US embassy cable - 04BOGOTA4319

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 004319 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/AND, S/CT AND EUR/UBI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PHUM, PREL, KJUS, CO 
SUBJECT: THREE ALLEGED IRA MEMBERS ACQUITTED ON TERRORISM 
CHARGES 
 
REF: A. 03 BOGOTA 3443 
     B. 02 BOGOTA 11148 
 
Classified By: DCM Milton K. Drucker, reason 1.4 (d). 
 
1. (U) Three Irish citizens -- Niall Connolly, Martin 
McCauley, and James Monaghan -- were acquitted on charges of 
training Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 
guerrillas in the use of explosives and urban terrorist 
tactics.  The three men were, however, found guilty of 
entering the country using false documents and were sentenced 
to prison terms ranging from 26 to 44 months.  Because the 
three men have been in prison since they were originally 
detained in Bogota's El Dorado airport in August 2001, the 
presiding judge has reduced the sentence for each to time 
served, a fine of 17,900,000 Colombian pesos (approximately 
USD 6,900 each) and expulsion from Colombia upon payment of 
the fine.  Under Colombian law, the Office of the Prosecutor 
General ("Fiscalia") has the right to appeal the judge's 
decision.  Prosecutors have announced their intention to do 
so.  All three have been granted conditional parole pending 
the outcome of the appeal.  They are expected to be released 
from prison today.  Should the prosecutors' attempt to appeal 
the decision fail, the three will be immediately deported 
upon payment of the assessed fine. 
 
2. (C) Prosecutors had alleged that the three were members of 
the IRA and had trained FARC guerrillas in the FARC's former 
"despeje" in 2000 and 2001.  The three denied the charges, 
stating that they had come to Colombia to observe peace talks 
then underway between the GOC and FARC.  The prosecutors' 
case was severely weakened when two key witnesses refused to 
testify (ref B) and by the defense's introduction of 
videotapes and testimony from witnesses contradicting 
accounts that the three had been observed training FARC 
operatives in the "despeje."  During the trial, prosecutors 
also presented evidence linking all three to the IRA. 
 
WOOD