Sinn Féin has condemned the refusal of the Colombian authorities to grant a visa to one of its representatives to attend the trial of three Provisional IRA suspects in Bogota.
Mr Francie Molloy, a member of the Stormont Assembly, had hoped to be present at the trial of Mr Jim Monaghan, Mr Martin McCauley, and Mr Niall Connolly. The men are facing charges of training the Marxist guerrilla group FARC in explosives and terrorism.
They were arrested at Bogota international airport last year and held in connection with having false documents. The men were due to appear in court last night but it was understood they would not attend the hearing. They refused to leave their prison cells to attend a similar hearing a fortnight ago. The judge was expected to set a date for the men's trial.
Sinn Féin said Mr Molloy would have been at the trial as "an observer". He had been invited "at the request of the men's families and the Bring Them Home campaign", a party spokesman said.
The party was deeply concerned and angry at the decision to deny him a visa, he added.
"This refusal will only add to the worries that the men's families and indeed Sinn Féin have in relation to the men getting a fair trial."