By Saul Landau

I sit on a gray plastic chair, facing a tiny, gray, plastic table and another empty, gray, plastic chair, waiting for Gerardo Hernandez in the visiting room of the maximum-security federal pen in Victorville, California. Next to me, in similar seating arrangements, a middle-aged black man speaks to a woman, presumably his wife; other black men talk to their spouses. Two kids run from the “children’s room” to their Dad to get a caress.

Four guards chatter and observe the visitors and inmates. No contraband must be exchanged and no “excess touching.”

Gerardo emerges, reports to the guards. We hug. Gerardo talks about ideas to force the National Security Agency to release its vectored map of the Feb 24, 1996, shoot down of two Brothers to he Rescue planes by Cuban MIGs. The government charged Gerardo with conspiring to commit murder because he allegedly – the government offered no evidence – passed the flight information to Cuban authorities knowing they would shoot the planes down (how would a Miami-based agent know of high level decisions in Havana?).

The Cubans maintain the MIGs fired their rockets at the intruding planes over Cuban air space. U.S. authorities insist it happened over international airspace. If the NSA map sustains Cuba’s claim then Gerardo, who purportedly delivered the date and time of the fatal flights to Cuban authorities, committed no crime. The prosecutors offered no proof that Gerardo delivered this information. Hollywood would portray the Miami courtroom scene with the prosecutor telling the jury: “I don’t got to show you no stinkin’ proof.”

Indeed, Gerardo’s defense lawyer showed that Basulto, the head of Brothers to the Rescue, had already announced the date of the flights, and several U.S. officials also knew of his plan. The FAA had even advised Cuban authorities of the impending flights. Facts don’t matter when a jury and judge understand that a “wrong” decision could result in their houses getting burned down.

The NSA refused defense attorneys’ subpoenas to deliver their vectored maps during the trial and appeals: “National Security,” the two deadly words not found in the Constitution or the Bible, constituted their reason (excuse) for not delivering the documents. What could force the NSA to comply? We had no answers, but the question will linger.

Other questions still bothered me. What had motivated the FBI to arrest him and his fellow Cuban agents? After all the Cuban agents had fed the Bureau juicy morsels related to terrorist activities, including the location of a boat on the Miami River loaded with explosives. The FBI commandeered the boat before it sailed for Cuba – or blew up in Miami.

“Hector Pesquera,” replied Gerardo. He became the Agent in Charge of the Miami Bureau and immediately focused his attention away from the terrorists and onto the anti-terrorists. After the jury handed down guilty verdicts at the trial of the Cuban Five, Pesquera proudly boasted to a Miami radio station that “he was the one who switched his agents’ focus from spying on the spies to filing charges against them.” (See, Stephen Kimber, “What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five”, an e-book from Amazon)

Indeed, Pesquera persuaded Justice officials to refocus attention from exile terrorists in South Florida and onto the Cuban intelligence agents who had penetrated the terrorist groups. The case ‘never would have made it to court’ if he hadn’t lobbied FBI Director Louis Freeh directly.” (Kimber, p. 286)

Ann Bardach reinforced the view of Pesquera’s key role in turning the FBI from investigating terrorists to investigating anti-terrorists. Bardach and Larry Rohter wrote two stories in the New York Times in July 1998, in which Posada Carriles, a notorious Cuban-American terrorist admits his mastermind role in a series of bombings in Cuba to discourage foreign tourism. One of these bombing killed a young Italian tourist whose father is suing the United States for sponsoring terrorism.

Bardach told me about her surprise when Pesquera answered her question on Posada by saying “lots of folks around here think Posada is a freedom fighter.” Pesquera, friendly with ultra right exiles, terminated the investigation of Posada, and shredded his file. Even as Pesquera focused the FBI on destroying the Cuban agents web, thus reducing the Bureau’s information supply on terrorism, 14 of the 19 participants in the 9/11 attacks trained in the area without FBI scrutiny. Pesquera seemingly escaped scrutiny for his apparent lapse. (“Trabajadores,” May 22, 2005)

Gerardo and I switched subjects to Alan Gross’ interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Gross, convicted in Cuba of activities designed to undermine the government, which AP reporter Desmond Butler documented, whined about his life in prison, the food, his window had bars on it and he had only been able to receive visits from U.S. Senators, Members of the House, Foreign Presidents, religious groups and a day with his wife. He complained conditions in the Havana military hospital were downright prison-like.

