Irish visitors entering the country. Ms Ruane said the lawyers – Jose Luis
Velasco, Pedro Maecha and Augustin Jimenez – are “courageous committed people”.
She said: “We appreciate them taking the time to come here. It’s very brave of
them because 25 defence lawyers have been killed in Colombia since 1998 alone.
“Most of their time here will be spent with the legal team and with the
families. They will also be meeting human rights groups.” The former director of
the Belfast Feile an Phobail director told the Irish News the lawyers are
planning to be in Ireland by the end of next week. Meanwhile, republicans Niall
Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan have been moved to La Picoga jail
in Bogota. Since their arrest in the FARC controlled zone on August 11
campaigners have claimed the men could be in danger from right-wing prisoners.
The three had been held in a police compound after being moved from Bogota’s
notorious Modelo jail where riots and killings are routine. Ms Ruane said: “It’s
not the prison we would have wanted them moved to but at least they are getting
some fresh air. “It was getting to the stage in Modelo jail where it was
becoming a nightmare with the men locked up for 23 hours a day.” The Colombian
military alleges the three were training members of the leftist Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The men have denied the allegation but admit
they were travelling on false passports. McCauley, (39) originally from Lurgan,
was wounded in an attack on a hay-shed in 1982 by RUC officers. The
father-of-three, Sinn Fein director of elections in Upper Bann during the 1996
Forum election, was the only survivor of the alleged shoot-to-kill operation.
Fluent Spanish speaker, Connolly, (36) from Dublin, “facilitated visits by Sinn
Fein delegations to Cuba,” according to the campaign but has “never been a
member of any political party”. Monaghan, originally from Donegal, is a former
member of Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle. In July 1976 he made a spectacular escape
from Dublin Special Criminal Court with three other IRA suspects after a double
bomb blast caused chaos. Ms Ruane recently returned from a seven-day visit to
South America after which she launched the “human rights” campaign which aims to
get the men released. On the trip to Colombia with Ms Ruane was Peter Madden of
Madden and Finucane solicitors and Dan Connolly, a brother of 36-year-old Niall
Connolly from Dublin.
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