Colombian Vice President Mr Francisco Santos has been accused of making "prejudicial comments" on the case of three Irishmen jailed in Colombia since August 2001.
Mr Santos was accused by Ms Caitríona Ruane, co-ordinator of the Bring Them Home Campaign, of making the comments at a meeting held in Dublin this morning with international observers who attended the trial last year of the "Colombia Three".
It is understood Mr Santos made comments on the specifics of the men's case at the meeting. He was later accused by Ms Ruane of having "no understanding of the concept of human rights".
Ms Ruane also called on the Government, and the Taoiseach in particular, to "protect the human rights of these three Irishmen." She said the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, were "too quiet" and "too timid" on the matter and called on the Government to "stand up for the rights of the men".
Mr Niall Connolly, Mr Martin McCauley and Mr Jim Monaghan stood trial in Colombia last year on charges of training Farc guerrillas in IRA bomb-making techniques and of using false passports. The men denied the charges, which carry a sentence of up to 28 years.
The trial ended in August of last year and the men are still awaiting a verdict six months later.
Over 100 people attended a demonstration at the gates of Leinster House this afternoon in protest at the visit and were addressed by the wife of one of the men, Mrs Christine McCauley, who asked Mr Ahern to intervene on behalf of the men.
Mr Santos also met members of the Dáil Foreign Affairs Committee today as part of a series of discussions taking place in Dublin during the EU presidency.
