Campaigners for the three Irish men who were acquitted of training Marxist rebels in Colombia have spoken to the Red Cross and the Colombian and Irish Governments to secure safe passage out of the country.
The three men - Jim Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley - were arrested in August 2001 trying to leave Colombia using false passports after visiting a rebel stronghold in southern Colombia. They were convicted on the lesser charge relating to the false docuements and given sentences of between 26 and 44 months.
The Attorney General's office has said it would appeal the ruling. But it is thought the three may be released from the Bogota prison where they are being held once they have paid fines of about €7,000 each.
The Bring Them Home Campaign, which is headed up by Sinn Fein's Ms Caitriona Ruane, said today comments about the three men by the Colombian armed forces, Attorney General and the police have "created a dangerous climate for the men and for the Bring Them Home Campaign".
"There is no safe place for these men in Colombia. The legal process is slow, and bureaucratic. We cannot accept a situation where the men are in this country upon release for any length of time. This is not an option," Ms Ruane said today.
"Yesterday the lawyers and myself were in discussions with the International Red Cross, the United Nations, the Colombian government and the Irish Government.
"We have called on the Colombian Government to provide us with a comprehensive security plan to inform us how they are going to protect the men and the Bring Them Home Campaign representatives who are over here prior to us leaving the country."
She said campaigners had visited the men in La Modelo jail yesterday.
