San Salvador, El Salvador – El 27-29 de julio 2017, 300 delegados de organizaciones de solidaridad con Cuba de los países de El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá, México y Colombia realizaron el II Encuentro Centroamericano de Solidaridad con Cuba. El Encuentro fue patrocinado por el Movimiento Salvadoreño de Solidaridad con Cuba, compuesto por varios comités de El Salvador que apoyan a Cuba socialista. El encuentro reafirmó la solidaridad con el pueblo y el gobierno socialista cubano.

Desde Cuba llegó Fernando González, uno de los 5 héroes cubanos que estuvo preso en los Estados Unidos hasta 2014 y actualmente es el presidente del Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos (ICAP), que construye la solidaridad internacional.

Como parte del encuentro se realizó una marcha el 27 de julio en honor al Día Nacional de Rebeldía de la Plaza Bolívar a la Plaza Martí. En la marcha el espíritu revolucionario e internacionalista se sintió en las calles con banderas de Cuba y otras banderas y mantas revolucionarias.

El 28 de julio ofrecieron homenaje en varios monumentos y tumbas revolucionarias en San Salvador incluso en el Monumento a Schafik Handal, la tumba de Francisco Morazán, la tumba de Farabundo Martí, el monumento a Simón Bolívar, y la cripta de Monseñor Romero. Después los delegados llegaron a la sede del II Encuentro en el Centro de Estudios de El Salvador donde realizaron presentaciones como “América Latina y el Caribe: ofensiva imperial y resistencia de los pueblos”, “Cuba en desarrollo: actualid y perspectivas”, “Solidaridad entre pueblos: una necesidad histórica. La experiencia Cubana”, y “Fortalecimiento de los movimientos centroamericanos de solidaridad con Cuba, Venezuela y Nuestro América. Experiencias de organización y acción por países y lucha en defensa de la soberanía nacional.”

El 29 de julio hubo otra presentación, “Apoyo internacional a la lucha del pueblo salvadoreño en contra de la agresión imperialista, instrumentada por la derecha oligárquica y su partido” a lo cual le siguió una discusión. Rindieron además homenaje al Comandante Fidel Castro Ruz, Ernesto Che Guevara, y Hugo Chávez. En el evento se dio lectura a la declaración final del encuentro y al plan de acción que se produjo en dicho evento, el cual culminó con un acto cultural.

Un participante en el Encuentro de Costa Rica, Bruno, dijo, “Para nosotros fue muy importante venir a conocer a las diferentes organizaciones de solidaridad que existen en centroamérica y nos interesa muchísimo el hecho de que haya actividades coordinadas. Entonces, queríamos ver el trabajo que hacen las otras organizaciones para hacer actividades coordinadas que tienen mucho más fuerza y mucho más impacto en la solidaridad con Cuba.”

Daniel, un miembro del Comité de Solidaridad Agradecidos con Cuba y con Fidel en Santa Tecla, El Salvador dijo, “El encuentro fue un acto de solidaridad muy bonito y importante. Cuba dio su apoyo incondicional a la lucha en El Salvador en sus momentos de necesidad, como lo ha hecho con los pueblos en toda América y el resto del mundo. Nos da orgullo cumplir nuestro deber internacionalista de apoyar al pueblo y al gobierno cubano en su lucha contra el bloqueo y las crecientes amenazas del imperio. Esperamos seguir fortaleciendo nuestros lazos de solidaridad con las y los hermanos centroamericanos, para que de tal manera enfrentemos mejor los ataques del imperio contra Cuba.”

#SanSalvadorElSalvador #SanSalvador #Cuba #ElSalvador #Cuban5 #Americas

San Salvador, El Salvador – On July 27-29, 300 delegates from organizations in solidarity with Cuba from the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá, México and Colombia participated in the Second Central American Gathering in Solidarity with Cuba. The gathering was organized by the Salvadoran Movement in Solidarity with Cuba, which is made up of various committees throughout El Salvador in solidarity with socialist Cuba. The gathering reaffirmed solidarity with the Cuban people and socialist government.

