Cuba Keeps Alan Gross’s 15-Year Sentence

August 5, 2011 | | Print Print |

By Circles Robinson

Alan Gross

HAVANA TIMES, August 5 — US citizen Alan Gross, the Development Alternatives Inc. employee who was caught bringing illegal communications equipment into Cuba, just had his 15-year jail sentence confirmed.  A Havana court made its’ decision public on Friday.

Gross, 62, has admitted working for a US government funded program in Cuba but has claimed he didn’t know the objective was to promote regime change.

Barring a political or diplomatic solution to the case, Gross, a Maryland resident, could conceivably be in jail in Cuba until 2024.

The “gadget geek,” as his wife Judy called him, was first arrested in December 2009. He had said he was helping the Cuban Jewish community gain satellite internet access.

“While we are not surprised, we are extremely disappointed with today’s ruling, which marks the end of Alan’s legal process in Cuba,” Gross’s U.S. lawyer, Peter J. Kahn, said in a statement. “The family is heartbroken by today’s decision, but remains hopeful that there continues to be room for a diplomatic resolution of this matter,” reported AP.

Alan's wife Judy Gross and her lawyer Peter J.Kahn during the March trial in Havana. Photo: Cubadebate

“Entering his 21st month in a Cuban prison, Alan and the entire Gross family have paid an enormous personal price in the long-standing political feud between Cuba and the United States,” Kahn’s statement continued. “Now, more than ever, we call upon the two countries to resolve their dispute over Alan’s activities diplomatically, and request that President Raul Castro release Alan immediately on humanitarian grounds.”

According to the appeals ruling, the March 4 trial effectively showed that Gross illegally introduced telecommunications equipment to create internal networks as part of the US government’s program to destabilize Cuba and subvert the constitutional order, noted the cubadebate.cu website.

Development Alternatives Inc., Gross’s employer, is best known for its lucrative US government contracts in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan but also works on programs and projects around the world, including Latin America.

For more on the Alan Gross case see: Cuba Court Finds Alan Gross Guilty, Gets 15 Years and Cuba Court Hears Alan Gross’s Appeal

 


What's your opinion?

  • Humberto Capiro (El Cibergues@)

    Circles Robinson,

    “According to the appeals ruling, the March 4 trial effectively showed that Gross illegally introduced telecommunications equipment to create internal networks as part of the US government’s program to destabilize Cuba and subvert the constitutional order”

    Never have see pictures of these “illegally introduced telecommunications equipment” online, you got a link to a web site etc. so we ALL can see these “Weapons of Mass Information”, I mean Mass Destruction?

  • Stephen McKay

    Hopefully, now that the legal proceedings have run their course, President Castro will release Mr. Gross on humanitarian grounds. I would hate to see this be yet another stumbling block in the relationship between our two countries. It should be apparent to everyone that Cuba is on the verge of instituing major reforms in a multitude of areas. I would dearly love to see my country end the trade embargo and completely liberalize travel guidelines. It’s 2011, and the acrimony has existed for far too long.
    http://missingmistersmith.blogspot.com/2011/08/normalize-relations-with-cuba.html

  • Jose

    Happens that the guy knew what He was doing.Regulations exist in every country.I am not in favor of Castro or communism,in fact I am cuban and I flew the country for better economy and freedom but I have visited Cuba and the customs are are very stricts about even walkie-talkies.There is a form where explains everything about forbidden articles in the country like USA’s customs have.If you get to bring something not allowed by law to USA you might go to jail too.Cuban goverment might use it for political purposes,but American goverment gives them the chance to be right same as Elian Garcia’s case.This only makes Cuban government stronger ,and to get support .That is a bad politics from USA,there are ohter ways smarter to promote changes in Cuba.Geniouses.

  • http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=listByAuthor&authorFirst=Arnold%20&authorName=August Arnold August

    Some points to take into account regarding the decision. What happened in the last five months?:
    Click here:
    http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/08/gross-what-happened-between-march-and-august/

  • Milagros who else

    Circles Good for Cuba..The man is a traitor..Simple an admitted traitor who came with a plan to spy..and amerkkka dropped him like he was hot???

  • Pingback: Cuba and US-AID Funds for Journalism – Havana Times.org | Journalism