International Campaign to Free the Cuban Five and Oppose U.S. State Terrorism

Actions Around the World

Washington, DC, September 23, 2006

As part of the international campaign from September 12 to October 6, an international day of action was held on September 23 to demand freedom for five Cuban men serving long prison sentences in the U.S. for actively opposing U.S.-supported anti-Cuba terrorists in Miami.

The five men, Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labanino, Fernando González, and René González, were convicted in June 2001 of espionage conspiracy charges. Although they won a new trial in August 2005, the plenum of the 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta reversed their court victory. Their attorneys are continuing the appeals process.

Voice of Revolution salutes all the fighting organizations that participad in these acitons and joins in demanding Free the Five! Extradite terrorist Luis Posada Carriles! No to U.S. state terrorism!

Historic March, Forum in Washington, DC Demand Cuban Five's Freedom

- National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, September 24, 2006 -

More than 600 people traveled from 30 cities across the United States to march in the first demonstration. The march began at the Justice Department on Pennsylvania, where buses, vans and cars from New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, Chicago, Ohio, Virginia, and other areas unloaded. The Justice Department was chosen because of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' failure to classify Luis Posada Carriles as a terrorist, which could set the stage for his imminent release.

Protestors expressed their anger at Gonzales' inaction and the continued incarceration of the Cuban Five, by chanting, "Jail Posada, free the Five."

A strong White House picket filled the entire sidewalk and spilled onto Pennsylvania Avenue. Before the march continued to the public forum at the George Washington University, march leader Andrés Gómez conducted a solemn ceremony. Each of the names of anti-Cuba terrorist crimes was read, followed by the crowd shouting, "Justicia."

Gómez read the 73 names of the passengers and crew onboard the Cubana airliner downed Oct. 6, 1976 by mercenary bombs, the name of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt, of Fabio Di Celmo, killed by a mercenary bomb arranged by Posada, and of Carlos Muniz Varela, gunned down in Puerto Rico in 1979 by members of the police, who were in turn paid by rightwing Cuban-American terrorists.

The marchers proceeded to the indoor public forum, where family members of the victims of terrorism, among others, spoke.

Francisco Letelier, son of Orlando Letelier, who was assassinated 30 years ago by terrorists, said, "Today we know that the [Cuban Five] were undertaking the task that intelligence agencies are really supposed to undertake, the discovering of information, the investigation of crimes of terror. Today, 30 years later we know that Posada Carriles is implicated in the death of my father.

"People have asked me today, why are you here? To me it is very clear. The story of the Cuban Five is connected to an historical relationship throughout the Americas, of people pursuing sovereignty, the right to live in peace, self-determination, justice. That is why I am here today, one more voice, one more story, one more person that joins this much greater movement, a coalition amongst all of us."

Livio Di Celmo said, "It was Sept. 4, 1997, when I received a call from Havana. I could recognize my father's voice, very different from his usual voice. He had just told me that my brother was killed by a bomb. A mercenary had been paid $5,000 for every bomb he was putting in Cuba. The man paying him was Luis Posada Carriles.

"Fabio was sitting right next to the bomb, a piece of shrapnel cut his throat. By the time he got to the hospital there was not one drop of blood left in his body.

"Slowly but surely I started discovering that Cuba had suffered over 3,400 innocent Cuban civilians being killed by terrorist groups from the rightwing Cubans living in Miami.

"In my research I found out about the struggle of the Five. My first thing to do was to write the Free the Five organization, and pledge my support to them. We have developed a relationship ever since. My anger is vanishing slowly and I am very committed to help the cause of the Five."

Leonard Weinglass, appeals attorney for the Cuban Five, explained the latest legal developments. Speaking of the appeals decision last year granting a new trial, Weinglass said, "That was a 93-page unanimous opinion, the longest opinion ever in the history of the United States on the issue of venue.

"We were very pleased with it. We rejoiced with that result, we prepared for the second trial, which we knew we could win. But Washington decided to appeal that decision to the entire eleventh circuit. The case was heard by 12 judges.

