"No corned beef and cabbage for you!"
A Colombian judge ruled Thursday that three Irish Republican Army-linked men cannot leave the country while the government appeals their acquittal on charges of training Colombian rebels how to use explosives, their lawyers said. The men's lawyers asked the judge last month to allow the trio to go back to Ireland because of the dangers they would face in Colombia while their case was appealed. "The appeals process could take years. I've heard of some that go on for seven years," said Eduardo Matyas, lawyer for one of the men, Niall Connolly. Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley remain in prison but could be released if they paid a $6,500 fine. But with no assurances of protection, they so far have decided to stay in jail.
The Irish government has offered to loan the men money for the fines.
| ... 'cuz if they're bumped off by Colombians then the Irish gummint doesn't have to figure what to do with them if they eventually come home... |
Matyas said he was working with the Irish government to see what type of protection they could offer for the men if they remain in Colombia after paying the fine. There is no Irish embassy in Colombia. The Irish men's supporters believe right-wing outlaws or even members of Colombia's security forces may try to kill the men as revenge for their alleged assistance to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a Marxist group waging a bloody campaign to overthrow the government. |