Vol. 74/No. 40      October 25, 2010

The five have been imprisoned in U.S. jails since 1998, when they were arrested while monitoring the activities of right-wing Cuban exiles in South Florida who have carried out violent attacks on Cuba. Charged with failure to register as foreign agents, “conspiracy to commit espionage,” and in Hernández’s case, “conspiracy to commit murder,” they were convicted in a trial riddled with violations of their rights.

"We demand your release," the workers' letter said. “We work as butchers and packers, maintenance and warehouse and truck drivers, and come originally from China, the U.S. and other countries of the Americas.” The letter was written in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

One of the signers, a meat packer named Hugo, said he first read about the case of the Cuban Five in the Spanish-language daily here, El Diario. The next week, he saw another story on the case in El Militante, the Spanish-language edition of the Militant.

“I said to myself, ‘This is not right what the government is doing, keeping them in jail for no reason.’ It’s like how the bosses keep making more and more money off us, but we keep getting lower and lower wages and benefits.”

Cuban Five prisoner Hernández, now serving two life terms plus 15 years, wrote back to the meat packers: “On behalf of the five, I would like to extend our appreciation to all the workers and union members at meatpacking plants in New York, whose support is a source of inspiration in our struggle for justice.”

Fernando González also responded. “We are very encouraged by the strength of the support we receive from workers in this country in spite of the difficult conditions you face and the complexity of your own struggles. As you said in your letter, our struggle is one.”
 
 
Related articles:
Actors, artists, musicians back freedom for Cuban 5
Cuban Five case taken up at LASA conference  
 
 
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