Trial of Three Irishmen in Colombia set to resume on Monday July 28

Friday July 25, 2003 12:30

by ec

Niall Andrews, M.E.P and Australian M.P Paul Lynch to join Observers

Niall Andrews, M.E.P will join a group of 14 international observers comprising politicians, lawyers and human rights activists from Europe, Australia and the United States for the summing up and hopefully final stage of the trial of Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and Jim Monaghan.

The three men were arrested on August 11, 2001 and are charged with training the FARC and the use of false documentation. The trial began on October 4,it has adjourned on seven occasions with only 13 days of court.

Chairperson of the Bring Them Home Campaign Caitriona Ruane said ‘ the international observers are travelling to Colombia from three continents. The Colombian Authorities, by adjourning the court hearings, are expecting
that the observers will fall away. This has not been the case, in fact our delegation is increasing. We would like to thank the observers who have travelled previously and are joining us again and welcome our new observers, Niall Andrews. M.E.P, Australian M.P Paul Lynch, Trade Unionist Brett Gay, and Irish Trade Unionist Des Bonass, ’

‘We expect that this will be the final hearing which will last a week of the trial, that following this hearing the Judge should be making his decision. This is a deeply flawed case, no evidence has been presented to the court, prosecution witnesses have perjured themselves on the stand and have obviously been schooled by the Colombian Military. These three men should have been home with their families two years ago. "

List of observers attending the trial

BRING THEM HOME CAMPAIGN

Caitriona Ruane: Ireland. Spokesperson and full-time co-ordinator of ‘Bring Them Home Campaign’. Twenty years experience of working on human rights
issues. Latin America Development officer with an Irish Development Agency. Co-founder of the Centre for Research and Documentation – a human rights agency that made comparative studies between Ireland, Africa, Asia and Latin America and ways or resolving conflict.

OBSERVERS

Niall Andrews : (Ireland) Member of European Parliament, Fianna Fáil

Sean Crowe: (Sinn Féin TD). Irish parliamentarian. Dublin. Represented Sinn
Féin at the ‘Forum for Peace and Reconciliation’ and in the negociations that led to the Belfast Agreement (and the international treaty between
Ireland and Britain)

Senator Mary White: (Irish Senate). Former member of the National executive of Fianna Fáil (the largest political party in Ireland). An activist in the peace process she has worked for reconciliation between the divided communities in the North of Ireland. Mary was nominated to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in November 2002.

Paul Lynch: Australia, Member of Parliament

Shaun Kerrigan: Australia. Lawyer with a background in trade unionism. He has practised in the areas of Human Rights Law, Industrial Law, Immigration and refugee Law and Criminal Law. Has worked in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, India, China and the former Yugoslavia on various legal projects.

Brett Gay: Australia. Trade Unionist, member of National Executive and Council of Trade Union Movement.

Steve McCabe: United States, Lawyer practising in courts of New York and Supreme Court. Member of Judiciary Committee or the Nassau County Bar
Association. Senior Partner in the Mineola New York Law Firm of McCabe, Collins, McGeough and Fowler (25 lawyers in this firm). President of the
Brehon Law Society and member of Irish Parades Emergency Committee.

Pat Fowler : United States, Professional social worker for 33 years, human rights activist.

Natalie Kabasakalian: United States, Court Attorney in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Extensive training in international law and
human rights. Worked for Amnesty International USA as the Country Specialist on United Kingdom and Ireland. Has been active on the U.S. Rosemary Nelson Campaign for Truth and Justice. Member of observer delegation of the U.S.-based Irish Parades Emergency Committee (IPEC).

Pat Daly: Ireland. Criminal Law Defence solicitor, Dublin. Tutor in criminal law. Has worked as a legal researcher in Death Row cases, Atlanta, USA.

Ronan Munro: Ireland. Criminal Lawyer with extensive experience in defence,in habeaus Corpus and judicial review proceedings. Also acts on behalf of Director of Public Prosecutions in High Court bail proceedings.