Fernando Gonzalez came from Cuba for the gathering. Gonzalez was one of the heroic Cuban 5 who was imprisoned in the U.S. until 2014 and now is the president of the Cuban Institute of People’s Friendship (ICAP), which builds international solidarity.

As part of the gathering, there was a march on July 27 in honor of Cuba’s national day of rebellion, commemorating the first armed uprising of the Cuban revolution. The march went from Bolívar Plaza to Martí Plaza. In the march there was a strong spirit of revolution and internationalism, with Cuban flags and revolutionary flags and banners.

On July 28, delegates paid tribute at various revolutionary monuments and tombs in San Salvador including the monument to Schafik Handal, Francisco Morazán’s tomb, Farabundo Martí’s tomb, the monument to Simon Bolivar, and Monseñor Romero’s crypt. After that delegates arrived at the Center of Studies of El Salvador (CEES), where the presentations of the gathering would take place. There were presentations such as “Latin America and the Caribbean: Imperialist offensive and the people’s resistance,” “Cuba in development: Present situation and perspectives,” “Solidarity between peoples: A historic necessity – the Cuban experience,” “Strengthening Central American movements in solidarity with Cuba, Venezuela and our America – Experiences with organization, action and struggle in defense of national sovereignty.”

There was also a presentation on July 29 titled “International support for the Salvadoran people’s struggle against imperialist aggression, carried out by the oligarchy and their party.” That was followed by a discussion. Finally, there was tribute paid to Comandante Fidel Castro Ruz, Ernesto Che Guevara and Hugo Chavez. The final declaration of the gathering was read as well as the action plan that was adopted, and the event closed with a cultural performance.

A participant in the gathering from Costa Rica named Bruno said, “For us it was very important to come and get to know the different solidarity groups that exist in Central America, and we’re very interested in having coordinated actions. So we wanted to see the work that other groups do so we can coordinate activities to have more force and impact in solidarity with Cuba.”

Daniel, a member of the Solidarity Committee Grateful to Cuba and Fidel in Santa Tecla, El Salvador said, “The gathering was a beautiful and important act of solidarity. Cuba gave unconditional support to the struggle in El Salvador in moments of great need, just like they have done with all the peoples of the Americas and the rest of the world. We’re proud to carry out our internationalist duty to support the Cuban people and government in their struggle against the blockade and the increasing threats from the empire. We hope to continue strengthening our links of solidarity with our Central American sisters and brothers, and with that strengthened solidarity we will be able to better confront the empire’s attacks on Cuba.”

#SanSalvadorElSalvador #SanSalvador #ElSalvador #Cuban5 #Americas

San Salvador, El Salvador – Los Cinco Héroes cubanos pasaron más de una década en las cárceles de los Estados Unidos, arrestados por el gobierno estadounidense a finales de los años 1990 por haber monitoreado grupos anticomunistas cubanos basados en Miami, Florida quienes han planificado actividades terroristas en contra de Cuba socialista. Los cinco recientemente ganaron su libertad de las cárceles de los Estados Unidos debido a una campaña mundial exigiendo su libertad. Regresaron a Cuba como héroes, todavía firmes en su dedicación a la revolución cubana. La decision del gobierno estadounidense para liberarlos fue uno de los primeros pasos en la restauración de las relaciones diplomáticas entre Cuba y los Estados Unidos.

Los cinco – René González, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernández y Fernando González – están visitando varios países para dar las gracias a los pueblos que les apoyaron y que apoyan a Cuba. Como parte de eso, realizaron una visita histórica a El Salvador el pasado 21 de julio. Con una apretada agenda realizaron varios actos de homenaje al arzobispo salvadoreño Óscar Arnulfo Romero, asesinado por los escuadrones de la muerte de la derecha durante la guerra civil; y al patriota cubano José Martí; sostuvieron también una entrevista privada con el Presidente de la República Salvador Sánchez Cerén, un líder histórico del Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN), y concluyeron su visita en un acto popular celebrado en la Universidad de El Salvador (UES), primera y única casa de estudios pública en ese país, institución académica con una larga historia de lucha y pensamiento crítico.