Worse, ignoring Desmond Butler’s reporting and former National Security Council official Fulton Armstrong’s devastating op ed in the Miami Herald (Dec. 25, 2011), he proclaimed his innocence, insisting he only wanted to help the Jewish community get better internet access. For this he smuggled in equipment (documented by Butler) and got paid almost $600,000 from a company contracted by USAID. And Blitzer, who should win the journalism award for best stenographer, didn’t ask him about any of the facts Butler and Armstrong had raised.

We hugged goodbye. Gerardo raised a triumphant fist before returning to his cell. I walked into the dry desert wind, to the car and the road, down 5,000 feet and 40 miles to the Ontario, California airport with a chance to think about justice and injustice, again.

Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow. His WILL THE REAL TERRORIST PLEASE STAND UP and FIDEL are available from cinemalibrestudio.com

Please join us at the Petrillo Bandshell (see details below) before the rally,
which starts at noon. We will have leaflets and a few signs and banners, but
feel free to bring your own. We will be leafleting against the US blockade of
Cuba, to free the Cuban 5, and in support of the July challenges to the U.S.
travel ban to Cuba by IFCO/Pastors for Peace, Venceremos Brigade,
African Awareness Association and others.

For housing, to sign on to this letter or more information, contact:

Stan Smith at 773-273-0166 or uscubachi@yahoo.com

Marilyn McKenna  at mmckenna_60657@yahoo.com.

Spread the word! Together we can build a big contingent to say no to the
continuing war against Cuba.

In Solidarity,

Stan Smith, Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban 5, 773-273-0166
uscubachi@yahoo.com
Marilyn McKenna, for the National Network on Cuba mmckenna_60657@yahoo.com
Cindy Sheehan
Gisela & Gilda Lopez
Chuck Kaufman, Alliance for Global Justice
Neal Resnikoff
Cheryl Labash, US/Cuba Labor Exchange
Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba
Walter Tillow, Louisville Committee to Free the Cuban 5
Nancy Kohn, International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban 5
National Lawyers Guild, Milwaukee Chapter
National Lawyers Guild, Cuba Subcommittee

March & Rally to Protest NATO/G8 on May 20
Action URL:http://icjpe.org/actions/March-Rally-to-Protest-NATO-G8-on-May-20
Action Mini URL:http://pjep.org/xcy
Date: 2012-05-20
Event Time:12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
More Info:http://www.cang8.org
Description:Sunday, May 20, 2012
Noon rally at Petrillo Bandshell, (corner of Jackson and Columbus),
then march to McCormick Place, site of the NATO summit
Join in a legal, permitted, family-friendly march and rally to protest the
policies of NATO!

At the invitation of the White House, military and civilian representatives of
the 28-nation US-commanded and largely US-financed North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) are meeting in Chicago, May 20-21, 2012. We say:

Jobs, Healthcare, Education, Pensions, Housing and the Environment, Not War!

No to NATO/G-8 Warmakers!

No to War and Austerity!

Among those scheduled to appear at the rally:
Jesse Jackson, Sr. – Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Malalai Joya – former member of Afghan Parliament
Reiner Braun – ICC No to War – No to NATO, Germany
Malik Mujahid – Muslim Peace Council
Kathy Kelly – Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Vijay Prashad – author of “Arab Spring, Libyan Winter”
Leah Bolger – President, Veterans For Peace
Carlos Montes – Committee Stop FBI Repression
Kari Fulton – Environmental Justice Network
Larry Holmes – International Action Center

Q & A by Saul Landau

This film chronicles half a century of hostile US-Cuba relations by telling the story of “the Cuban Five”: intelligence agents sent to penetrate Cuban exile terrorist groups in Miami who are now serving long prison sentences.

