The case is not closed

"CASE closed — forget about that!" affirmed Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, referring to the unjust ruling of a panel of judges in Atlanta to uphold a decision to not review the appeals of Gerardo Hernández and René González.

Speaking on the "Roundtable" TV and radio program, Alarcón said the ruling was objectively divisive in nature, in order to create confusion, but that the attitude of the Five continues and will continue to be one of unity.

He recalled details of the rigged legal proceedings, which included substantial problems, false accusations, illegalities, prevaricating by judges in the different courts and administrative arbitrariness. "The U.S. government has not been able to provide any evidence to convict Gerardo; why, then, should the Supreme Court not take the case under review?"

In the United States, the top court of justice is not obliged to review all the cases submitted for its consideration. According to statistics, it only reviews from 1 to 1.5% of cases submitted.

"We have to prevent this case from being closed," Alarcón emphasized. "We are going to reopen it with arguments, with concerts, with exhibitions, mobilizations, filings before the court, with our hands, teeth and nails, but we are definitely going to open it, we will open it."

He announced that a group of lawyers is preparing to present the case in the U.S. Supreme Court, accompanied by mobilizations, denunciations and international solidarity, which continues to grow.

That was touched on by Rosa Aurora, Fernando’s wife, and attorney Nuris Piñeiro who, in India witnessed many actions of support for the cause of freeing the Cuban Five, and for visas to be granted to Olga Salanueva and Adriana Pérez so that they can visit their husbands René and Gerardo. Piñeiro said that those actions show how the Five are international symbols of dignity and respect for peace.

Alarcón also noted that an environment is slowly being created in the United States that is forcing judges to reconsider and the government to act. On that point, he said, "I think there is total consensus in that country: change, and that change is going to be produced by the masses, the people. Likewise, there has to be a change in the case of the Five, and we’re going to achieve it."

Posada Case Proves Innocence of Cuban Five

"The best proof of the innocence of the Cuban Five, unjustly imprisoned in the United States, is personified by Luis Posada Carriles, whose release on bail outrageously violates the basis for Washington’s supposed war against terrorism," said Ricardo Alarcon, president of the Cuban parliament.

Alarcon spoke at an international solidarity meeting held at the Havana Convention Center on Wednesday with representatives of labor, social and political organizations from more than 70 countries.

Alarcon referred to a document presented by Posada’s own attorneys on April 30, in which he admits working for the CIA for more than 25 years starting in 1961.

The statement, Alarcon notes, confirms what Cuba has always said: "Posada was a CIA man at the time of the Barbados plane bombing, when he was involved in Operation Condor, during the dirty war against Nicaragua and as a top Venezuelan secret police officer, when he tortured and killed many people."

The Cuban-born Posada is a naturalized Venezuelan who escaped from prison while awaiting trial for the 1976 midair bombing of a Cuban Airliner. The commercial plane had left from Venezuela and blew up off the coast of Barbados resulting in the death of all 73 persons on board. Operation Condor was a plan to eliminate all opposition to the South American dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s. The dirty war was aimed at toppling the Nicaraguan Revolution and took place in the 1980s.

On the other hand, the Cuban Five, imprisoned in the US since 1998, had worked to gather information about terrorist plans against Cuba by Miami-based groups that operate with impunity in the US. When Cuba shared its intelligence information with Washington, the FBI proceeded to arrest the informants while allowing the terrorists to continue their activities on US soil.

Alarcon called on the solidarity with the Cuban Five movement to step up efforts to obtain their freedom. He noted that a decisive ruling from the Appeals Court of Atlanta is expected to come after the oral hearing tentatively set for August 20.

"Only through solidarity can we obtain justice in this case. All of us that feel part of this noble effort to create a better world and combat terrorism are obliged to keep close watch over the developments in this case," said Alarcon.

Besides their continued support to seek the release of the Cuban Five and demand that Posada Carriles be tried for his crimes, the solidarity gathering gave its support to the Cuban Revolution.

Also attending the gathering were Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, from the Cuban Communist Party Secretariat; Salvador Valdes Mesa, general secretary of the Cuban Workers Federation; and George Mavrikos, general secretary of the World Labor Federation.

ORFILIO PELAEZ (Granma)

Statements on Release of Luis Posada Carriles

While the Five Cuban Heroes remain in prison, falsely convicted in the United States, suspected terrorist Luis Posada Carriles has been let out of a U.S prison on bail whilst facing illegal immigration charges. The U.S Government refuse to extradite Posada Carriles to either Cuba or Venezuela to face charges relating to the bombing of Air Cubana Flight 455 which caused the deaths of 73 innocent people. To read official statements from the Cuban Government and the 118 member Non-Aligned Movement, download the documents from our 'Box' widget on the right hand side of the page.