Remembering the Cuban Five
You’ve probably never heard of them and neither have most Americans, but in Latin America – and especially Cuba, their case is infamous.
They are five Cubans who were arrested in 1998 and tried in 2001 in Miami. René González, Geraldo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino and Fernando González, were convicted and sentenced to terms varying from 15 years (René González) to double life plus 15 years (Hernández).
The US authorities accused them of terrorism; they claim that they infiltrated extremist groups in the States who were themselves planning terrorist acts in Cuba.
With the help of a legal team headed by the veteran American civil rights lawyer Leonard Weinglass, they appealed and in 2005 won the right to a retrial outside Florida. But the prosecution appealed, the retrial was stalled, and the case is now due to go to the US Supreme Court in December.
I first came across the Five when I was on holiday in Cuba this Spring – everywhere there are billboards highlighting the case as you can see from my account of the trip. This month, the wives of two of the men – neither of whom has been able to see her husband since his imprisonment – are in Britain to publicise the case which has led to this this article.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I went to Cuba last year and saw pictures of them everywhere too. Even a huge life size one in the arrivals and departure gates at Habana! Will be v interesting to see what happens in December…