The documentary that has been shown all across the United States and around the world highlights decades of assassinations and sabotage at first backed – then ignored – by the very government that launched a “War on Terror”.

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!

Co-sponsor by Brava Theater and the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban 5. For more information call 415-641-7649 or 510-219-0092

To buy tickets on line go to www.brava.org

A unique opportunity to hear from Cuban experts visiting the Bay Area, who will speak on the economy and social issues in Cuba today. Also, speakers on other Cuba themes.

Cuba is respected and admired by people all over the world for its social accomplishments at home and abroad. However, the U.S. government continues to present a distorted image of Cuba in order to justify its policy of hostility, subversion and economic and political blockade. Join our panel of activists and intellectuals for an enlightening discussion about the real Cuba.

Speakers include:
MIGUEL BARNET: Cuban novelist, poet and ethnologist. President of the Cuban Union of Artists and Writers (UNEAC). Barnet is the author of novels and the renowned book Biography of a Runaway Slave, remarkable for its testimonial narrative.

ESTEBAN MORALES: Cuban economist, political scientist and essayist. Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas Province. Dr. of Science (University of Havana) and PhD in Economics. Member of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba.

ISAAC SANEY: Professor and lecturer on Cuba, Caribbean political economy, law & human rights and African Canadian history. Author of Cuba: A Revolution in Motion (2004).

KEITH BOLENDER: Freelance journalist living in Toronto. Writes extensively on Cuba for North American publications. Author of Voices from the Other Side: An Oral History of Terrorism Against Cuba (2010).

GLORIA LA RIVA: Coordinator, National Committee to Free the Cuban Five. Spoken extensively on the Cuban Five and Cuba in the United States, Europe, Brazil, India, Bolivia, Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba. Frequent writer on Cuba for Liberation News.

Donation of $5-10 is suggested. Wheelchair accessible. Light refreshments provided.

Sponsored by ANSWER Coalition, National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, FMLN-No. California, Marin Interfaith Task Force on the Americas, BALASC.

Sunday, May 20, 6pm

LA PEÑA
3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, near Ashby BART

6pm – 7pm: Reception with authors, book signing, and refreshments (in Community Room)

7pm – 8:30pm: Program

Welcome by Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin

Keith Bolender,
Author of Voices from the Other Side:
An Oral History of Terrorism Against Cuba

Isaac Saney,
Author of CUBA: A Revolution in Motion

Discussion, Q & A

$10.00 – $20.00 Benefits LA PEÑA Cultural Center
(no one turned away for lack of funds)

Co-sponsors: Richmond- Regla,Cuba Friendship Committee, Berkeley-Cuba Friendship Association, & International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban 5

www.lapena.org  www.thecuban5.org
www.berkeley-cuba.weebly.com  www.ci.richmond.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=1046

The mass media, firmly in line with the State Department, continue to put forward a false description of what Alan Gross was doing in Cuba, usually a variant of “he was distributing laptops and standard computer equipment to help the Jewish community access the Internet.” Only the Associated Press has made an effort to investigate the matter, resulting in a report that substantially contradicted the official line.

Gross was not a spy as such, but he was attempting to lay the infrastructure for an independent satellite-communications system with encryption capabilities. It was to be part of a system for use in creating dissension in Cuba and to facilitate coordination of activities with US handlers in what USAID calls a democracy-building program.

The story about helping the Jewish community to download Jewish songs from Internet, first advanced by DAI, the contractor for USAID that retained Gross as its expert operator, was only a cover-up based on Gross’ being Jewish and an active supporter, in the US, of B’nai B’rith, presentable as a kind of Jewish Santa Claus for Internet-deprived Cubans of his religion.

The Cuban government states that the Jewish congregations on the island have access to Internet, and that Gross’ work was not necessary. A satellite node with wireless access would be available not just to congregations, but to anyone in the vicinity with the password to enter it, as with any home or commercial network. In the US, no such communications may take place through unlicensed satellite connections set up covertly by another country.