Los 5 héroes fueron recibidos calurosamente en la UES, con el clásico grito universitario ¡Esta es la U! Mientras los cubanos dirigieron un emotivo discurso a la multitud que desbordó el Cine-Teatro.

Cerraron su participación con una condecoración por parte de la Comisión Política del FMLN, el liderazgo del partido de izquierda que actualmente gobierna el país, quien les consignó una medalla al mérito; así también la Comunidad Salvadoreña Palestina les obsequiaron unas hermosas Kufiyas blancas y negras los cuales los cinco orgullosamente mostraron en la tarima.

Antes de visitar El Salvador los Cinco Héroes cubanos visitaron Nicaragua en el aniversario de la revolución sandinista de 1979, y también pasaron por Sudáfrica. Los movimientos revolucionarios en esto tres países tienen vínculos profundos históricamente con la revolución cubana.

#SanSalvadorElSalvador #SanSalvador #Cuba #ElSalvador #FMLN #SalvadorSanchezCeren #Cuban5 #UniversityOfElSalvador #Americas

San Salvador, El Salvador – The Cuban 5 spent well over a decade in U.S. prisons, arrested by the U.S. government in the late 1990s for monitoring anti-communist Cuban groups based in Miami, Florida that have planned terror activities against socialist Cuba. The five were recently released from U.S. prisons in the face of a worldwide movement demanding their freedom. They returned to a heroes welcome in Cuba, unbroken and firm in their dedication to the Cuban revolution. Their release by the U.S. government was an early move in the renewing of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the U.S.

The five – René González, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernández y Fernando González – are now visiting several countries to give thanks to the people that supported them and support Cuba. As part of that, they made a historic visit to El Salvador on July 21. They had a packed agenda, including paying homage to slain Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero who was assassinated by a right wing death squad during the Salvadoran Civil War, and Cuban patriot Jose Martí. They met with Salvadoran President Salvador Sánchez Ceren, who is a historic leader of the leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). They closed their visit with a packed mass meeting at the amphitheatre of the University of El Salvador (UES), the only public university in El Salvador. UES is an institution with a long and historic tradition of revolutionary thinking and struggle.

The 5 Cuban heroes were warmly welcomed at the UES with the traditional chant of the universitary students, “esta es la U!” (“This is the U!”). They gave a very emotional speech to the crowd that packed the facility.

They were also given a recognition by the FMLN Political Commission, the leadership of the leftist party that governs El Salvador, and by the Salvadoran Palestinian community who gifted them with beautiful black and white keffiyehs, which they proudly put on while on stage.

Before visiting El Salvador, the Cuban 5 also visited Nicaragua on the anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution there, and visited South Africa. The revolutionary movements in all three countries have deep historic ties to the Cuban revolution.

#SanSalvadorElSalvador #SanSalvador #Cuba #ElSalvador #FMLN #SalvadorSanchezCeren #Cuban5 #UniversityOfElSalvador #Americas

The Cuban Five are heroes who came to the U.S. to stop terrorist attacks against their country. Their commitment to the Cuban people is unquestionable. Their sacrifice and that of other Cuban internationalists knows no bounds.

By secretly joining the most reactionary groups in Florida, the Cuban Five put their lives at risk in order to stop attacks on Cuba and its socialist system. They exposed CIA complicity in terrorist attacks on Cuba, while the U.S. government was claiming to fight terrorism.

Freedom for the Cuban Five and the plans to normalize relations with Cuba announced by President Obama are to be applauded. The angry response of reactionary die-hards like Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is worrisome. They seem to want another Bay of Pigs invasion, or more assassination attempts, or hotel and airplane bombings.

