Month of March, 2007

The U.S. government’s attempt to railroad Colombian political prisoner Ricardo Palmera, alias Simón Trinidad, suffered another significant setback March 26 when chief judge of the District Court for Washington, D.C., Thomas F. Hogan, was forced to recuse himself from the case after a motion filed by defense attorney Robert Tucker exposed a conspiracy between Hogan and the prosecutors.

By Angela Denio

Washington, D.C. - In an intense start to the second trial of Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera, the presiding judge, Thomas F. Hogan, was forced to step down March 26, thus ending his involvement in the Palmera case. Participants in the International Day of Action to Free Ricardo Palmera were present in the courtroom and hailed this turn of events.

Judge Hogan presided over Palmera’s first trial, where Palmera, the peace negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), faced injustice after injustice. In the end Judge Hogan’s cheating finally caught up with him.

BOGOTA, Colombia - President Bush pledged continued support Sunday to this
strong but drug and violence-plagued U.S. ally, on a visit marked by both
warm official welcomes and rioting protesters.

"Your country has come through very difficult times and now there's a
brighter day ahead," Bush said to President Alvaro Uribe after their
meetings and lunch at the presidential palace. "We have been friends and we
will remain friends."

Bush came to Colombia's capital for a show of confidence in Uribe and the
country's battle against narcoterrorists. But the stop was clouded by a
political scandal involving Uribe, and security jitters had Bush staying