As the AP reported, some of the equipment that Gross took to Cuba is used typically by intelligence and defense agencies. Gross’ unusual pattern of repeated visits to Cuba was detected by Cuban security, which allowed him to continue his activities while under investigation. Gross could not have been so innocent as to not realize what it meant to be a sub-contractor for DAI in one of USAID’s regime-change programs, and in Cuba. He himself expressed concern about the legality of his actions and about the possible consequences for him.

Gross is not in jail for trying to help fellow Jews share religious and cultural information; he is in jail for being an agent of a foreign country in a program intended to destabilize and ultimately overthrow the government of Cuba.

It should be clear that Gross was not the only such agent. Similar examples have been documented, and can be found in the Cuban TV series Las Razones de Cuba, which is on YouTube but is never mentioned by the mass media of the US and Europe. (Links follow below.) The series exposes the connections between diplomats at the US Interests Section, including CIA officers; dissidents created purposefully by the US (except that they became double agents who reported to Cuban intelligence after being approached by US officials); and US agents such as Gross who enter Cuba by different means. Creating off-the-radar communications nodes that can at some point be connected into a phantom network in Cuba has been a continuing goal of the US.

See Fake clothing, 1 / 2 (English subtitles), at 6:08 minutes, and “Verdades y principios”, 2 / 2

Hillary Clinton continues to deny any improper intent on the part of USAID –which is mandated to operate under guidance of the State Department– and asserts simply that the Cubans had no reason to arrest and try Gross and must therefore release him. She knows that the mass media will cooperate –with only one exception so far– by repeating the official line without question. She has asked for the support of Jewish organizations, often but not invariably with success.

For example, Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, which has campaigned on Gross’s behalf, was mentioned in The Forwardas follows:

“I have credibility in our government and the [Gross] family, and don’t have credibility just because an AP story appears. Let’s move on.”

Foxman insinuated that the AP report was based on misinformation put out by the Cuban government, a “totalitarian, antidemocratic, dictatorship” that “fosters and has fostered [international] anti-Semitism, which is an enemy of Israel and the Jewish people.”

“Why should I take [the Cuban government’s] word,” Foxman asked, “as opposed to our government, the secretary of state, members of Congress and [Gross’s] family?”

In fact, the AP reported about its sources that “USAID officials reviewed Gross’ trip reports and received regular briefings on his progress, according to DAI spokesman Steven O’Connor. The reports were made available to the AP by a person familiar with the case who insisted on anonymity because of the documents’ sensitivity.”

The original story is not easy to find on Internet. Searches now lead mostly to error notices like “The article requested is no longer available” or “We recently upgraded our site and the page you are looking for either no longer exists or has moved,” when they do not end up on irrelevant pages. A search for “alan gross” within the AP site “did not match any results,” although a parallel chronology of the Gross story can be found at hosted.ap.org:

It seems that the article itself can be found now only on sites that copied the entire article, are located abroad, contain only a parallel discussion of the article, or perhaps simply were not found during the clean-up effort to contain the damage. Here are three sources for the article:

Cubadebate: USAID contractor work in Cuba detailed

Times of Israel: Jailed US contractor was trying to set up satellite link for Cuba’s Jews

News.yahoo.com: AP IMPACT: USAID contractor work in Cuba detailed

Translation of the text of the card:

To all our compañeras, biological mothers or mothers only of the heart, from whom we always receive the love that is so important for any struggle:

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Receive our gratitude and love from the prisons of the empire,

Fernando, Ramón, Antonio, René and Gerardo

May 13, 2012

————————————————————————————-

With all the love and affection of the five, I dedicate this poem I wrote on this special occasion.

Because you are part of my life
The essence of my soul
The one who inspires
The beauty of my songs.

Because for you and I can live
Walk, work and love
Because you are my prestige
My pride and my soul.

No matter where you are
You live inside me,
Even when you are so far
You live, fight, and win for me…

Happy Mother’s Day, dear sisters of all over the world!
We love you all very much!
Five Big Hugs!

