Colombia urged to state it accepts 'not guilty' ruling of court

Lawyers and supporters of the so-called Colombia Three have demanded that the country's government issue a statement acknowledging…

Lawyers and supporters of the so-called Colombia Three have demanded that the country's government issue a statement acknowledging that it accepts the ruling of the court which found the men not guilty on a charge of training FARC rebel guerrillas.

They have also demanded a "comprehensive security plan" to ensure the Irishmen's safety once they are released from La Modelo Prison in Bogota.

Ms Caitriona Ruane of the Bring Them Home Campaign said they did not trust the Colombian security forces and were requesting that the men be accompanied by observers from local offices of the Red Cross and United Nations.

James Monaghan (58), Martin McCauley (41) and Niall Connolly (38) were acquitted this week on the charge of training the FARC. They were given sentences of up to 44 months for the lesser offence of using false passports, but these could be suspended if the judge so decides.

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At a hastily arranged press conference, Ms Ruane told reporters that the defence lawyers had lodged a petition on Wednesday with Judge Jairo Acosta, to allow the men to leave the country because their lives and the lives of their supporters were in "serious danger".

Later the same day Judge Acosta requested an affidavit from Ms Ruane on the alleged security threat.

In the affidavit, Ms Ruane outlined the way the men had been treated since they were first arrested on August 11th, 2001, as well as the experiences of their supporters and the international observers who travelled to Colombia for the trial. The judge had "up to 10 days" to rule on the petition.

"There is no safe place for these men in Colombia," she said. "Everybody is saying it, the UN, the Red Cross, the lawyers."

When she expressed concerns about the security of Bring Them Home Campaign representatives, namely herself and her sister, Ms Therese Ruane, she was told: "You can leave any time you want."

"We are not leaving until we have these men with us," she said. "It's not good enough that they have such a cavalier attitude to our security or to the men's security."

Under the terms of the verdict, the men can be released if a bail payment of €17,000 is made. "We have not paid it," Ms Ruane said. "There is no point in us paying the money and those men walking out on to a street and getting shot on the first corner."

She complained there had been "rumours abounding" that the IRA was paying the bail money. "The people who are paying the bail money are the Irish Government. They are advancing us the money," she said.