Anyone who has ever been to Cuba knows how much all Cubans hate the U.S. embargo and will be glad to see it go. However, President Obama can only loosen restrictions, not end the embargo. Congress needs to pass a law to do that. President Obama’s action will allow more business, loved ones remittances and travel. The large U.S. Interests Section building will become the U.S. Embassy. Cuba will no longer be on the U.S. state terrorism list. This meets many of wishes of the Cuban government and people.

The victory comes in the context of left, progressive and democratic movements growing stronger and gaining power in country after country. From Venezuela to Uruguay, Bolivia to El Salvador, most of the revolutionary movement in Latin America sees Cuba as a beacon for socialism.

The U.S. empire is losing its grip. U.S. imperialism is in decline. Meanwhile Wall Street wants to maintain its profit making, not to be further isolated. U.S. diplomats and big businesses know doors will open easier if they are positive towards Cuba.

As Colombian peace talks take place in Cuba, it is time now to deepen our solidarity. Like the Cuban Five, we hope to see Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera set free from the Florence Supermax Prison in Colorado and sitting at the peace table in Cuba. For us, our task is to continue building the struggle here at home against war and oppression.

Victory for the Cuban Five! Free Ricardo Palmera!

#UnitedStates #Cuba #RicardoPalmera #Cuban5 #CubanFive #Americas

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression

Many of the U.S. government’s recent campaigns of repression, including the September 2010 FBI raids, grand jury subpoenas, and ongoing investigation of anti-war and international solidarity activists known as the Anti-War 23, have been pursued under the guise of investigating “material support of terrorism.” The bankruptcy of this rationale is revealed when we look to another ongoing case of political repression by the U.S. government – this time attacking individuals who were actively working to prevent terrorist attacks – the Cuban 5. The FBI targeted these five men because they were monitoring terrorist groups that the U.S. government supports. They were working to defend the country of Cuba from terrorist attacks.

Since the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Cuba has been the target of more terrorist attacks than any other country in the world. 3,478 Cuban citizens have been killed in these attacks and 2,099 have been injured. The overwhelming majority of the attacks originated in southern Florida. The attacks were launched by groups who have been sheltered and in some cases financed by the U.S. government. Gerardo Hernandez, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and René Gonzalez, now collectively known as the Cuban Five, were working to monitor the groups who have led and threatened these terrorist attacks. Their work to prevent further acts of terror from being unleashed on the Cuban people led to their arrest by FBI agents in Miami in September 1998.

The U.S. government has kept the Cuban Five imprisoned since September 12, 1998, convicted of “conspiracy to commit espionage.” There is no evidence, nor is there even an accusation, that these men engaged in any actual acts of espionage. They did nothing wrong – they only worked to defend Cuban sovereignty and defend the Cuban people from attacks. Their case has garnered international attention, including from a United Nations working group, which found that the imprisonment of the Five was a case of arbitrary detention and is in violation of Article 14 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Liberties.

The real reason for the imprisonment of the Cuban Five has nothing to do with espionage, just as the more recent acts of repression against international solidarity activists have nothing to do with combating terrorism. These are acts of political repression, plain and simple. Whether for defending Cuban sovereignty and the Cuban people, or for supporting people resisting U.S. wars and occupations in other parts of the world, the Cuban Five and the Anti-War 23 were all targeted for their opposition to the foreign policy aims of the U.S. government.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression stands in solidarity with the Cuban Five and condemns the ongoing repression against these heroes of the Cuban people. We call for the immediate release of the four of the Cuban Five who remain imprisoned. Defending the Cuban people is not a crime!

Take action for the Cuban 5!

Join the week of action for the Cuban 5 in Washington D.C. from May 30 – June 5, 2013. There will be rally in front of the White House on Saturday, June 1st at 1:00 p.m. Info on the week of actions here: http://www.thecuban5.org/wordpress/2013/01/04/save-the-dates-5-days-for-the-cuban-5-in-dc/

\* One of the five, René Gonzalez, was released from prison on October 7, 2011 but was forced to stay in Southern Florida on probation. He finally won the freedom to return home to Cuba earlier this month.