Ramón Labañino

Mayo 9, 2012.
FCI Jesup, Georgia.

————————————————————————————-

SPANISH ONLY

”La ternura mas pura”

Del manto del amor
se envuelve la ternura,
la ternura mas pura
que es lucero y es flor.

La ternura que engendra
el arbol de la vida,
la que hace que uno aprenda
lo que nunca se olvida.

La ternura infinita,
la que todo lo abre,
la que nada la imita,
la que ofrece una madre

Escrito el 11 de mayo de 2002

Cinco abrazos.

!Venceremos!

Tony Guerrero Rodriguez
FCI Marianna
10 de mayo de 2012.

————————————————————————————–

Dear mother:

On this new day of celebration I want to reach out to you with my most sincere homage of admiration and affection.

The maternal love, which manifests itself so special and unique, illuminates our life and elevates us as human beings. The world would be much more cruel to the hardships imposed on us by the imperfection of our societies if it wasn’t for the shelter of your lap, the memories of your past actions, always loaded with tenderness, and the assurance of your unshakeable adherence.

I wish you a happy day, surrounded by the affection you deserve.

René

May 10, 2012

The President of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, expressed his solidarity with the five Cubans imprisoned by the United States government on alleged espionage charges, after meeting on Tuesday in Montevideo with Olga Salanueva, wife of René González, one of the Cuban patriots.

During the 40-minute meeting, Salanueva explained to the Latin American leader the current situation of the five Cuban prisoners and highlighted the lack legal resources to ensure their prompt release.

Likewise, she requested the president’s support for the immediate release of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez, who have been unjustly punished, following a judicial process plagued with irregularities.

Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzales, known internationally as the “Cuban Five”, were jailed in September 1998 and subsequently prosecuted for reporting on the terrorist plans of far-right anti-Cuban groups based in Miami.

Salanueva also mentioned the distressing situation of Gerardo Hernandez, who remains sentenced to two life prison terms plus 15 years, and denied visits form his family.

She also gave President Mujica two reports by Amnesty International and the Committee on Arbitrary Detentions of the UN on the case of the Five, which advise the U.S.presidentto grant a presidential pardon to the Cuban patriots, after probing the numerous irregularities committed during the legal process against them.

For his part, Mujica expressed his solidarity with the cause of the five Cubans, and voiced interest over the possibility of a prisoner swap between the five Cubans and U.S. contractor, Allan Gross, who was sentenced in Cuba to 15 years of prison for on charges of subversion against the government (he followed instructions from the USAID, a dependence of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States).

“The fight for the Five to return to our country is a priority for all Cubans and a task we must carry out relentlessly until we succeed”, noted the leader of the legislative body during his statement at the fifth International Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba.

In front of over a thousand participants from all continents to the event, Alarcon underlined that the cause of the Five, as they are known worldwide, bears a strategic importance for all beyond the borders of the Caribbean nation.

“This cause is important for the peoples of the world that tackle the serious dangers of violence and irrationality of an arrogant and foolish policy of the great centers of power”, stated Alarcon.

The participants also discussed the actions carried out and those still pending so that Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando and René, arrested in Miami when they monitored the plans of anti-Cuban organizations in south Florida, can return to Cuba.

Alicia Jrapko, coordinator of the International Committee to Free the Cuban Five in the United States, requested the support of those attending the meeting for the Five to return to Cuba.

