The following are excerpts from the declaration of Niall Connolly to the court in Bogota: "My name is Niall Connolly, I was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1965. I have been interested in Latin America and the politics of the region since the 1980s.
". . . I felt it important for my own education on Latin America to visit Cuba. I found Cuba to be a good place. While living there I met my partner. We have two children and a home in Cuba.
". . . I became active in political mobilisation against the British political and military occupation of part of Ireland in the 1980s. In particular, I was influenced by the hunger strike in 1981 when 10 Irish prisoners died in a British prison. I participated in campaigns and protests during this period. I support Sinn Féin and wherever I was, at home or abroad, I made myself available to promote the aims of Sinn Féin. I am a supporter of the Irish peace process and the efforts of leaders like Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness who are striving to bring about a lasting peace with social justice.
". . . While in Dublin in early 2001, I met with Jim (Monaghan) and a number of other people including Martin McCauley, who had been involved in discussions about conflict situations and conflict resolution processes around the world.
"As a result of this meeting I agreed to undertake a trip to Colombia with Jim and Martin. I had travelled with Jim previously and my knowledge of Spanish was a primary reason for asking me to accompany them.
". . . I was motivated by my desire to see firsthand another process of conflict resolution in motion. I believed that an historic opportunity had been created between the government and the insurgents in one of the oldest conflicts in Latin America.
". . . When we were arrested by the Colombian military there were no warrants for our detention. It became clear that false and irresponsible information was being leaked by the British Embassy. I was described as a member of the IRA. I have never been arrested or questioned about such an allegation. It is false. I am not a member of the IRA.
"The intervention of officials from the US Embassy in the taking of the forensic samples and the subsequent media leaks from both the US and British embassies was an attempt to damage and undermine the Colombian peace process. The so-called forensic evidence has been proven to be false.
"Since our arrest the Fiscal, instead of fulfilling his duty and responsibilities to guarantee that justice is done, has arrogantly thrown the presumption of innocence into the dustbin, along with the independence of his institution.