#UnitedStates #PoliticalPrisoners #Cuban5 #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #RenéGonzález

Miami, FL – On May 3, René González, one of the Cuban 5, finally won his freedom from the U.S. prison system when a judge ruled that he could move back to Cuba. González had already served an unjust sentence of more than 13 years in U.S. prisons. He was then was forced to stay in Miami another year and a half on parole. González was greeted as a hero on his return to Cuba, which has waged a determined campaign to win freedom for the Cuban 5.

The Cuban 5 are five Cuban heroes – Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González – who were unjustly imprisoned in the U.S. after being arrested by the FBI on Sept. 12, 1998. They were convicted in a U.S. federal court in Miami in 2001, in a political prosecution by the U.S. government.

René González was the first of the five to be released from U.S. prison, on Oct. 7, 2011. But the court, in a punitive measure, denied him the right to return to Cuba to his family, and instead required him to serve an additional three-year probation sentence in the U.S.

The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the U.S., and other related charges. The Five never engaged in, nor planned any, conspiracy against the U.S. government. As the Cuban Five pointed out in their defense, they were on a mission in Miami, beginning in 1990, to monitor the actions of Miami-based right-wing anti-communist groups in order to prevent those groups from carrying out attacks on their country of Cuba. Over the years such groups, based in Miami, have carried out many violent attacks against socialist Cuba. The Cuban 5 never harmed anyone, nor ever possessed, nor used any weapons on their mission. Their objective was simply protecting the Cuban people from the very real threat of the Miami-based anti-communists.

A statement released by the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five said, “We are extremely happy for René, who has, along with his Cuban Five brothers, been unduly punished for being a proud defender of his people, his homeland and the Cuban Revolution. This development must give all the Cuban Five supporters great inspiration to continue the fight so that Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio and Fernando can return home immediately!”

There will be a week of action to continue the struggle to free all of the Cuban 5 in Washington D.C. from May 30 to June 5, including a national protest in front of the White House on June 1. More info at: http://www.thecuban5.org/wordpress/2013/01/04/save-the-dates-5-days-for-the-cuban-5-in-dc/

#MiamiFL #PoliticalPrisoners #Cuban5 #InjusticeSystem #RenéGonzález

The letter, which was sent to Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban 5, reads as follows:

Nov. 15, 2012

Thank you very much for your letter and for the solidarity with the Cuban 5. Because of the way my mail is handled here, your letter took a while to reach me, and most probably this one will reach you after “The Peoples Thanksgiving.” I express our solidarity with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Fight Back!, and the appreciation of the Cuban Five for their support to our struggle for justice.

After having learned that the U.S. government paid off journalists in Miami to influence the community before, during and after our trial, we filed a new appeal. The government opposed it and asked the judge to strike it from the record, so these days we are working on a response.

But besides the legal battle we are at a stage where the support of comrades like you is more important than ever, and we really appreciate every effort to break the wall of silence imposed on the case. We have no doubt that one day justice will prevail and we will return to Cuba.

Thank you very much for sending me the list of the activities carried out by our comrades in Chicago, and for keeping high the flag of freedom for the Cuban Five in that city.

I send our greetings and gratitude to Sarah and to all our friends there.

Hasta la Victoria Siempre!

Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo

The most famous U.S. political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal wrote of the Cuban 5 in 1998, “Five Cubans were imprisoned in Miami and charged with spying for Havana. In fact, the five were exposing terrorist acts by Cuban exiles in Miami against their homeland. When they saw plots against their nation, they reported back to their people what was happening. Cuba passed on reports to the U.S. government in a bid to stop the terrorism that has cost over 3400 Cuban lives since 1959. The U.S. responded to the reports by rounding up the five, charging them and treating them as spies. They have been convicted of charges related to their monitoring, and sentenced to terms of 15 years to life for defending their nation from terrorist attacks. Gerardo Hernandez, Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero and Rene Gonzalez committed no acts against the United States, nor monitored any American secrets. They entered the Miami exile community and observed the planning of acts of terrorism against their nation of birth, and reported it. That is their ‘crime.’”