The Case of the Cuban Five

Salim Lamrani: Now let’s talk about the Cuban Five. Four of them are still held and the fifth is out on probation. They have been imprisoned since 1998 for “conspiracy to commit espionage” and were sentenced to heavy prison terms, from 15 years to life. What are their future prospects?
Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada: In the case of René Gonzalez, who is out on parole, his lawyer will try to persuade the judge to let him purge the remaining three years of his sentence in Cuba. In the same way, we are also trying to obtain authorization for a family visit. His wife has not seen him for more than a decade because Washington has systematically denied all requests for visas.
Everyone, I believe, can appreciate the difference in treatment between Cuba and the
United States in terms of family visits for prisoners. Cuba has systematically accepted all visa requests from Gross’ wife. Washington has systematically refused all requests for visas from Olga Salanueva, the wife of René Gonzalez, and from Adriana Pérez, the wife of Gerardo Hernandez.
René Gonzalez may also make a request to visit Cuba to see his family, because
conditional release allows for this possibility. It also permits him to serve his sentence outside of United States territory.
For the other four, the habeas corpus process is still ongoing. Three administrative
procedures, a motion by the defense, one by the prosecution, and the response of the defense, are almost complete for Antonio Guerrero and Gerardo Hernandez. As for Ramon Labanino and Fernando Gonzalez, we are awaiting the response of the prosecutor, that is to say, the government of the United States, in early 2012. Then, the defense will in turn address the government’s response. These decisions came down at two different times and that is why the cases are being considered separately.
SL: For what reason are the cases being considered separately?
RAQ: In fact, this extraordinary habeas corpus procedure is possible only once a trial
has ended, which in the case of Gerardo Hernandez and René Gonzalez became possible when the Supreme Court declined to review their cases. As for Antonio, Ramon and Fernando, the trial ended when the court imposed new sentences while their cases were under appeal. These decisions were taken at two different times and that, once again, is why these cases are being considered separately.
SL: The outcome of these cases, however, seems more political than legal.
RAQ: This is certainly true and it underscores the need to convince President Obama
to free them. In my opinion, he has a moral obligation to do so, and it is something that he can do with a simple executive order, something that the United States constitution allows him.
This is a decision that can be made at any time, regardless of the evolution of the trial.
SL: What are the reasons that Obama ought to make such a decision?
RAQ: Simply because these men are innocent. I would remind you that they were in
the United States to prevent terrorist attacks against Cuba. They were not there to infiltrate government agencies, something that would have justified the charge of espionage, but rather to infiltrate small violent right-wing groups of Cuban exiles that were implicated in acts of terrorism against Cuba.
Their mission was necessary because these groups have always been allowed to
operate with total impunity. Remember that Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA operative and the brains behind more than one hundred murders–it’s not me saying it, it’s what he himself is quoted as having said in an interview published in the New York Times of July 12, 1998. It is also something that CIA and FBI reports, declassified in 2004 and 2005, affirm. And he is still a free man in Miami, someone who has never been judged for his crimes.
Let me remind you that in 1998 we invited two important FBI directors to Cuba and
presented them with a voluminous report, prepared by our own agents, on the activities of terrorist groups in Miami. They promised to neutralize these groups, but on their return, rather than doing what they promised, they proceeded to arrest the Cuban Five.
The reality of terrorism against Cuba became quite clear upon the release of René
Gonzalez from prison.
SL: Please explain.
RAQ: The public prosecutor categorically refused René Gonzalez the right to serve
out his parole in Cuba. The judge in the case accepted the prosecutor’s request and ruled that, for the moment at least, he should serve his parole in the United States. In her written declaration, the judge, at three different points, cites the “additional special condition” that had been imposed upon him when he was convicted in 2001, something by which he is bound to abide.
SL: What did this “additional special condition” consist of?
RAQ: This peculiar additional special condition to his parole prohibits him from
“associating with or visiting specific places where individuals or groups such as terrorists, members of organizations advocating violence, or organized crime figures are known to be or frequent…” This is a textually accurate citation that can be found in the transcript of the Sentencing Hearing before the honorable Joan A. Lenard, dated December 12, 2001, pages 45-46.
This constitutes an explicit recognition that United States authorities have identified groups or individuals they consider to be terrorists, organized criminals or individuals
promoting violence. They know who they are and where they can be found, but do nothing that would put these groups in harm’s way. At the same time, they prohibit an American citizen–René Gonzalez was born in the United States–to go there and work against these groups.
