BY TONY LANE

ST. PAUL, Minnesota - Pastors for Peace won the release of 400 computers from the Treasury Department on May 24. The computers and computer components - modems, monitors and printers - are destined for a medical network in Cuba. They had been seized in January and February while the group attempted to take them across the U.S. borders in humanitarian aid caravans to Cuba.

The agreement with the government brought to a successful conclusion a 94-day fast by four members of Pastors for Peace, including Rev. Lucius Walker.

As part of the agreement, the computers were turned over to the United Methodist Church, which will be responsible for getting the computers to Cuba.

Tom Hansen from the Pastors for Peace office in Minneapolis was in San Diego when the agreement was reached. He reported that literally moments after the accord was reached "the computers were turned over to a church warehouse in San Diego." Once arrangements for their shipment is made, he said, they will go to Mexico and join a number of other computers of Canadian origin that had been earlier released by the government.

At the same time, Pastors for Peace are continuing their efforts to resist a government grand jury probe. Hansen said that the subpoena being sought is "overly broad." It asks the group to turn over to a grand jury records from several previous humanitarian aid shipments to Cuba.

He reported that the group's lawyers were seeking to get its scope narrowed. Hansen also reported that the group filed a motion in mid-May for quashing the subpoena "on the basis that the information was gained with illegal wiretaps." The government has month to reply to this motion.  
 
 
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