"They reinstated the convictions on Aug. 9 of this year. There remain nine additional issues which now go back before two judges of the federal appellate court. Those judges, as we sit today, are considering those nine additional issues.

"We are hopeful that if these two judges consider these issues in a fair and reasonable way, that the case will yet be set aside and the convictions will be reversed."

"In my experience with political cases such as this, the size of the support, the extent of the support, the breadth of the support is absolutely essential and critical to what happens in court. Lawyers are not listened to in a case of this nature unless there are people outside of court who will stand up and stand with the Five. It is very important in this critical period of time, that we all stand together in large numbers, making our position clear, encouraging others to stand with them, and to finally reverse this injustice and to send the Five home to Cuba."

Other speakers were Wayne Smith, ex-chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, José Pertierra, Venezuela's attorney for the extradition petition of Posada; Heidi Boghosian, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild; Saul Landau, fellow, Institute for Policy Studies; Andrés Gómez, coordinator, Antonio Maceo Brigade; and Cheryl LaBash for the National Network on Cuba.

The action was sponsored by the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, la Alianza Martiana, National Lawyers Guild, National Network on Cuba, Nation of Islam, FMLN, GWU Progressive Student Union.

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Solidarity Message from Cuban Five -- Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo

Dear compañeros y compañeras,

Eight years ago the Five were arrested. When I remember back on what happened that September 12 the first thing that comes to my mind are the words of the FBI agent, who in the middle of his efforts to try to turn us into traitors, said: "Cuba will do nothing for you. Nobody will do anything for you."

How far off were he and his fellow officials to imagine what has developed over these years in the struggle to free the Five. (To be honest, not even we, the Five, could have imagined!) I really wish that now I could see his face again and show him the message that Fidel sent us recently, or mention to him the words from Alarcon about us in every event that he participates, or about the denunciation of our imprisonment by Cuban officials at all levels and the pleas from members of our own families in the most important international forums raising our case.

I would not have enough time to tell him about all the examples of support and affection that come to us from the Cuban people and from all our compañeros from all over the world. Perhaps he knows about the great number of letters that we receive every day, but I would tell him about Andy Daniel, a Cuban child that was born with his little hands deformed and that at his 6 years of age, writes and makes drawings for the Five. Or of the woman in that remote place in the mountains of France, that for years now sends letters to the Five every week. (She even received a response from the Pope's office, but not from Alberto Gonzales' office?) Or from the very old couple from London who sells flowers from their garden to raise funds for our cause, just as many other friends around the world have done, with similar sacrifice. These are just a tiny few examples of the love and solidarity that we receive from around the world

I am certain that that FBI agent has heard about the people in Miami who, despite the challenge of overcoming the terror imposed by the Cuban American Mafia in that city, have not stopped demonstrating in favor of our liberation. I would tell him about the hundreds of solidarity committees created around the whole world, about the protests in front of U.S. consulates and embassies or about the compañero from Philadelphia, that despite his health problems has been able, due to his insistence, to publish his letters about the Five in several newspapers.

I am sure that I would still have many things to mention to him, but I would for certain tell him about the thousands of friends in the United States that, despite the pressure and intimidation of this administration against the progressive movements and those sectors that struggle for civil rights, that they are not afraid. I would point to those who will take their voices of protest for our freedom to the front door of the White House. I will tell him about all of you that are participating in the solidarity events on our behalf that has given us so much encouragement.

Without any doubt, on September 12th 1998 that FBI agent was wrong. He was wrong just like the prosecutors in our trial and all the others who lied about our mission and that underestimated you and us.

Sisters and brothers: some people may say that our struggle has not been effective because the Five are still in prison or that we are in a very bad moment because we lost an important point in our appeals. Nothing could be further from the truth. We never thought that this battle for justice was going to be easy or short. We believe, on the contrary, that the current moment is good, and because of that we should re-double our efforts. A year ago we were complaining about the strong wall of silence imposed over our case by the corporate media. In recent months that wall has been opened little by little and nobody should think that it is due to some spontaneous interest coming from the media about the Five. We owe this shift to the work that all of you have been doing and to the solidarity efforts of each one of you from all over the world.

