On Mon. June 15, the Supreme Court refused to review the convictions of the Cuban Five political prisoners, unjustly imprisoned in the United States for defending the people of Cuba from U.S.-backed Miami terrorist organizations.
Cuba’s National Assembly responded: “We see manifested once more the arbitrariness of a corrupt and hypocritical system and its brutal treatment of our five brothers. Our struggle to win their freedom will not diminish for one instant. Now is the time to step up our actions, and not leave even one space uncovered or door unopened.”
The five men are Fernando González, Rene González, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Antonio Guerrero.
They will complete eleven years of imprisonment on Sept. 12.At the heart of their appeal was the trial judges’ denial of a change of venue to outside of Miami and what amounted to political prosecution against five men defending Cuba. The judges received a record number of amicus curiae “friend of the court” briefs, 12, that came from hundreds of European and Latin American parliamentarians and others. Despite these briefs, the court denied justice to the Five.
The ruling was made at the request of the Obama administration, which claimed that the Miami venue was proper. This flies in the face of reality, that Miami is the headquarters of a large network of anti-Cuba terrorists, and that the political, economic, judicial, police, media, academic and cultural institutions largely back the terrorists and U.S. backed aggression.
Since they were imprisoned, a worldwide movement has arisen, demanding their immediate freedom.
Responding to the review denial, the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, along with several other progressive organizations, demonstrated in front of San Francisco’s new Federal building at 4:30pm following the announcement of the decision.
It was a successful and spirited demonstration. As demonstrators chanted and picketed in front of the New Federal building, five activists entered and engaged in an act of civil disobedience in solidarity with the Five.
Individuals and organizations came out to demand the Five’s freedom, speaking in support of the struggle. They were Roger Stoll of Marin Interfaith Task Force, Christina Gutierrez of Barrio Unido, Gloria La Riva and Chris Banks of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, Miguel Molina with KPFA Free Speech Radio, Richard Becker, the western coordinator for the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), Jeff Mackler of Socialist Action and the Mobilization to free Mumia Abu Jamal, Leah Sherman of Socialist Workers Party, Frank Meade of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Luis Talamantez, former political prisoner. Salvador Cordon of the FMLN introduced Ricardo Vladimir González, FMLN deputy member of El Salvador’s National Assembly.
The demonstration was an important act of solidarity with the Cuban Five and the Cuban people, in their ongoing heroic resistance to yet another injustice. The National Committee to Free the Cuban Five states, “When the people of the United States learn on a mass scale of the selfless mission of the Five Heroes in stopping terrorism and saving lives, they will demand their freedom.”
There was much media coverage of the Cuban Five’s case from the Associated Press, The Miami Herald, and Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City.
The defense team will file a habeas corpus appeal within a year. Three of the Five, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando González will be re-sentenced in Miami. One of the principle struggles is to fight to strike the double life conviction of Gerardo Hernández.
Hernández’ valiant statement today said, in part, “Based on the experience that we have had, I am not surprised by the Supreme Court’s decision. I have no confidence at all in the justice system of the United States. There are no longer any doubts that our case has been, from the beginning, a political case, because not only did we have the necessasry legal arguments for the Court to review it, we also have the growing international support as reflected in the Amicus briefs presented to the Court in our favor. I repeat what I said one year ago, June 4, 2008, that as long as one person remains struggling outside, we will continue resisting until there is justice.”
¡Los Cinco Volverán!
