This week three youth from the province of Neuquén Argentina reached the summit of Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, to demand the freedom of the Cuban Five political prisoners who have been held in US prisons since 1998 for defending Cuba against terrorist actions coming from Miami.
The struggle for the freedom of the Five has brought up the most determined, heartfelt, and creative actions from different parts of the world. All of them urgently born out of a common desire to denounce the colossal injustice that Gerardo, Antonio, Ramon, Rene and Fernando have had to endure in their long imprisonment.
Since December 25th the news that these three Argentinean friends were planning to climb the Aconcagua began to catch the attention of the international solidarity movement, the families of the Five and each one of them in their prison cells in the US. They in turn sent messages of encouragement to the three climbers from Neuquén as they set out for the Aconcagua, also called the roof of the Americas that towers high in the Andes at an altitude of 6,959 meters (22,841 feet). The young climbers are Alicides Bonavitta and Santiago Vega (Meteoro) who climbed the summit while Aldo Bonavitta organized the logistical support from below. Thanks to the work of the co coordinator of the endeavor, Pablo Javier Fernandez, the international movement was able to follow step by step the progress of the team and the enormous risks they encountered.
The single goal of these youth was to call to the attention of the world the unjust imprisonment of the Five Cuban Patriots.
This trek up the Aconcagua in solidarity with the Five took place with some special coincidence. The expedition started on December 25, also the birthday of Rosa Aurora, the wife of Fernando Gonzalez. The climbers were well under way during the celebration of the 51st anniversary of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, and are scheduled to finish their project on January 18, the birthday of Adriana Perez, wife of Gerardo Hernandez.
After 18 days of traversing the difficult path, in extremely low temperatures and a lack of oxygen, the team was able to reach the summit of Aconcagua where they immediately brought out a flag with the logo of the Five created by Gerardo in his cell in 2002. The other banner the climbers unfurled from the highest peak in the hemisphere expressed the collective sentiment of the peoples of the Americas: Obama Free the Five Cuban Heroes Now!
