Vol. 74/No. 10      March 15, 2010

Together with René González and Gerardo Hernández, they are known to their supporters as the Cuban Five. Convicted on frame-up “conspiracy” charges, the five were railroaded to jail with no material evidence to merit their convictions and harsh sentences. They have been serving draconian prison terms since 1998.

At the time of their arrest the five were living in southern Florida, monitoring rightist Cuban American organizations known for carrying out armed attacks against Cuba with the aim of toppling the revolution. Their task was to inform Havana of plans for future attacks on Cuban targets. The U.S. government claims that they are agents of a foreign government who carried out “acts of vigilantism on U.S. soil.”

The case of the five has gained worldwide attention and support. The many violations of the five’s basic rights—from prolonged time in solitary confinement, to the use of “conspiracy” charges, to the continued denial of visitation rights for the wives of Hernández and René González—have drawn in various individuals and organizations to the fight to win their release, as has their unwavering record as working-class fighters.

In June 2008 a federal appeals court vacated the sentences for Guerrero, Labañino, and Fernando González, ruling that the sentences were inconsistent with the court record. On October 13 last year Guerrero’s life plus 10 years was reduced to 21 years and 10 months. Some two months later Labañino’s sentence of life plus 18 years was reduced to 30 years, and González had his sentence of 19 years reduced to 17 years and 9 months.

During the resentencing of Guerrero, the prosecution told the court that the U.S. government hoped that the reduced sentences would calm the “contentiousness” and “noise” around the case, acknowledging the impact felt by the international campaign to win freedom for the five.

The Cuban Five encourage their supporters to write to them in prison. They can be reached at the addresses in the box on this page.
 
 
Related articles:
U.S. doctors leave Haiti as Cubans expand care
Write to the Cuban Five
Chinese-Cuban general to start tour in Montreal
Cuban book fair travels throughout provinces
Panel discussions present literature on Cuban Revolution and communist strategy
An intertwined history: Chinese in Cuba and U.S.  
 
 
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