Cuban Five

  1. Soviet
    [FONT=Arial]Cuban Five: Ten Years of Institutionalized US Terror [/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana] September 12 marks the 10th year of arbitrary imprisonment of five Cuban men, who have been submitted to institutionalized terror by the US government; which proclaims itself a leader in the war on terror. [/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana]Cuban News Agency[/FONT]


    [FONT=Verdana] In a premeditated action and with information provided by the Cuban government on terrorist activities by Florida-based anti-Cuba groups, FBI agents turned against the five men by raiding their homes and arresting them in the early morning of September 12, 1998, instead of acting against the Cuban-American mafia groups.

    Once in the Federal Detention Center a long wait for absent justice began for Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo, Rene Gonzalez Sehwerert, Ramon Labañino Salazar, Antonio Guerrero Rodriguez and Fernando Gonzalez Llort, internationally known as the Cuban Five.

    The most recent decision on the case, issued last September 4 by the 11 Circuit of Atlanta’s Court of Appeals, rejected a request by the defense attorneys to reconsider a verdict issued last June 4 by that same court, which upheld the convictions of the Cuban Five.

    On that occasion the court affirmed the sentences given to Gerardo Hernandez (two life terms plus 15 years) and Rene Gonzalez (15 years) and ordered Miami-based judge Joan Lenard to issue new sentences against Ramon, Antonio and Fernando.

    In the judicial arena, the defense attorneys have the resource of appealing to the US Supreme Court in a term expiring December 1st, 2008.

    Obviously, the long string of delays in the process reveals the evil political intention to disregard the real activities carried out by the Cuban Five in US territory, which was that of collecting information on criminal and terrorist actions usually designed by Cuban American mafia circles in the United States against Cuba .

    The Cuban Five were in the United States to warn Cuban authorities about those activities and prevent the loss of human lives both in Cuba and in the U.S. The record of such terrorist actions unleashed from US territory reveals the death of over 3,400 Cubans, the injury of another 2,099 and nearly 400 sabotage actions against people and facilities in the United
    States.

    The arrest in 1998 of the Cuban Five and their further trial and incarceration, were part of a blackmail plan to have them issue statements against their own country. But once such intentions were thwarted, US authorities began to expand their punishing web against the Five.

    They were sent to the so-called “hole”—extreme imprisonment conditions, combined with maneuvers to delay all justice-related actions within the labyrinth of US penal system. The Five were held in small prison cells for 17 months, without any justification. Such a punishment astonished honest jurists, who could not explain such an arbitrary action in the country that proclaims itself the champion of Human Rights.

    Then restrictions and denials of family visits followed. Access by defense attorneys to documents and records and to interviews with their clients were also limited. Meanwhile, the mainstream media in the U.S. and around the World turned a deaf ear to the situation in a open way to silence everything about the case so that public opinion had no information on the gross violation of justice that was taking place in Miami.

    After two years and nine months in prison, including long months in “the hole”, a biased trial held June 8, 2001 in Miami , found the Five guilty. The sentences totaled four life terms plus 77 years. Nine days later, June 17, the Five sent a message to the US people, though it was also silenced by the media.

    In their message the Five say that they neither transgressed the law nor endangered the safety or security of the US people; though they did help expose terrorist plans and actions against their people, and avoided the killing of innocent Cuban and American citizens.

    Over the next months and years following that statement, the defense attorney and the prosecution have come up with several appeals. The prosecution, for its part, has acted according to orders from the top levels of the US government, marked by bad political intentions to put up hurdles and prolong the undeserved punishment given to the Five.

    At this point in time, the Cuban Five are still waiting for their freedom and honoring their principles, as they have said in several messages they have sent to the Cuban people.

    Meanwhile, a huge international movement involving renowned world personalities, activists and people from all walks of life continues to demand that justice prevails and the Cuban Five be released immediately.

    [/FONT]
  2. Communist
    Communist
    From the Communist Party USA:
    http://www.cpusa.org/
    ----------
    On the 50th anniversary of Cuba's socialist revolution, the CPUSA recognizes the heroism and revolutionary example of five Cuban men unjustly imprisoned in U.S. federal prisons for over ten years.

    Arriving in Florida in the 1990's, Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, and René González joined private paramilitary groups in order to monitor and report on preparations for attacks against Cuba. For decades, right wing terrorists based in Florida had carried out murderous assaults which have cost the lives of many innocent people.

    From the time of their arrest, the Five were subjected to cruel persecution. At their trial, which rampant with bias, the prosecution had free rein to commit egregious abuses of due process. Outrageously long sentences were handed down. UN human rights authorities and international jurists are of one voice in castigating judicial proceedings in the case of the Five.

