2/11/09
President of Mexican Senate, Gustavo Madero Muñoz, Requests Change of Venue from Miami
Mexico, February 10th, 2009 - The Senate of the Republic of Mexico, as an amicus curiae, "respectfully" requested the United States Supreme Court to accept and approve the appeal recourse presented by the defense of "the 5 Cubans imprisoned in the United States" to end the violations of their human rights.
On presenting the point of agreement, passed by the Senate, Senate President Gustavo Madero Muñoz asked that "they be submitted to a new trial outside of Miami in due process of law and be returned to their country and their families."
The PAN (Party of National Action) Senate coordinator recalled that on September 12, 2008, 10 years of unjust imprisonment was completed by Cubans Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez, who were monitoring terrorist plans against Cuba by Cuban exiles in Florida.
In addition to their heavy sentences, Madero Muñoz added, their trial was politicized and plagued by irregularities, and the prisoners have remained isolated in maximum security prisons under cruel conditions of seclusion, violating their human rights and U.S. laws.
The legislator from Chihuahua continued to say that the families of "The Cuban Five" live in Cuba and, in order to travel to visit their relatives, must obtain visas authorized only after very long procedures. "For Ramon, Fernando and Antonio these visits are not even once a year; while Gerardo and Rene have been denied the right to visit with their wives, who have not been able to visit them for 10 years."
The U.N. Human Rights Commission issued an opinion expressing that depriving these prisoners of freedom violates Article 14 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and is therefore arbitrary, and on May 27, 2005 asked that the government of the United States adopt the measures necessary to remedy this situation.
The United States Government ignored the U.N. Human Rights Commission's petition and appealed the decision of the Atlanta Court of Appeals, he explained.
The Senate of the Republic has remained active and in solidarity to achieve the freedom of these Cuban prisoners, having approved points of agreement in 2006 and 2008, he said.
Madero Muñoz recalled that the position of "amicus curiae" is a recourse made by a third party, not part of the litigation, who voluntarily presents an opinion on some point of law to collaborate with the court in the resolution of the matter before it, and consists of a legal opinion, a testimony not solicited by the parties, or legal information about the case.
The decision whether to admit the "amicus curiae" information is at the discretion of the United States Supreme Court ", he said.
The United States, he indicated, is one of the countries that most utilizes this recourse but the Supreme Court only accepts about one percent of the cases that are presented for its revision.
For that reason, Madero Muñoz concluded, it was considered an act of "strict justice" to request to the U.S. Supreme Court, through an "amicus", to accept and approve the appeal presented by the defense of the five Cuban prisoners.
