Vol. 76/No. 16      April 23, 2012

Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and René González are five Cuban revolutionaries jailed in the U.S. since 1998 under trumped-up “conspiracy” charges that include conspiracy to commit espionage. Hernández was also falsely convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to double life plus 15 years.

The five were living and working in southern Florida gathering information for the Cuban government on activities of Cuban-American counterrevolutionary groups with a long history of violent attacks on Cuba and supporters of the Cuban Revolution, with the complicity of Washington.

All but René González remain in prison. He was released last fall after 13 years in jail, but is forced to serve an additional three-year parole in the U.S.

Fernando González is serving 17 years and nine months; Guerrero, 21 years and 10 months; and Labañino, 30 years.

Supporters of the international campaign to free the five have organized a series of activities April 17-21 in the Washington, D.C., area to broaden the fight. These include film showings, discussions of the case, an exhibit of political cartoons by Hernández, a Friday evening public event and an April 21 protest outside the White House. For more information, see http://www.thecuban5.org.

Buses will leave New York for the protest April 21 at 6 a.m. They will bring demonstrators to the 1 p.m. rally and return the same evening. The cost is $5. To reserve a seat, call (917) 945-9877 or (718) 601-4751, or contact a Militant distributor listed on page 6.

—LOUIS MARTIN