Bogota, Colombia, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Colombia sentenced three Irishmen to 17 years in prison Thursday for allegedly training leftist rebels in the art of urban warfare. The trio were acquitted on the charges in May, but were forced to remain in Colombia while the prosecution appealed. Their last hope would be to send an appeal to Colombia's Supreme Court. Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley were arrested in August 2001 and accused of training members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in the use of explosives and falsified identification documents.
The Colombian government alleged the men were representatives of the IRA on a mission to establish ties with FARC, an accusation they denied. | "Lies, all lies! Faith, we're just poor Irish lads trying to make our way in the world!" |
The men claimed they were in Colombia studying its peace process and were eco-tourists. However, they say they won't leave the prison until the Colombian government guarantees their safety from reprisal killings by right-wing paramilitary groups. |