Colombia Three
Refused to attend court
A judge in Colombia has postponed a hearing for three alleged members of the IRA who are charged with teaching bomb-making techniques to left-wing FARC rebels.
The three, Niall Connolly, Jim Monaghan and Martin McCauley, had refused to attend the court in Bogota, saying they would not get a fair trial under international law. The judge rescheduled the case for 16 October.
Outside the Bogota courthouse, an angry group of about 20 relatives of Colombian soldiers, killed in action in the war against FARC, shouted insults at the suspects' lawyers and held a banner saying "IRA go home - kill your own people".
A spokeswoman for the three prisoners, Ms Catríona Ruane, said riot police had been called to the jail and that the three men received minor scratches when they were forcibly moved to the reception area of the prison.
The three men were arrested fourteen months ago travelling on false passports.
They admit spending time in a southern jungle town controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) but say they were just sightseeing and studying Colombia's defunct peace talks.
Their lawyers say evidence against them is flimsy and that their chances of a fair trial are jeopardised by political pressure from both the Colombian and US governments.