On a recent occasion a dear compañera made an observation to us that in all the messages from the Five we always repeat the words "gratitude," "appreciation," "thanks" and suggested that it wasn't necessary. Because I knew she was right about that I borrowed a dictionary with synonyms to find other words, but it was in vain. We do not have any other way to express how we feel about your support. We are immensely honored and proud for the solidarity of all of you, and we express our most profound THANKS for everything you do for us.

Hasta la Victoria Siempre!

With the revolutionary embrace of the Five

Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo
U.S.P. Victorville
California, September 2006

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Relatives of Terrorist Plane Bombing Demand Justice

- Granma International, September 19, 2006 -

The following is a statement released during the recently concluded 14th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement in Havana by relatives of the 73 persons who died in the October 6, 1976 sabotage of a Cuban commercial airplane off the coast of Barbados.

Statement by the Committee of Relatives of the Victims of the In-Flight Bombing of a Cuban Civilian Aircraft off Barbados

On September 11, 2001, millions of people all over the world watched in awe at the abominable acts of terrorism committed against the people of the United States.

We, relatives of the victims in the bombing of a Cubana Airlines plane off Barbados, were shaken to see the TV images of such a loathsome crime; the pain and the sorrow that have accompanied us for almost three decades were multiplied, as we saw a re-enactment of our own painful experience on new innocent victims.

Our loved ones were deprived of sharing transcendental moments in our lives; they cannot be revived. The only way to honor their memory and put an end to the stigma of terrorism is by making those responsible for such acts, feel the weight of justice.

In September of 1976, the U.S. Government learned in advance of the preparations for the sabotage of a Cuban civilian plane; they alerted no one, and did nothing to prevent the terrorist act.

On October 6, 2006, it will be thirty years since that abominable crime against innocent passengers traveling in the Cubana plane. In that terrorist act 73 people were killed; of them 57 were Cuban citizens. To date, the relatives of the victims of that treacherous terrorist act, the Cuban people and the international community are still waiting for justice to be done.

Unlike the relatives of the victims of September 11, who do not know the “dark whereabouts” of Bin Laden, we do know where the assassins of our families are, who protects them and who offers them refuge.

The terrorists who assassinated our families are in the United States. One of them, Orlando Bosh, walks freely through the streets of Miami. Frequently, he boasts to the press that he does not feel the slightest twinge nor remorse and that if he had to do it to another civilian airplane in flight, he would do it again.

The other notorious international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, who is currently detained in a U.S. immigration detention center, said with total cynicism and contempt for life to a leading U.S. newspaper in 1998, that his terrorist acts and murders did not prevent him from sleeping like a baby.

Today, we are closer than ever to witnessing an affront to the real war against terrorism, the memory of our loved ones and the victims of the 9/11 attacks. We were outraged and shocked to learn that Attorney Norbert Garney suggested that the Federal Judge Philips Martinez release self-confessed terrorist Luis Posada Carriles from jail. This happened at a time when the U.S. people and the whole world were commemorating the fifth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

The arguments presented by the Attorney came as no surprise to us. The U.S. Attorney General has decided not to produce the countless pieces of evidence in the possession of the U.S. government that reveal the true terrorist nature of Luis Posada Carriles. Today the U.S. has decided not to act, just as they did not act thirty years ago and sit idly by to witness the mid-air explosion of a Cuban civilian plane. Posada, meanwhile, expects to be rewarded with his freedom.

President George W. Bush said on April 27, 2005: “if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you try to hide a terrorist, you, yourself, are just as guilty as the terrorist.” Then we ask ourselves: What are Orlando Bosh and Posada Carriles? And, who protects them? They are the worst type of terrorists and they are protected by the U.S. government.

We, relatives of the victims of the sabotage to a civilian airliner in midair, demand that the Bush administration obey their own laws and international treaties, of which they are signatories. We demand them to honor the memory of the 9/11 victims.