SL: All of this is quite surprising and the statement is troubling.
RAQ: You can find this declaration in the transcript of the trial and in the recent
declaration of the prosecutor and the judge, when René Gonzalez requested permission to serve out his sentence in Cuba. It is obvious that the reason this condition has been imposed is to protect these three categories of despicable individuals. If you have a better explanation, I would be interested in hearing it.
This presumes that René Gonzalez must be monitored constantly by the United States
authorities, authorities who know exactly where to find these individuals, in order to ensure that he does not violate his parole. If unfortunately René Gonzalez should attempt to return to where these groups are located with the intention of thwarting their plans, he would be sent back to prison immediately.
SL: All of this seems a little surreal.
RAQ: Still it’s the truth, even if it is unusual. You will find, I’ll say again, this
statement used throughout the trial. The prosecutor always insisted on this fact. The judge dictated the sentences, the sentences in the memorandum, but it was the government that proposed the penalties and, needless to say, the government proposed the maximum penalty for each count. The prosecution made serious mistakes that led to the Court of Appeals imposing new sentences on Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Ramon Labanino.
This same prosecutor, in the same sentencing memorandum and also orally in front of
the court, stressed that from the perspective of the United States government, it was important to hand down maximum penalties, penalties that would ensure that the accused would be unable to undertake once again the activities for which he had been condemned–that is to say, infiltrating terrorist groups in a peaceful manner, unarmed and nonviolently, in order to inform Cuba of their activities–hence the importance of imposing this “additional special condition”. And indeed it was imposed upon all five, including Gerardo Hernandez who had already received two life sentences plus 15 years. All of them, when they have served out their sentences–for Gerardo, this would be in his third lifetime–must stay well away from these terrorist groups and it will be the government’s job to assure that this condition is enforced, to ensure that they will not resume the same activities that led them to prison in the first place.
For Gerardo, Ramon and Fernando, the prosecution underscored that this will be the
case because it is intended that they be expelled from American territory–all of this is written in black and white in the sentencing memorandum. For René and Antonio, both American citizens, they cannot be expelled and it is for that reason that this “additional special condition” was imposed on them. René must conform to it, even after he has finished his parole, and Antonio as well, should he be granted parole.
In other words, the United States authorities recognize that terrorists groups, violent
and mafia-linked, exist in the city of Miami. They know who they are and where they are, but nonetheless grant them total immunity. In this way, they are also preventing any free American citizen from doing anything to neutralize them.
SL: What do you think this demonstrates?
RAQ: This demonstrates clearly the innocence of the Five, because what they did in
the United States is not a crime. Stopping an act of terrorism is not a crime. Struggling against violence, against crime and terrorism, is not a crime anywhere. Unhappily, this affair has continued because of media dictatorship. If this affair had been covered by the media as it should have been, it would have caused such outrage amongst the American public that the government’s position would have been untenable. What would American public opinion say if it became clear that the government was protecting terrorists and incarcerating those who struggle against terrorism?
Imagine that if tomorrow the government decided to arrest René Gonzalez because he
had been approached by a terrorist group? How can the American government get away with behaving in this manner? Quite simply because public opinion has not been informed of media complicity in this affair. Had this been known, the Five would have been back in Cuba a long time ago.
Be aware, René was released from prison in October 2011. This requirement was
imposed, not in order to protect him, but rather to protect terrorist groups. Is this not
unbelievable?
I would like to repeat that it is the clear duty of President Obama to liberate the Five.
Their liberation is also in the best interests of the United States. This case clearly underscores the profoundly hypocritical character of the United States’ antiterrorist policy. This is a country that on the one hand pretends to lead a global struggle against this scourge and on the other hand protects criminals on their own soil by incarcerating those who try to foil their plans. The federal government is at this very moment spending public funds in order to monitor René Gonzalez. In so doing they are only protecting the terrorists. René has purged a thirteen year prison sentence for trying to prevent terrorist acts against Cuba. It is the same for the other four. Here we have the first case in the history of “espionage” in the United States in which not a single secret document has been violated. It is for this reason that the Court of Appeals in Atlanta recognized that this case has nothing to do with espionage.

You can read the entire interview with Ricardo Alarcon here:  http://cubastudies.org/ricardo-­‐alarcon/