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Vol. 73/No. 14      April 13, 2009

 
Amnesty International:
U.S. visas for Cuban 5 wives!
 
BY BEN JOYCE  
Amnesty International issued a statement March 25 calling on Washington to issue visas to two of the wives of the five Cuban revolutionaries who have been unjustly held in U.S. jails for more than a decade. It is another indication that the case of these five working-class fighters, known as the Cuban Five, is gaining attention.

The March 25 statement condemns the refusal by the U.S. government to admit Adriana Pérez and Olga Salanueva, wives of Gerardo Hernández and René González respectively. The two women have been denied visas to see their husbands nine times.

“In the case of prisoners whose families live outside the USA, indefinite or even permanent denial of visits from the prisoner’s immediate family is a severe deprivation to the individual,” says the March 25 statement. “Amnesty International urges the US government to once again consider granting temporary visas to the two women for visitation purposes.”

Hernández and González, along with Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, and Fernando González, have been locked up since September 1998. They had been gathering information for the Cuban government on right-wing groups of Cuban exiles based in Florida that have a history of carrying out violent attacks on Cuba with the support of Washington.

The FBI violated many of their constitutional rights, including wiretapping and illegal search and seizure. They were tried in front of a jury subjected to threats by counterrevolutionary forces. During the trial, the prosecution used secret evidence that the defense was not permitted to see. The five received convictions on frame-up “conspiracy” charges, which can carry substantial sentences while requiring very little evidence.

Hernández is currently serving two life sentences plus 15 years on these charges, which includes “conspiracy to commit murder,” while González is serving a 15-year sentence.
 
 
Related articles:
Campus in Scotland hosts women leaders from Cuba  
 
 
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