Amnesty International, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, 11 Nobel Prize winners, including Jimmy Carter, have protested the Cuban 5’s unjust incarceration in U.S. prisons. The Cuban 5 case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the Obama administration asked the Court not to review the case, and it did not.

It is noteworthy that three of the Cuban 5, Rene Gonzalez, Fernando Gonzalez and Gerardo Hernandez, volunteered and fought in Angola in its struggle to liberate that country from the former South African apartheid army.

The struggle for the freedom of these 5 Cuban political prisoners has become a worldwide struggle. At a previous Peoples Thanksgiving we sent the Cuban 5, along with other political prisoners, letters in solidarity.

#ChicagoIL #Cuba #Cuban5 #PoliticalPrisoners #PeoplesThanksgiving #GerardoHernandez

De acuerdo con la evidencia presentada por la defensa, el panel de Atlanta, integrado por tres jueces, unánimamente concluyó que Hernández, así como Ramón Labañino, René González, Antonio Guerrero y Fernando González no tuvieron un juicio justo en la corte de Miami, la cual los encontró culpables de no haberse registrado como agentes de un gobierno extranjero, entre otros cargos, y que les sentenció a largas penas, desde 15 años en prisión hasta dos cadenas perpetuas.

En marzo del año pasado, los abogados defensores presentaron una apelación alegando que la misión de los cinco no era obtener secretos militares, sino monitorear las actividades terroristas en contra de Cuba que se planean desde la Florida. La defensa suministró además pruebas de que los cinco nunca buscaron ni obtuvieron información clasificada, ni causaron ningún daño a la propiedad o a personas particulares.

En respuesta a la decisión de la corte de Atlanta, más de 650 destacadas personalidades como la premio Nóbel Rigoberta Menchú, Desmond Tutu, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Alice Walker, Ramsey Clark, Howard Zinn y Russell Banks se han sumado a la petición dirigida a Alberto González, fiscal general de los Estados Unidos demandando la liberación inmediata de los cinco prisioneros.

Por otra parte, la privación de libertad de los cinco cubanos ha sido calificada de arbitraria por un grupo de trabajo de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas. En lo que constituye otra victoria importante en la batalla por la liberación de los cinco, dicho grupo de trabajo ha pedido al gobierno de los Estados Unidos que adopte las medidas necesarias para corregir esta situación “en conformidad con los principios establecidos en la Carta Internacional sobre Derechos Civiles y Políticos”.

Si desea más información sobre el caso de los cinco cubanos, visite www.antiterroristas.cu o www.freethefive.org

#EstadosUnidos #News #Cuba #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Miami5 #Cuban5 #PoliticalPrisoners #ComisiónDeDerechosHumanosDeLasNacionesUnidas

San Francisco, CA – El próximo 10 de marzo en el Onceno Circuito de la Corte de Apelaciones tendrá lugar en la ciudad de Miami la audiencia pública en el caso de los cinco cubanos acusados de conspiración para cometer espionaje. Los abogados defensores de Ramon Labanino, Gerardo Hernández, Fernando González, Antonio Guerrero y René González contarán solamente con tres minutos por cada acusado, para responder a las 24 aspectos de la apelación que será escuchada por un panel de tres jueces.

Los Cinco no estarán presentes durante la apelación. Ellos cumplen severas sentencias desde 15 anos en prisión hasta dos cadenzas perpetuas en cárceles federales de los estados de California, Carolina del Sur, Illinois, Tejas y Wisconsin. La Sección de Intereses de los Estados Unidos ha negado la visa para viajar a los Estados Unidos a las esposas de Gerardo y René por considerarque su visita sería una “amenaza a la seguridad nacional”. El impedirles que visiten a sus esposos constituye una violación a los derechos humanos.

