The Untold Story of the Cuban Five by Ricardo Alarcón Quesada, President of Cuban National Assembly

[Better Believe It]

August 11, 2009

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five
Forbidden Heroes
By RICARDO ALARCÓN de QUESADA
Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada is president of the Cuban National Assembly.

“It takes all the running you can do,
to keep in the same place”

Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll


Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González were detained in the early hours of Saturday September 12th, 1998, and locked for the next 17 months in punishment cells, in solitary confinement. The main accusation against them--as recognized by the prosecutors and the judge from their indictment to the last day of the trial--was that they had peacefully, with no weapons, penetrated ant-Cuban terrorist groups with a view of reporting back to Cuba about their criminal plans.

Was it conceivable to have a fair trial in Miami for any Cuban revolutionary facing such an accusation? Could that happen while the kidnapping of Elian was going on with its surrounding atmosphere of violence, hatred and fear?

The same government that was obligated to deal with Miami as a sort of rebel city and to secretly send there its forces to restore legality, lied repeatedly about the venue issue, denying the defendants a right so cherished by Americans, and refused to move the proceedings to the neighbouring city of Fort Lauderdale, half an hour away from Miami.

Such a flagrant contradiction, a clear proof of prosecutorial misconduct, of real prevarication, was one of the main factors leading to the unanimous decision of the Court of Appeals panel, in 2005, to vacate the convictions of the Five and order a new trial. (Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, No. 01-17176, 03-11087). That historic decision was later reversed by the majority of the entire Court under pressure from Attorney General Alberto González in an action that went contrary to the normal US legal practice. Mr. González's successful move, a manifestation of his peculiar legal philosophy, foreclosed the possibility of a just resolution of this case in a manner that would have honoured the United States.

In Leonard Weinglass words:

“The trial was kept secret by the American media. It is inconceivable that the longest trial in the United States at the time it was taking place was only covered by the local Miami press, particularly where generals and an admiral as well as a White House advisor were all called to testify for the defense. Where was the American media for six months? Not only was this the longest trial, but it was the one case involving mayor issues of foreign policy and international terrorism. The question should be directed to the American media, with continues to refuse to cover a case with such gross violations of fundamental rights, and even violations of human rights of prisoner”. (www.antiterroristas.cu September 12, 2003).

Elian was saved because Americans knew about his case and got involved and made justice prevail. The Five are still incarcerated--it will be 11 years next September--victims of a terrible injustice, because Americans are not permitted to know.

The Five are cruelly punished because they fought against terrorism. They are heroes. But forbidden heroes.

Please read the complete article at:

http://www.counterpunch.org/alarcon08112009.html

[blindpig]

1. k&r n/t