    Violation of civil rights and repudiation of judicial norms are two reasons why we joined the world solidarity movement on their behalf. The CPUSA fights for the Cuban Five also because of dedication to the Cuban Revolution. The U.S. government has cast these five revolutionaries as proxies for a government and people that resist. Our Party defends Cuba's right to protect its national sovereignty against the depredations of empire, and to continue without interference on the socialist path it has chosen.

    Wholesale perversion of justice in the case of the Five serves as cover-up for hypocrisy. The U.S. government wages a so-called war on terrorism, yet has long sanctioned violent assaults on Cuba. Safe harbor provided arch terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, who lives undisturbed in Miami, is one example.

    The CPUSA issues an appeal for all in solidarity with the Five to reach out to fair-minded, politically conscious people to commit themselves to the Five. Such solidarity is overwhelmingly necessary if the nefarious influence of the corporate dominated media that has suppressed news of the case is to be overcome.

    The time is now for our party and other activists to intensify educational efforts on the Five directed at union locals, peace groups, and civil rights organizations as preparation for communications to the media, meetings with elected officials, and public statements.

    British and other international labor unions have taken up the cause of the Five as their own; we urge US trade unionists to do so also..

    We are mindful that mobilization of progressive forces to demand a presidential pardon could eventually be required to complement the appeals process.

    The CPUSA is part of the campaign to force the U.S. State Department to permit Adriana Perez and Olga Salanueva to visit their imprisoned husbands, whom they have not seen for ten and almost nine years, respectively. At issue are rights of families and prisoners.

    Lastly we urge that all in solidarity with the Five to correspond with the prisoners as a step toward lessening their isolation and as token of the worldwide movement on their behalf [below are the addresses].

    Gerardo Hernandez
    #58739-004
    U.S.P. Victorville
    P.O. Box 5300
    Adelanto, CA 92301

    Antonio Guerrero
    #58741-004
    U.S.P. Florence
    P.O. Box 7000
    Florence CO 81226

    Lu*s Medina
    #58734-004
    U.S.P. McCreary
    P.O. Box 3000
    Pine Knot, KY 42635

    (NOTE: the envelope should be addressed to "Luis Medina," but address the letter inside to Ramon Labañino)

    Rubén Campa
    #58733-004
    FCI Terre Haute
    P.O. Box 33
    Terre Haute, IN 47808

    (NOTE: the envelope should be addressed to "Rubén Campa," but address the letter inside to Fernando González)

    René González
    #58738-004
    FCI Marianna
    P.O. Box 7007
    Marianna, FL 32447-7007
  3. Soviet
    While five Cuban heroes remain imprisoned because of a cruel vendetta by the U.S. government against the courageous socialist republic of Cuba, more and more voices of opposition to their unjust incarceration are being raised worldwide. The latest action on behalf of the Cuban Five — Ramón Labañino, Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González — happened in Argentina at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010.


    Photo: Principio Esperanza
    There, three young Argentinean men set out to climb the tallest mountain in Latin America, the Aconcagua in the Andes mountain range — known as the “roof of America.” At 6.962 meters above sea level, the Aconcagua is the second tallest mountain in the world, after Mount Everest in the Himalayas.
    The young men’s purpose was to send a message to President Barack Obama and challenge the complicit commercial media that maintain silence while unjust sentences keep the five anti-terrorists lingering in U.S. jails.
    On Dec. 25, Santiago Vega, a radio and television commentator; Aldo Bonavitta, a bank employee; and Alcides Bonavitta, a social activist, began the journey toward the Aconcagua. Cuban Five committees throughout the world followed their expedition daily and posted messages on the committees’ Web sites and email lists. Updates from the three, sometimes including audio, as well as messages of encouragement and solidarity, appeared on Spanish-language email lists.
    Teams of support would retransmit the text messages, photos and audio received from the mountain. Not only were there daily reports, but in many cases, hourly accounts.
    A climate of excitement was felt throughout the region. Alejandro Miranda, the point person between the three and the rest, summed it up: “The expedition goes forward with the Five and the entire continent in their backpacks.”
    The updates made many feel as if they were taking part of the journey, particularly when reading or listening to descriptions of the group’s climbing difficulties, which included intense cold and high winds.
    On Jan. 9 they reached the top. They planted a flag featuring a logo created by Gerardo Hernández. They also displayed a banner that reads, “Obama, free the 5 Cuban heroes now!” in English and in Spanish.
    The expedition can be seen on their Web site: www.principioesperanza.com.
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