El Comité Nacional para la Liberación de Los Cinco ha hecho un llamado de solidaridad en favor de esta causa. Existen además comités de solidaridad en diversas ciudades de los Estados Unidos como Nueva York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco y Milwaukee, así como en Alemania, Italia, Inglaterra, Espana, Australia, la India, Congo, Argentina, Mexico y Nicaragua, entre otros países.

En declaración fechada el 23 de diciembre del 2003, La Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular de la República de Cuba agradeció el apoyo de parlamentarios a nivel internacional, incluyendo la Cámara de Diputados de México y la Duma de la Federación Rusa. La Asamblea hizo además un llamado a los legisladores estadounidenses y a los hombres y mujeres de buena voluntad para que unan sus voces al creciente movimiento internacional de solidaridad que demanda la liberacion de Los Cinco. Durante las recientes celebraciones por el 45 aniversario de la revolución cubana, el Presidente Fidel Castro envió un saludo especial de felicitaciones a los cinco héroes a la vez que elogió su comportamiento ejemplar.

Para mayor información en espanol visite la pagina web www.antiterroristas.cu

#SanFranciscoCA #News #Cuba #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Miami5 #Cuban5 #PrisonerosPoliticos #Americas

Based on evidence provided by the defense, the three judge panel in Atlanta unanimously determined that Hernandez, along with Ramon Labanino, Rene Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez did not have a fair trial at the hostile Miami court, which in 2001 found them guilty for not registering as agents of a foreign country – among other charges – and gave them long sentences, from 15 years to life.

Defense attorneys filed an appeal in March of 2004 indicating that the mission of the Five was not to obtain U.S. military secrets, but rather to monitor terrorist activities against Cuba being planned in Florida. The defense has also provided extensive evidence that the Five never sought or obtained classified information, nor inflicted any damage to any individuals or property.

In response to the court decision, over 650 prominent individuals, including Rigoberta Menchu; Desmond Tutu and four other Nobel Prize winners; and Americans Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Alice Walker, Ramsey Clark, Howard Zinn and Russell Banks wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales demanded that the Five be freed.

In another significant victory in the struggle to free the Five, a United Nations Human Rights Commission working group in May determined arbitrary the deprivation of liberty of the Five and requested that the U.S. government adopt the necessary steps to remedy the situation, “in conformity with the principles stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

For further information on the case of the Cuban Five, visit www.antiterroristas.cu or www.freethefive.org

#Cuba #PoliticalPrisoners #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Miami5 #Cuban5

On Mar. 9, the five Cubans – Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, René González, and Fernando González – unjustly imprisoned in various federal prisons across the United States on charges of terrorism and espionage, challenged the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva to break the wall of silence that surrounds their case.

“It has been a year since, in this forum dedicated to the defense of human rights, we denounced the attack perpetrated against ourselves and our families, by a government who will not forgive the fact that we would protect our own people from the terrorism which such government and allies have subjected us for 46 years,” stated the letter read on behalf of the Cuban Five by Olga Salanueva, wife of René González.

Although no evidence of espionage was introduced at the trial held in Miami, the Cuban Five were given sentences ranging from 15 years to two life terms for defending their country from terrorist acts by right-wing groups of Cubans based in the United States. The 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta has not yet made a decision regarding the appeal presented by the defense in March of last year for a change of venue and a new trial. In the meantime, the Cuban Five and their families continue being, “victims and hostages of the injustices of the great empire,” according to Salanueva. For the past seven years, the U.S. government has denied visas to travel to the United States to Adriana Pérez O’Connor, wife of Gerado Hernández. Five-year old Ivette González – a U.S. citizen and the daughter of René González and Salanueva, was also denied a visa. The denial is based on ‘national security grounds.’

In contrast to the silence in mainstream U.S. media, the case of the Cuban Five continues receiving support from a total of 242 committees for their liberation in 80 countries. Prominent intellectuals and activists such as James Petras have proposed that the Five be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize because they, “risked their freedom for the principles of the United Nations Charter, the right of a country to self-determination, the right of the people to decide their own form of government, and the universal right to defend themselves against external aggressors who want to impose their government by force and terror.”

