MADRE Demands Justice for the Cuban Five

September 2003

Many of you have heard the story of the Cuban Five�five Cuban men arrested in Miami, charged and convicted in US courts with espionage-related offenses, and shipped to five different prisons across the United States to serve sentences ranging from 15 years to life. The hypocritical charges brought against these men, and the conditions of their trial and imprisonment have raised cries of outrage in Cuba and among civil liberties and human rights groups in the United States.

Ram�n Laba�ino Salazar, Ren� Gonz�lez Sehwerert, Fernando Gonz�lez Llort, Antonio Guerrero Rodr�guez and Gerardo Hern�ndez Nordelo were arrested in September 1998. But the roots of their case go back decades, embedded in the history of Miami-based right-wing groups dedicated to the sabotage of the Cuban government. For years, the US refused to take action against these organizations, which were openly planning violent actions against a sovereign government. In early 1998, Cuban intelligence personnel presented the FBI with hundreds of documents and hours of video and audio tape that revealed details about the Miami-based groups and their illegal work. But rather than investigating these groups, the FBI arrested the Cubans who had gathered some of the information, including the Cuban Five.

The trial of the Cuban Five began in 2000. The National Lawyers Guild has argued that the trial was so flawed �it lacked the Constitutionally necessary subjective appearance of a just proceeding.� The case was tried in Miami-Dade County, after a change of venue request was denied, despite the deep-seated prejudice and fanaticism of the Cuban-American community there. The prosecuting attorney withheld important information from the defense. And the five defendants were kept in solitary confinement for long periods of time both before and after their trial, making communication with lawyers and family members nearly impossible. After a relatively short deliberation, the jury in the case found the Cuban Five guilty on all counts. A motion for a new trial was filed and denied. In May 2003, Attorney Leonard Weinglass and other lawyers for the Cuban Five filed an appeal to the denial of the motion for a new trial.

MADRE strenuously opposes the imposition of the charges brought against the Cuban Five and the hypocrisy of the US government in jailing these men for investigating violent plots against their own country. We hope that you will be moved by their story to learn more about this case and take action. The following links will lead you to more information about the Cuban Five and what you can do.