Background

Ever since 1959, when the Cuban Revolution overthrew the gambling and drug barons of the U.S.-supported Batista regime, the island Republic has been the target of terrorist attacks committed by Miami-based anti-Castro groups.

After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, there have been hundreds of bombings directed against Cuban hotels, gunfire directed at tourist beaches from speedboats, assassination attempts on Cuba’s leaders, the introduction of biological agents meant to disrupt Cuba’s food supply, the bombing of a Cubana Airlines jet with 73 passengers on board, the illegal U.S. occupation of Guantanamo, and an ongoing U.S. economic blockade on food and medicine to the island.

For 47 years and 10 U.S. presidents, the Cuban people have steadfastly refused to succumb to ever-changing U.S. demands that Cuba open its markets to “free enterprise.” In order to justify the harsh economic blockade, the United States argues that the Cuban government commits “human rights violations” and “exports terrorism.” While Cuba does have the death penalty and some dissident terrorists have been put to death, the nation provides cradle-to-grave health care and free education to its citizens. Although many food items are rationed or unavailable because of the blockade, no one in Cuba is without basic sustenance. And no one is homeless.

President Castro is regarded as a folk hero and is surrounded by crowds wherever he goes on the island. His approval rating is estimated at more than 90 percent, a number that U.S. presidents can merely dream about. For its economic survival, Cuba was forced to accept joint partnerships with western nations after the fall of the Soviet Union, its main trading partner. It also approved family remittances and allowed private artisans, taxi drivers, and hotel workers to accept tips in U.S. dollars. The joint partnerships built new tourist hotels, which Cuban citizens are not permitted to stay in, but the tourist industry brings in much-needed currency. It is a trade-off that some are not happy with, but it was a decision made from the bottom up, not from the top down.

The United States also falsely charges Cuba with exporting terrorism. In fact, the island has become known throughout the Third World for its humanitarian assistance. Whenever a disaster strikes anywhere in the world — including in New Orleans — Cuba is always one of the first nations to offer medical assistance and sends trained medical teams wherever they are needed. Cuban clinics have also assisted hundreds of Chernobyl victims who traveled to the island for treatment of radiation-related illnesses and Cuban medical schools routinely offer free tuition for foreign nationals with the stipulation that they return to assist the poor in their own nations after their training. There are about 100 U.S. citizens from poor communities studying in Cuban medical schools.

In 1998, five Cuban nationals were arrested in Miami and charged with espionage, conspiracy against the United States, and other charges. The five, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González, were in Miami to infiltrate anti-Cuba terrorist groups operating in Miami in order to expose their plans and save the lives of Cuban citizens and other innocents. In other words, their mission was to stop terrorism. Anti-Cuba terrorist groups, including Brothers to the Rescue, Alpha 66 and Comandos F4 operate freely in Miami with the full knowledge and consent of the CIA and the U.S. government in spite of stern post-9/11 warnings by the Bush administration about bringing all terrorists to justice.

The Cuban five did not harm anyone or bring weapons into the country. They were not after U.S. state secrets and they did not participate in any violent acts. They were in Miami as counterterrorism officers to gather information regarding planned terrorist attacks against Cuba, yet they were arrested, tried and convicted in Miami. In 2001, they were sentenced to a combined four life terms and 75 years.

In August 2005, the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, citing the hostile, anti-Cuba environment in which they were convicted, overturned the convictions and ordered new trials and a change of venue. In October 2005, however, the Atlanta court agreed to hear the U.S. prosecutors’ appeal, so the August decision was set aside pending that appeal. No date has been set for the appeal hearing.

Meanwhile, the Cuban five continue to be held unjustly in separate U.S. prisons. For more information about supporting the Cuban five, see http://www.freethefive.org