For more information about the case of the Cuban Five visit www.antiterroristas.cu and www.ain.cubaweb.cu

#Cuba #PoliticalPrisoners #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #humanRights #Miami5 #Cuban5

On March 10, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Miami will hold a hearing on the case of the five Cuban nationals imprisoned in the U.S. on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage. In truth, the five were working to thwart efforts of anti-Cuba terrorists. The attorneys for Ramon Labanino, Gerardo Hernandez, Rene Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez will have only three minutes for each of the defendants to present the 24 aspects of the appeal, which will be heard by a panel of three judges.

The defendants will not be present at the hearing. They are currently serving their sentences, from 15 years to two life sentences, in federal prisons in California, South Carolina, Illinois, Texas and Wisconsin. The U.S. Interest Section in Havana has denied the spouses of Rene Gonzalez and Geardo Hernandez the right to visit their jailed husbands. Their visit is considered ‘a threat to U.S. national security.’

The National Committee to Free The Five is calling for action in solidarity with the prisoners. Committees to Free the Five have been organized in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Germany, England, Italy, Spain, Australia, India, Congo, Argentina, Mexico and Nicaragua.

In a statement dated Dec. 23, 2003 the Cuban National Assembly expressed its appreciation for the support from parliamentary representatives around the world, including the Duma of the Russian Federation and the Mexican Chamber of Deputies.

The National Assembly of the People’s Power of the Republic of Cuba is calling on U.S. legislators and men and women of good will to join with a growing international solidarity movement to demand freedom for the Cuban Five. During the recent celebrations for the 45th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, President Fidel Castro sent special congratulations and praised the exemplary behavior of the five Cuban heroes.

For updates on the case in English and Spanish, please go to: www.antiterroristas.cu

#Cuba #PoliticalPrisoners #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Miami5 #Cuban5

While the U.S government claims to be fighting a 'war against terrorism,' it has a 40-year history of supporting terrorist acts against Cuba, including repeated attempts to assassinate the Cuban president, a series of hotel bombings and the bombing of a civilian airliner. The Miami Five, who actually were fighting against terrorism by gathering information on U.S.-sponsored terrorist groups in Miami, are held in U.S. prisons pending an appeal.

Patsy Behrend, a co-chair of the National Network on Cuba, said, “Our concerns are the fact that they were not given a fair trial, they were given unfair sentences and there were restrictions on their families' visits.”

None of the five Cubans had handled classified information or any information linked to U.S. national defense. The U.S. government conceded that the defendants had not transmitted secrets. However, Guerrero was convicted of espionage and was given the same sentence as Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansen, who had supplied numerous secret documents to the former Soviet Union.

The Five's defense lawyers asked to move the trial, since they could not receive a fair trial in Miami. The U.S. government denied their requests. Jurors complained that a crew from Television Marti, which is supportive of terrorist activities both in Cuba and against Cuban-American dissenters in Miami, was filming them and their license plates. The jurors told the judge that they felt pressured to convict. The court acknowledged the problem, but took no action to change the venue of the trial.

The U.S. government has tried to isolate the Miami Five. Since their arrest on Sept. 12, 1998 until Feb. 3, 2000, the Miami Five were kept in solitary confinement, in violation of U.S. prison regulations. The United States has denied visas to Adriana Pérez O'Connor and Olga Salanueva, the wives of Gerardo and René.

The Five have an appeal pending before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. But they were placed in widely dispersed prisons, hampering their appeal preparation and hindering family and diplomatic contact. The Five were also placed in solitary confinement for a period of time in an obvious attempt to further hamper their efforts to prepare for the appeal.

To learn more about the international campaign free the Miami Five, call the National Network on Cuba, 415-566-8560 or email nnoc20012002@yahoo.com. For more information on the Five, go to the website www.antiterroristas.cu.

#MiamiFlorida #MiamiFL #Cuba #PoliticalPrisoners #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Miami5 #Cuban5