We are not going to give up on our determination that the terrorists appear in court. We are not going to give up on our determination to reject the U.S. government’s hypocrisy and double standards, which defend the supposed existence of a good and a bad terrorism. No one should doubt that we will make the unjust tremble, until Justice is done.

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Cuba Denounces U.S. for Not Charging Posada Carriles With Terrorism

-ACN -

Havana, September 14 (ACN) — The U.S. government has never pressed charges of terrorism against Posada Carriles since his detention last May, and has instead been treated as a simple illegal immigrant, the head of the Cuban Parliament denounced. During a recent press conference at the media center for the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon referred to the decision made by a U.S. federal magistrate, who issued a document on September 11, recommending the release of Luis Posada Carriles from prison since there is no country to deport him to.

The ruling states that U.S. authorities contacted nine countries for this purpose and none of them accepted to welcome Posada. Alarcon told the press that the U.S. government has never charged Posada with terrorism, even though abundant evidence, including declassified documents confirming his participation in countless crimes. The event was attended by relatives of victims of the Cubana Airlines flight sabotaged off the coast of Barbados in 1976 and other terrorist acts against the island. Posada is considered the mastermind behind the plane bombing that killed all 73 persons on board. He escaped from jail while awaiting trial for the crime in Venezuela.

President George W. Bush has repeatedly said that a state harboring a terrorist is as guilty as the terrorist himself, but his words are refuted by the attitude of his administration in the case of Posada Carriles, noted Alarcon. In releasing Posada and totally disregarding the extradition request filed by Venezuela in order to try him for the plane bombing, the Bush administration violates Article 7 of the Montreal Convention on Civil Aviation which stipulates that if a country does not extradite the perpetrator of a terrorist act against a civilian aircraft, it should be taken to court. The decision also ignores an international accord to condemn the terrorist use of explosives, stressed Alarcon.

Referring to the impunity that Posada’s associate Orlando Bosch has always enjoyed in Florida, the president of the Cuban parliament recalled the many occasions that Bosch has been before TV cameras to brag about his terrorist crimes and show his racism and contempt for the lives of innocent human beings. Responding to a question from an Ecuadorian journalist, Alarcon suggested the reporters delve into the suspicious deaths as a result of plane crashes of two former presidents, Jaime Roldos, from Ecuador, and Omar Torrijos, from Panama.

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Cuba Proven Right Over Bogus Journalists

- Circles Robinson -

Placing paid “journalist” agents in the media at home and abroad to bolster its attacks on countries or leaders that don’t share its views should barely be news for an administration that has scratched the word ethics out of the dictionary in order to pursue the goals of special interest groups.

The recent revelations that ten “reputable” Florida-based reporters and commentators were receiving at least hundreds of thousands of dollars to use false information to stoke the anti-Cuba fire is just what the island’s government has been saying for decades.

One of the most frequently used agents, Carlos Alberto Montaner, was among those whose cover was blown by a freedom of information request, reported the Editor and Publisher journal. The syndicated columnist’s opinions frequently appear in the pages of the Miami Herald, its Spanish language sister paper, ElNuevo Herald, and dozens of newspapers across the nation and Latin America. He is also often consulted on network TV.

The Cuban-born self-exile poses as an expert on the island who also extends his print media and TV network commentaries to attack leaders that question U.S. policy elsewhere in Latin America, like Venezuela and Bolivia.

Montaner and a host of other journalist-agents have provided the media justification for the existence of several Miami-based paramilitary groups that for decades have plotted and carried out terrorist attacks against Cuba and its leaders in the name of fighting communism.

On numerous occasions the Cuban government has alerted Washington about the terrorist plans of these groups who possess weapons stockpiles and training camps in Florida that also put U.S. lives in jeopardy.

In a celebrated case involving a group of men known as the Cuban Five, Cuba provided the Clinton administration in 1998 with enough information to shut down several of the terrorist groups and their civic fronts including the Cuban American National Foundation, and put a lot of people behind bars.

