People's Democracy

Release The Brave Cuban Five

  VARIOUS MPs belonging to the CPI(M), CPI, Congress, and other opposition parties have strongly protested the the US administration’s violations of the International Pact of Political and Civilian Rights of the United Nations and the American Convention on Human Rights with regard to the five Cuban men who have been jailed after a false trial by the US courts in Miami.

  In a press release they demanded the US authorities to immediately stop all the injustices being heaped on the five Cuban youth and ensure their early release. They declared their solidarity to the International Action Campaign for the freedom of five as decided in the recent WSF summit at Porte Alegre.

  The five men—Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Rene Gonzalez and Ramon Labanino—are serving from 15 years to two life terms in federal prison. They were railroaded by the US government on false charges of espionage against the US and other related crimes. In actuality their sole mission was to monitor and report on the activities of anti-Cuba, right-wing organisations in Miami, in order to prevent terrorist attacks on Cuba.

  Instead of prosecuting the terrorists, the FBI arrested the anti-terrorists in pre-dawn raids on September 12, 1998. The five Cubans were portrayed by the US government and right-wing Miami media as agents threatening the “national security”of the United States. They spent more than 19 months in solitary confinement in a Miami prison.

  Attorneys for the five Cuban heroes filed appeals in November last in a Miami federal district court seeking a new trial for their clients citing newly discovered evidence of deliberate misrepresentation in the trial of the five Cubans by the US Attorney, whose office fought to keep the trial in Miami. Although the defense attorneys had argued strongly to the court that widespread prejudice in Miami precluded a fair trial in that city, Federal Judge Joan Lenard denied a venue change. It can be affirmed that the process followed against the five has been illegal and unconstitutional.

  DENIED THEIR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

  In Miami every legal, political and social issue is influenced by the strong counter-revolutionary atmosphere. The courts, police, city and county governments, media, educational systems, and other institutions zealously promote hostility towards Cuba. For the counter-revolutionary, terrorist groups and their supporters, it is a billion-dollar industry.

  While racism abounds against the African-American, Haitian and other communities, the Cuban community in Miami has been afforded privileges by the US ruling class for providing shock troops against the Cuban Revolution.

  The five have been subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. They are kept in solitary confinement in punishment cells violating the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, the Regulation of the Prisons Bureau which establishes that the maximum of days in this confinement should not exceed 60 days.

  During the judicial process it was clearly stated that the five had no access to secret nor confidential documents of the United States government by no less than the high officials of the American Armed Forces. Despite this the judicial process was characterised by the manipulation of evidences. One of the imprisoned Cuban, Rene Gonzalez has been prevented to maintain communications with his small daughter who was only four months old when Rene was detained, violating Article 10 of the International Convention of Child’s Rights and Artcile 24 of the International Pact of Civil and Political Rights.

  Among the signatories to the press release include A Vijayaraghavan, S Ramchandran Pillai, Hannan Mollah, Prof A K Premajam, N N Krishna Das [all CPI(M)], V V Raghavan (CPI), Eduardo Falerio (Congress).