Washington
D.C. April 2, 2002 --- The way
Congressional Hearings are being pushed can not
only hurt the Irish peace-process ( while doing no good
to the U.S.) but also endanger
due- process for the Columbia 3 -- not to mention
endangering their very lives.
Fr.
Sean Mc Manus --President of the Capitol Hill-based
Irish National Caucus, which is leading the campaign
against Hearings-- said :" We all know what
happened when a British leader publicly
charged that
some lawyers in Northern Ireland were associated with
the IRA --Pat Finucane was assassinated by right-wing
paramilitaries. Well in his invitation to
Gerry Adams, Chairman Henry Hyde titled his
proposed Hearings ' IRA in
Columbia--Global Links To Terrorism'. There is
danger that such provocative language
could be
seen as
an encouragement
to right-wing paramilitaries in Columbia to
assassinate the three defenseless
jailed Irishmen,
who are presumably innocent until proven guilty by
due-process".
To
date, Fr. Mc Manus has campaigned
against the Hearings on the grounds they will do
no good to the U.S.
and a lot of harm to the Irish peace-process.
"But", he said, " because of the
irresponsible and dangerous way the Hearings have been
pushed we can no longer ignore the danger posed to the
Columbia 3. All Irish people--and all people concerned
with human rights -- ought to be concerned. It is an
appalling way for the House International Relations
Committee (HIRC) to conduct the legislative business
of the American people, who certainly do not want
anyone set up for assassination by
the reckless statements
of Congressional
leaders."
