I remind members and all those present, including those in the Visitors Gallery, to ensure their mobile telephones and Blackberries are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference, even on silent mode, with the recording equipment in the committee room.
I welcome Ms Yessika Hoyos, Colombian Lawyers Collective, Mr. David Joyce, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Ms Sophie Haspeslagh, ABColombia, and Mr. Liam Craig Best, interpreter. In the Visitors Gallery I welcome Catriona Rice, Front Line, Hilary Daly, Trócaire, Alexia Haywood and Sorley McCaughey, Christian Aid, Michael Dowling and Stellan Hermansson, ICTU, and Jose Antonio Gutierrez, Latin American Solidarity Centre.
You are all welcome to discuss the issue of European trade negotiations with Colombia from a human rights perspective. As witnesses will be aware this is a sub-committee of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. You will appreciate, following last week's budget, there are many other activities taking place elsewhere in the House, such as Committee Stage of the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill and the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill in both Houses. Members who are involved with other business will be observing either through monitors or the proceedings of the Official Report, which will be circulated at a later stage.
In October I met some people at the Irish launch of the international campaign for the right to defend human rights in Colombia. I was pleased to attend that meeting. Today's meeting is a follow-up to that event and provides an opportunity for a wider debate on the issue of what Ireland and the EU can do to protect Colombian human rights defenders. I am pleased that Ms Yessika Hoyos of the Colombian Lawyers Collective, a CAJAR and recipient of the George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights award will address the committee today. I understand that her father, who was a trade unionist, was killed in 2001.
Before commencing, I draw witnesses' attention to the fact that while members of the committee have absolute privilege in respect of utterances made at the committee, the same privilege does not apply to witnesses appearing before the committee. Accordingly, caution should be exercised particularly when making references of a personal nature. I invite the witnesses to make their presentations, following which I will take questions.