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IRA Members Sentenced To Long Jail Terms on Appeal

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/10432448.htm?1c

Colombia Sentences Irishmen for Rebel Aid

BOGOTA, Colombia - A Colombian court has sentenced three IRA-linked men to up to 17 1/2 years in prison for training leftist rebels in terrorist tactics in a guerrilla stronghold in southern Colombia, according to court documents released Thursday.

The three-judge panel in Bogota overturned an earlier ruling that acquitted James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley of terrorism-related charges, and ordered their immediate arrest. The decision can be appealed.

Monaghan's lawyer, Pedro Mahecha, told The Associated Press the three men had not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling, which brought an immediate outcry from the men's supporters.

"This is farcical. There is no justice in Colombia," Caitriona Ruane, who heads the "Bring Them Home" campaign that sought the Irishmen's release, told The Associated Press in Dublin.

She appealed to Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern "to contact the president of Colombia to intervene directly." The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said it was "monitoring the situation" but would not comment ahead of official confirmation of the sentencing.

The three suspected Irish Republican Army members were arrested in August 2001 at Bogota's international airport after leaving the rebel stronghold around San Vicente del Caguan.

In April, Judge Jaime Acosta cleared the three of teaching fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, how to make bombs, but convicted them on lesser charges of passport fraud.

Acosta sentenced them to terms ranging two years and two months to more than three years for traveling on false documents. But because of time served since their arrests, Acosta ordered them freed once they pay fines of $6,500 each.

However, they were barred from leaving the country pending an appeal lodged by the attorney general's office. Their current location has been kept secret, amid concern they could be targeted by right-wing death squads angry over their alleged ties to the FARC.

Authorities argued the three had previous links to the IRA. Monaghan and McCauley were convicted at home of possessing weapons or explosives, and McCauley was wounded by police at an IRA weapons dump 22 years ago.

In the latest ruling, Monaghan and Connolly were sentenced to 17 1/2 years in jail and fined $240,000 each, while McCauley was given a 17-year prison term and fined $210,000.

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By Sam Salmon on Dec 16, 2004, 14:41 in Friendly Talkzone.

juancegomez says on Dec 16, 2004, 16:11:

What is "farcical" is to pretend that an appeal can't overturn a previous decision, if it's found to be warranted. That can happen in every country in the world, even if you don't like that. Tough.

Heck, the 3 men can still appeal this new decision. Is that "farcical" too?

So their supporters (and why, for heaven's sake, do they support them, outside of the fact that they are Irish, is a mystery to me...one doesn't just use false passports for an "innocent" trip...) should focus on defending them from the charges and stop talking trash merely out of emotional rage.

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viewpoint says on Dec 18, 2004, 06:56:

Colombia Loses Tract of IRA Linked Convicts Colombian authorities have lost tract in June of 2004 of these three IRA-Linked Convicts and are unable to explain their current whereabouts. They were released from prison in June of 2004 with an agreement that they were ordered to report to DAS the following day and each eight days thereafter until the appeal was completed. They never reported the next day as instructed nor anytime thereafter. The Colombian government claims that they don't know where these three people are. The Colombian government has lost them.

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viewpoint says on Dec 18, 2004, 08:20:

Tinto The story I am reading is from the AP wire (Bogota office) quoting Colombian Attorney General Luis Camilo Osoria stating "he had no idea where the men are. What our country knows is that they had to appear before the DAS and none of them appeared, not the first time, nor the others. We do not know where these people are."

A DAS offical said "they didn't appear before us the day after they were freed, and when we looked for them at the given addresses, they were not there."

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viewpoint says on Dec 18, 2004, 08:56:

Tinto There are links to several articles about their disappearance.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1376617,00.html

http://www.colombiatimes.com

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