Vol. 76/No. 20      May 21, 2012

Speaking at the event was Mary-Alice Waters, editor of the book The Cuban Five: Who They Are; Why They Were Framed; Why They Should Be Free and a leader of the Socialist Workers Party in the U.S. Waters was visiting Sydney on a speaking tour together with Rena Herdiyani and Hegel Terome from the Indonesian women’s rights organization, Kalyanamitra (see accompanying article).

Waters explained why, despite all the evidence to the contrary, Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González, were convicted in 2001 on a range of charges, including conspiracy to commit espionage, and given maximum sentences. The reason, she said, was the U.S. government’s determination to overturn the Cuban Revolution.

“It is important to understand the kind of human beings created by their experiences in the revolution,” Waters said. “They don’t act as victims, but revolutionaries on the front line of the class struggle wherever they find themselves. Today that is in U.S. prisons.” She pointed out that the United States has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world.

“The five will not be released because of the good will of Obama,” Waters said. “The U.S. government will not let them out without massive struggle. As Gerardo says, only a ‘jury of millions’ will free them.”

Some of those attending had never heard about the case before but had come to visit the gallery. Others, including Herdiyani and Terome, came to find out more about the five revolutionaries. A lively informal discussion followed the question and answer period.
 
 
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