For the Cuban Five

The five Cuban heroes continued to sit in American jails 8 years after being arrested. Their crime? Infiltrating terrorist organizations in Florida in order to prevent terrorist acts being committed against innocent civilians in Cuba.

Many are unaware of the fact that the American government began funding Cuban terrorist organizations in the 1960s and that to date, over 3,000 innocent Cuban civilians have lost their lives as a result of terrorist acts committed by these groups. The most notable example was the blowing up, in mid-air, of a Cuban airliner, killing all onboard. The self admitted purpetrator has never been charged by Washington. He currently lives in Florida. President Bush refuses to let him be extridited.

Last night, I attended a public meeting, which the daughter of one of the Cuban Five and the wife of another of the Cuban Five, spoke. The room was packed to close to 200 people. We were advised that the Cuban Five were sentenced by a Florida court to jail terms ranging from 20 years to double life. Officially, they were charged with spying in America without seeking government approval in advance! Appeals have been filed and will take many years to wind their way through the lengthy appeal process.

If you wish more information on this miscarriage of justice, I would recommend visiting the Free the Cuban Five website.