Columbia - Campaign "Bring them home"
Columbia Three return to Ireland
No Extradition to Columbia!
The "Bring Them Home" campaign with spokesperson Catriona Ruane from Belfast
worked for the release of three Irishmen, who were imprisoned in Columbia in August 2001 .
Niall Connolly, Jim Monaghan and Martin McCauley were arrested in August 11,
2001 at Bogota airport. For the first six months they were held without
charge. In January they were charged with the use of false documentation and
training the FARC.
It is obvious that the three Irishmen were being used by elements of the
Colombian government and by elements of the US government to increase and
redirect US military aid to Colombia.
On April 26, 2004 the men were acquitted from all of the heavy charges. But this was overturned by the
Columbian High Court who sentenced the men to 17 years of imprisonment.
The men went on the run and returned to Ireland on August 5, 2005.
Pro-british Unionist in the North and right wing politicians in the South used the case for stalling the
peace process. Now they demand that the men are extradited to Columbia.
>>>> 08.08.2005 "Columbia Three" must stay!
>>>> 05.08.2005 "Columbia Three" return to Ireland
>>>> 18.12.2004 HUMAN RIGHTS APPEAL FOR COLOMBIA 3 after a shock judicial reversal
13.5.2004: "Columbia 3" - urgent appeal:
Caitriona Ruane, Chairperson of the Bring Them Home Campaign said:
"We are calling on the Colombian Government at the highest level to publicly
respect the decision of Judge Acosta and to reign in their Attorney General
Mr. Luis Camilo Osorio, their military and their police. It is not good
enough that Mr. Osorio tells the world that he is going to keep the men in
Colombia pending an appeal. He has not a leg to stand on, he knows it and
everyone in Colombia knows it. His time would be better spent studying the
judgement by Judge Acosta and seeing how he can improve human rights
standards in his office rather than challenging a carefully thought out
legal decision."
"We are now awaiting the decision of the Judge and we hope that he will
permit the three men to leave the country safely and quickly and be reunited
with their families."
Write to the Colombian Embassy in Berlin:
Kurfürstenstrasse 84, 10787 Berlin
email: emcol@t-online.de
>>>> 05.05.2004
Interview with Catriona Ruane, spokesperson of the "Bring them home" campaign
>>>> 23.09.2003
Interview with Catriona Ruane of the "Bring them home" campaign (e)
Niall Connolly, Jim Monaghan and Martin McCauley made surprise appearance in
court for the first time in their trial on Wednesday as the lengthy
proceedings draw to a close:
>>>> 27.02.2003
Courtroom statements of the three men
>>>> 20.09.2002
Release of the "Colombia Three"