Family reaction: The family of Niall Connolly, one of the so-called "Colombia Three", say they do not believe there are grounds for extraditing the men to Colombia and that, in light of that country's human rights record, the Irish people would not want their citizens sent there.
It also emerged yesterday that lawyers for two of the men, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley, have lodged appeals on their behalf with the Colombian Supreme Court and that an appeal on Mr Connolly's behalf is to be filed shortly.
Eduardo Matias, who represented Mr Connolly during the trial, said in Bogotá yesterday that the appeals for Mr Monaghan and Mr McCauley were filed "in the last two months" and that Mr Connolly's appeal would be lodged later this month.
The fact that the men were in Ireland would not have any effect on the hearing, he said, adding that, because of the backlog of cases, it could be "at least five years" before there was a verdict.
Broadcast journalist Charlie Bird, who interviewed Mr Monaghan on RTÉ last Friday and was questioned by gardaí afterwards, told The Irish Times he did not know where the three were.
"No, is the answer. I have no idea and I told the guards when they questioned me that I had no idea where they were," he said.
He did not know where the Monaghan interview had taken place. "I had no idea where I was. I was taken in the back of a van from a particular location," he said. He was brought back to that location after the interview: "The one thing I am not prepared to say is what that location was."
Dan Connolly, brother of Niall Connolly, said yesterday: "The Connolly family's main priority at all times was to see the men home and this has come to pass. As at different stages in the last four years there has always been a new twist and we will watch and see how things develop.
"We don't believe there are grounds for an extradition case against the men and if one were brought we believe it would be defeated in the courts. We don't believe either that Irish people would want their citizens being sent back to Colombia, particularly where there is an understanding of the human rights situation in that country."
Expressing gratitude to all those who provided assistance during the case, he said: "Obviously we are delighted and we have a lot of people to thank, Caitríona Ruane, Peter Madden and the Colombian lawyers; the observers; the Department of Foreign Affairs for their kindness; the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former minister for foreign affairs Brian Cowen for their interventions; the Sinn Féin leadership and grass roots; Irish people across the 32 counties for their support and concern."