But instead of cracking down on terrorism the U.S. government ignored the information and in September 1998 detained the Cuban Five — who had infiltrated the terror groups and uncovered their plans. The five men, considered heroes on the island, were railroaded into maximum security prisons with harsh sentences after a politically charged Miami trail in 2001.

The Herald Questions Its Reporters Ethics

Citing a violation of the “sacred trust” between journalists and the public, Jesus Diaz Jr., president of the Miami Herald Media Company announced that three of its reporters, Pablo Alfonso, Olga Connor and Wilfredo Cancio Isla had been fired for receiving over a quarter of a million dollars from the U.S. government.

‘’Even the appearance that your objectivity or integrity might have been impaired is something we can’t condone, not in our business,’’ Díaz said. “I personally don’t believe that integrity and objectivity can be assured if any of our reporters receive monetary compensation from any government agency.’’

Other journalists reportedly on the payroll of the U.S. Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which runs the well-budgeted anti-Cuba operations known as Radio and TV Marti, included Diario Las Americas’ opinion page editor Helen Aguirre Ferre and reporter/columnist Ariel Remos; and Channel 41 news director Miguel Cossio.

Journalism ethics experts told Reuters that the payments undermine the credibility of reporters to objectively cover issues affecting U.S. policy toward Cuba. Ivan Roman, executive director of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, was quoted by the Herald as saying the payments from the U.S. government posed a clear conflict of interest.

The journalists involved are among the most popular in South Florida, and many specialized on reporting on issues involving Cuba, said the Miami Herald report.

Channel 41 reporter Juan Manuel Cao received an extra $11,400 this year from the U.S. government. “There is nothing suspect in this,” Cao said. “I would do it for free. But the regulations don’t allow it. I charge symbolically, below market prices.”

Others do not see it that way. “This is such an obvious textbook case,” University of Florida journalism professor Jon Roosenraad told the Herald. “This is exactly like a business reporter during the day going out and moonlighting as a public relations person for a local company at night and then going back to the paper the next day and writing about ‘his’ company.”

Cuba Is Not the Only Paid-to-Order Journalism Victim

Cuba is not alone in being the victim of U.S. government journalist-agents paid to slander the island and/or distort its reality. This policy under the current administration even extends to other domestic issues like education.

“The Armstrong Williams case in 2005, revealed that the Bush administration had paid the prominent conservative pundit to promote its education policy, No Child Left Behind, on his nationally syndicated television show,” notes Reuters.

Last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Pentagon paid a consulting firm, a host of reporters and Iraqi newspapers to plant favorable stories about the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the administration’s favorite corporations’ reconstruction efforts. Once again, when caught in the act, Bush administration officials justified buying fabricated news stories with the logic that all is fair in love and the war on terrorism.

Government Defends Paid Journalist-Agents

In an interview broadcast at a Hispanic media convention in June, Ricardo Alarcon, president of Cuba’s parliament, denied the often made claim by today’s disrobed “reporters” and “commentators” that more than two dozen “independent journalists” had been imprisoned on the island for speaking out against the government. Alarcon restated the island’s position that the persons involved were actually paid U.S. agents engaged in sabotage, noted AP.

In defense of the Bush administration tactics, Pedro Roig, director of the U.S. government’s Cuba Broadcasting network defended the use of journalist-agents. Roig’s babies, TV and Radio Marti, bombard the island with transmissions containing U.S. government-approved false information about the island in a carefully orchestrated attempt to create internal discontent. They stepped up broadcasts after President Fidel Castro underwent intestinal surgery at the end of July.

Roig told the Herald that “among other things, hiring more Cuban exile ‘journalists’ as contractors improves the quality of the news.” While seeing no foul play he added, “it’s each journalist’s responsibility to adhere to their own ethics and rules.”

The U.S. government official unabashedly said he considers the Cuban exile journalist-agents “to be excellent reporters who adapted to the game and made good.” He added: “In reality, I feel very satisfied.”

Circles Robinson is a U.S. journalist living in Havana.

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