Three Irishmen held in custody in Colombia were described by former minister for foreign affairs Mr David Andrews yesterday as physically well and "relatively satisfied" with their prison conditions.
Mr Andrews said their case was at a very sensitive stage as the Colombian equivalent of the attorney general was in the process of deciding whether to prosecute or release them. It was expected they would know his decision within a month.
Mr Andrews said the men told him their business in Colombia at the time of their arrest last August was related to the country's peace process and they indicated they would deny any charges made against them.
He could not reveal further details of his discussions with them for fear of prejudicing their case but he would tell their families privately as much as he could.
Mr Andrews visited the three, Mr Niall Connolly, Mr Martin McAuley and Mr James Monaghan, in La Picota jail in the Colombian capital, Bogota, on Tuesday.
The Dún Laoghaire TD and chairman of the Irish Red Cross, travelled "on humanitarian grounds" at the request of Mr Connolly's mother, Mrs Madeline Connolly, who is one of his constituents.
Mr Andrews told RTÉ yesterday he could give the families some reassurance about their condition after initial fears for their safety and health.
"They are looking well . . . on a physical level they are OK." Their conditions were better than in the other places they had been detained.
"They have been in some terrible places but they have freedom of association and there are opportunities of seeing the sun, as much as one can see the sun in prison."
Mr Andrews's meeting with the men lasted 45 minutes and he will have a further meeting with them today before his journey home. He was accompanied by a campaigner for the men, Ms Caitriona Ruane, and an Irish consular official, Ms Sheila Maguire.
They also met the attorney general, the ombudsman and the solicitor general, but Mr Andrews said his discussions were confined to the men's rights and safety.
The men were arrested at Bogota airport and accused of travelling on false passports and training guerrillas from the rebel FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces) movement. Mr Andrews said if charges were laid their trial would likely take months.