Free the Cuban Five!

by Natalia Rojas and Ron Poulsen

Over three and a half years ago, on September 12, 1998, the FBI announced 
with much fanfare and media hype that it had discovered a "Cuban spy 
network" in Florida. Those arrested were charged with trying to infiltrate 
the US Southern command, passing US military secrets to Havana, and 
infiltrating and disrupting right-wing Cuban-American groups in Miami that 
seek to overthrow the revolutionary government of Cuba. The charge of 
conspiracy to commit murder was tacked on later against one of the 
accused.

This was all part of the escalation, under the Clinton and now Bush 
administration, of Washington's unceasing Cold War against Cuba. FBI agents 
repeatedly broke into the homes and raided their computer files before 
arresting the five. The FBI violated the Fourth Amendment protection 
against arbitrary search and seizure.

The five accused were convicted on a series of conspiracy charges and given 
draconian prison terms ranging from 15 years to a double life sentence. The 
real crime of the five Cuban patriots was carrying out a revolutionary 
mission to defend their country.

As the Cuban Government explained, the five were part of an operation to 
"discover and report on terrorist plans hatched against our people" in 
Florida by counter-revolutionary opponents of the Cuban Revolution. These 
groups have a long record of such activity and do so with the knowledge and 
complicity by the US Government.

Cuba has had to fight against constant aggression and terrorism leading to 
the deaths of 3478 Cubans and injuring permanently 2099 more.

Some of these acts include:

* In 1976 the terrorist bombing of a Cubana airplane killed 73 civilians. 
Orlando Bosch, one of the mercenaries involved was pardoned by George Bush 
(senior) and now lives in Miami.

* In 1981 the Mexican Consulate in Miami was bombed because of Mexico's 
relations with Cuba.

* From 1959-2001, 51Cuban planes have been hijacked and given clearance to 
land on US territory. These hijackings were often accompanied by the murder 
of the pilots and airport guards.

* Biological terrorism has included the introduction of Dengue Virus-Type 2 
into Cuban territory.

The list of terrorist attacks on Cuba has intensified significantly since 
the fall of the former USSR.

There have been 200 terrorist actions against Cuba over the past decade. As 
tourism now accounts for the majority of Cuba's hard currency earnings, 
tourist facilities have been particular targets of terrorist actions.

These atrocities make it clear that the Cuban five were justified in 
carrying out counter-terrorist intelligence activities in Miami to enable 
the Cuban Government to protect the Cuban people.

Politically motivated trial

A fair trial was impossible in Miami. The jurors were influenced by 
intimidation from extreme anti-Cuba terrorist groups combined with a media 
witch-hunt. Defence motions for a change of venue to counter this were 
denied.

Defence evidence concerning the terrorist actions committed against Cuba 
was denied by the presiding Judge. Witnesses for the defence were pressured 
not to testify through legal and personal threats of prosecution.

The five Cubans have been separated into US federal prisons thousands of 
miles apart. When first detained they were subjected to 17 months of 
solitary confinement.

Their lawyers have been denied documents needed to prepare their appeals. 
The US Government prevented the wife and child of one of the convicted from 
travelling to the United States to visit him.

This brutal treatment by US officials is aimed at breaking the spirit of 
the five.

As word has spread of the frame-up of the "Cuban Five" in the shameful 
trial, and of the draconian sentences they received, many people and 
organisations around the world have begun to step up activities to help 
secure their release and to right a most terrible injustice.

In Cuba, millions have recently taken part in mass demonstrations to defend 
Cuba's socialist revolution. The demand to free the Cuban five "national 
heroes" has been prominent.

"If preventing the deaths of innocent human beings, defending our two 
countries from terrorism, and preventing a senseless invasion of Cuba is 
the reason I am being sentenced today, then, let that sentence be welcomed.

"This has been a political trial; therefore we are political prisoners. All 
the evidence is here; this is where history is written. And it is history 
that will do us true justice", said Ramsn Labaqino Salazar, one of the 
five.

"Why so much hatred for the Cuban people? Is it because Cuba chose a 
different road? Because its people want socialism? Because it did away with 
the large estates and wiped out illiteracy? Because it gave free education 
and medical care to its people? Because it lets the dawn break freely over 
its children?", said Antonio Guerrero another of the five.

The political battle has just begun. They will return said Fidel Castro.

If you would like to find out more about the Cuban five and become involved 
in their defence contact the Free the Five Committee e-mail: freethefive@yahoo.com