17, December 2014 Response to NYT OP ED RE Cuba
A double standard has been applied by successive US
administrations regarding the ‘war on terror’. The Cuban Five were arrested in
Miami, Florida on September 1998. They have been charged and on counts ranging
from using false identification to espionage and conspiracy to commit murder.
In June 2001, they were convicted of all 26 counts by a U.S. federal court in
Miami and in December and sentenced to varying terms.
The group were closely monitoring the activities of anti-Castro exile groups CORU, Alpha 66, Omega 7 and Brothers to the Rescue. The anti-CASTRO group was allowed to operate with complete impunity. The UN catalogued a staggering 3,478 deaths that were directly attributable to these groups. These acts include plane bombing and other acts of terrorism. Petitions filed by the defense team to move the trial out of Miami were denied. Cuban-Americans were excluded from the jury. The Cuban Five languished in jail for three years pending commencement of the trial. The jury buckled under intense pressure and passed a guilty verdict.
The group were closely monitoring the activities of anti-Castro exile groups CORU, Alpha 66, Omega 7 and Brothers to the Rescue. The anti-CASTRO group was allowed to operate with complete impunity. The UN catalogued a staggering 3,478 deaths that were directly attributable to these groups. These acts include plane bombing and other acts of terrorism. Petitions filed by the defense team to move the trial out of Miami were denied. Cuban-Americans were excluded from the jury. The Cuban Five languished in jail for three years pending commencement of the trial. The jury buckled under intense pressure and passed a guilty verdict.
Nobel Prize winners have written and sent a document to the U.S. Attorney General calling for freedom for the Cuban Five. Six British MPs wrote a letter to Tony Blair calling on the government to apply pressure on the US to act against terrorists in Florida and to immediately release the Five.
President Obama has made the right decision in normalizing relations with Cuba.
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