Relatives of the Five Cuban

Relatives of the Five Cuban antiterrorist heroes unjustly incarcerated in the United States since 1998 conversed on Thursday with the members of the Southern Cross Brigade, now at the Julio Antonio Mella Camp in the municipality of Caimito, on the outskirts of Havana.

The brigadistas received information on the case of Ramon Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernandez and Rene Gonzalez, who’re serving unjust sentences for trying to prevent Cuba from violent activities by Florida-based counterrevolutionary groups.

Tony’s mother, Mirta Rodriguez, thanked the members of the foreign delegation for their actions in favor of the release of the Cuban Five, and highlighted the essential role the pressure of the international movement plays in the struggle for their release from prison.

Each of you represents hope for our cause, because–from your borders- you can contribute your bit. We’ll always be grateful, expressed Rodriguez.

Olga Salanueva explained that the inhumane, ratified ruling of 15 years of prison for her husband Rene is as cruel as the impossibility of gathering all of his family in a visiting room, a right given by the US penitentiary system and that it has been systematically violated.

Magali Llort, Fernando’s mother, made reference to the process of re-sentencing his son, Antonio and Ramon were submitted to, in which –in spite of the reduction of their sentences- there was no justice “because in this case justice it’s equivalent to definitive release.”

On December 8, Labañino, unjustly condemned in 2001 to life imprisonment plus 18 years, was re-sentenced to 30 years in prison; while González, whose arbitrary sentence was of 19 years, obtained a reduction to 17 years and nine months.

Likewise, on October 13, the Court of Florida’s Southern District imposed an unjust
sentence on Tony, after condemning him to 21 years and 10 months in jail, thus annulling the previous sentence of life imprisonment plus 10 years.

This is the 27th Contingent of the Southern Cross Brigade, composed of 20 people coming from Australia and New Zealand, besides the occasional participation of six Canadians and a Colombian, all of whom have carried out different activities since December 27th, and will leave on January 20th.

This group of solidarity, created in 1983, has continuously visited Cuba for 27 years, during which over 100,000 Australians and New Zealanders have traveled to the Caribbean island with the group.

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