Vol. 73/No. 35      September 14, 2009

Last year a three-judge panel ruled that the sentences meted out to Guerrero, Labañino, and Fernando González were excessively long. But it failed to overturn their convictions, despite the fact that the government has never presented any evidence to back up the false charges it brought against any of the five—charges ranging from “acting as unregistered foreign agents” to various “conspiracy” charges. All five should be set free now!

Winning the freedom of the Cuban Five is in the vital interest of working people in this country and the world over. The government’s case against them is built on the violation of our rights, including collection of “evidence” through secret, warrantless searches of homes—a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable search and seizure.

Unable to dig up any credible evidence, the government framed the five on “conspiracy” charges. In that way it was not required to prove that any crime was actually committed. Hernández, for example, is also charged with “conspiracy to commit murder” based on the fact that the Cuban government exercised its right to shoot down planes that violated Cuban airspace in 1996. The planes were flown by members of the counterrevolutionary outfit Brothers to the Rescue, whose leader is a veteran of the CIA-organized Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. The government falsely charged that Hernández knew in advance of the Cuban government’s decision to shoot the planes down.

The trial of the five took place in an atmosphere of pervasive intimidation in Miami organized by opponents of the Cuban Revolution. The defendants’ request for a change of venue was denied. The judge allowed the prosecution to use heavily censored documents as “evidence” on the grounds that some files might contain classified information.

The unjust treatment of the five can only be understood as Washington’s punishment of the Cuban workers and farmers for overthrowing the wealthy, U.S-backed capitalists and landlords who ruled them, making a socialist revolution, and reorganizing the country’s production in the interest of working people. By their example the Cuban Five have shown that they remain on the front lines of the class struggle in this country. They deserve our redoubled effort to win their freedom. Free the Cuban Five!
 
 
Related articles:
Three of Cuban Five moved to jail in Miami for resentencing
Treasury Dept. issues fine over Cuba embargo
Write to the Cuban Five  
 
 
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