Che Has Not Died, Says Cuban Hero Antonio Guerrero

Excited to be for the first time in Rosario, a city full of history and symbolism, Guerrero -one of the five heroes who served a long sentence in U.S. jails for defending his country from terrorist acts- said in an exclusive interview with Prensa Latina that it is ‘a great honor to be here.’

All Cubans and revolutionaries know that Che has not died, he is present among us. It will be 90 years and more, said the anti-terrorist fighter, adding that days full of revolutionary spirit are expected on this anniversary.

For Guerrero, the 90th anniversary of Che’s birth is a very significant occasion. A decade ago, he said, on his 80th anniversary, my brothers and I were in prison. It was then an arduous and fighting time for our freedom, he recalled.

The Cuban hero said he arrived in Rosario to thank and embrace all the Argentines who did so much to take him and his comrades (Fernando Gonzalez, Gerardo Herandez, Ramon Labañino and Rene Gonzalez) back to their homeland.

The emotions are just beginning; it’s very cold, but the warmth of solidarity is greater, said Guerrero, who stressed that these days will be full of revolutionary spirit and anti-imperialist struggle, ‘of all those things that Che taught us, ideas that will never die.’

Visibly moved, Guerrero said that he is the first of the Five (as they were called in the campaign to liberate them) to be at the homeland of Che, and he does so on behalf of his brothers in struggle and the Cuban people.

On the other hand, he stressed that he will also represent the island in the 16th Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba, which will begin on Friday, a day that will highlight the support for our Revolution, socialism and all the just causes in Latin America.

Support for Venezuela, he said, for former Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, imprisoned in his country, and for all those movements that can only lead to transform and build a more prosperous and free Latin America.