Another Effort to Free the Cuban Five
Elio Delgado Legón
HAVANA TIMES — The International Investigative Commission on the Case of the Cuban Five, which convened in London on March 7 and 8th, relying on the participating of prestigious jurists and personalities from around the world and arriving at important conclusions, constitutes an important part of efforts aimed at securing the release of the Cuban anti-terrorist activists who continue to serve prison sentences in the United States.
Though the final report has not yet been made public, the Commission has published a series of preliminary conclusions which reveal its interest in divulging the case, a case which the major media have completely silenced. In these conclusions, the commission urges the government of the United States to acknowledge the right of the Cuban Five, dealt harsh convictions for crimes that were never proven, to a fair trial.
Two of the five Cubans convicted, Rene Gonzalez and Fernando Gonzalez [no relation], have been released and are back in Cuba, after serving their unjust sentences. Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and Gerardo Hernandez, who was given two life sentences plus 15 years, are still imprisoned in the United States.
The commission expressed its concerns regarding whether the accused were given the full benefit of the fundamental human right to a fair trial before an impartial State or independent court, a right that has been universally recognized under the International Civil and Political Rights Convention.
Their concerns are based on the following facts:
a. all five Cuban Nationals were placed in solitary confinement for about seventeen months before the trial began;
b. none of them have had sufficient access to documents relevant to the trial and necessary for the adequate preparation of a defense;
c. the opportunity to consult with their legal representatives was, in all the circumstances, less than sufficient;
d. the trial was held in a part of Miami, Florida where, according to three respected judges of the Eleventh Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals, a fair trial could not be guaranteed;
e. Serious allegations have been made that the United States Government paid the media to ensure prejudicial publicity against these persons both before and during the trial;
In their preliminary report, the group of jurists and public figures meeting in London made a series of suggestions for action of which I will only mention some:
1. According to all the judgments not one of these persons either committed or intended to commit any act of violence.
2. No conduct of any of these persons was aimed at the United States of America or its Government. The Cuban Five gathered information aimed at preventing privately-inspired violence and other anti-Cuban action emanating from United States soil.
3. The perception of the Cuban Five, indeed their firm belief, that the United States Government was not doing enough to stem violent anti-Cuban action from United States soil.
4. There is no doubt at all that hundreds of compatriots and countrymen who were ordinary citizens of Cuba have died in unacceptably horrendous circumstances as a result of the actions of Cubans opposed to the Castro government in Cuba from United States soil. The families of the deceased would have suffered immeasurably.
This point (4) was quite an understatement. There have been around three thousand deaths and another more than three thousand injured and mutilated as a consequence of terrorist actions committed by groups based in the United States, without the government of that country doing anything to stop them.
And the Commission adds:
5. It is urged that the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States is a laudable and achievable goal, in the interests of both the United States of America and the Republic of Cuba, and that the generous grant of pardons by the President of the United States of America to the people who have been described as the Cuban Five will contribute immeasurably to the achievement of this vitally important purpose.
6. The President of the United States is also respectfully informed of the prevailing reasonable view that it is important to signal that the achievement of fairness and justice is not the preserve of the judiciary alone of any country, but, ultimately, a vital political responsibility that must be embraced when the moment comes.
7. It is suggested, with the greatest of respect, that the grant of these pardons will have a significant impact on world justice and world peace.
I think it unnecessary to add any comments. I too hope justice will finally be made.
The measure of truth in your comment is debatable. But it is not paranoia nor propaganda when I tell you I personally witnessed a Castro-sponsored repudiation rally against a member of the Ladies in White. The US media conglomerate is not to blame for the pricing of a $40K Peugeot in Cuba for nearly $300,000. These are tangible, indisputable failings of the totalitarian Castro regime whose blame must be borne entirely by the dictatorship. So long as pro-Castro supporters like yourself continue to give these tyrants a free pass, they will never change.
I fall victim to that too on occasion…it’s really the American
government that deserves the world’s wrath and condemnation. But there are also many Americans who have drank far too much of the cool-aid to be impartial with their views on Cuba, and the Cuban 5…now 3. By and large, I find many Americans to be so self-righteous that they are unable to consider any alternative view points because of their constant exposure to American propaganda that borders on paranoia about Cuba. Most don’t want to know more, and many others don’t even know that the controversy even exists.
This should have been titled “another futile effort to free the remaining red avispa spy’s”
So let me ask you again, how many terrorists were there in Southern Command and Boca Chica Naval Air Station?
It does not help your cause when you insult the American people.
The Five were spying on real terrorists, folks who planted bombs in Havana hotels and, who, during the 1970’s, blew a Cuban commercial airliner out of the sky, killing many innocent civilians, including most of the Cuban fencing team. That two of the five rotted in prison for more than a decade, and three remain there, is reprehensible. The U.S. always applies a double standard; fortunately, much of the rest of the world knows this by now. In the U.S., dominated by a few large corporate media beholding to their masters, most don’t. Moreover, most Americans now don’t even follow the news; they’re too busy just trying to survive.
“7. It is suggested, with the greatest of respect, that the grant of these pardons will have a significant impact on world justice and world peace. ”
Wow! Really? By releasing the last of the Cuban Spies, the wars in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan will end? Will Russia turn around and give Crimea back to Ukraine? Will Hamas throw away their rockets and make peace with Israel? Will North Korea and Iran dismantle their nuclear weapons programs?
Honestly Elio, you write some fatuous nonsense, but that last paragraph really takes the cake.
What a load of crap! Elio fails to mention the seven other compadres of the five convicted spies who formed the original WASP spy network. These seven sang like birds upon their arrests, giving eyewitness testimony regarding the plans and objectives of this foreign spy ring. While severity of the sentences merits debate, Elio’s initial claim that the guilt of the convicted spies was never proven is a lie. No reasonable person debates the guilt or innocence of these spies, only as to whether the sentences given out fit the crime committed. Elio alleges that granting pardons to the remaining three spies will help to improve relations between the two countries. So will a free press, the release of political prisoners, open and independent elections and retirement of the Castros from public life. Finally, Elio, in his Cuba at the center of the world grandiose style says that granting these three pardons will