Newspaper Sues US Government for Withholding Information on the “Cuban Five” 1

Washington, Jan 7 (Prensa Latina) U.S. Liberation newspaper sued today the State Department for denying access to the information necessary to address the case of the Cuban Five convicted and imprisoned in the U.S.A, said the attorney Mara Verheyden-Hilliard. The lawyer, executive director of the Fund for Civil Justice Association, stated at a press conference that the legal action is brought under the Freedom of Information Act to enforce the public’s right to information about the federal government’s payments to journalists in the United States to saturated the Miami media with hostile, inflammatory and prejudicial stories regarding the Cuban Five.

Between 1998 and 2001, the population of Florida received through the press, radio and television a flow of negative propaganda to persuade the jury and interfere in the legal process of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and René González. They are internationally known as The Five, and severe penalties were imposed to them in 2001 because they were monitoring violent groups based in Miami, from where actions have been organized during the past 53 years resulting in more than 3.400 victims in Cuba.

René González was released from prison in October 2011 after serving his sentence, but was subjected to three years of supervised release and only returned to the Caribbean nation last April when he renounced to his U.S. citizenship.

“They have refused to hand over documents from before November 1999, arguing that to that date Radio and Television Martí belonged to the United States Information Agency (USIA), said Verheyden-Hilliard while specifying that they did no authorized the access to any other data. The lawyer gave the press conference as part of a global day of solidarity with the Five which took place in Washington from May 30 to June 5.

Pace University’s “Left Forum” to Host Panel on The Cuban Five 1

Havana — (Prensa Latina) — The event is part of activities of the Left Forum, to be held on June 7-8, expected to be attended by thousands of people, said the National Free the Five Committee.

According to the solidarity group, the invitation was made in New York to all supporters of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez, internationally known as The Cuban Five.

Famous lawyer Martin Garbus, a member of The Cuban Five’s legal team; Stephen Kimber, a professor of the University of King’s College; Peter Roman, a professor in Hostos Community College; Keith Bolender, a professor in the Toronto University and Gloria La Riva, coordinator of the Committee, will be among the panellists.

The communiqué adds that besides the demand for the immediate release of these Cuban heroes, the panellists will examine the hostile US policy of blockade imposed on Cuba for over fifty years by successive US administrations.

The case of the Cuban Five is “an example of the US intransigence,” said the Committee.

Left Forum is a yearly conference that gathers in New York wide range left wing, progressive intellectuals, activists, scholars, organizations and public in general to discuss and share ideas about the current world situation.

Editor’s Note: Summary of the forthcoming Cuban Five session: http://www.leftforum.org/content/changing-cuba-stagnant-america-strategy-and-continuing-plight-cuban-five

Cuban Prisoner Alan Gross Settles Lawsuit Against Md. Company 1

WASHINGTON – (Associated Press) An American imprisoned in Cuba settled a lawsuit Thursday against the company he was working for when arrested, a lawsuit that claimed he wasn’t properly warned about or prepared for the risks of working in the communist nation. Alan Gross and his wife filed the lawsuit in November against the U.S. government and Bethesda, Md.,-based Development Alternatives Inc., a contractor for the government’s U.S. Agency for International Development. The $60 million lawsuit claimed Gross should have been provided with better information and training for his work setting up internet access points in Cuba.

Lawyers for DAI and the U.S. government had previously asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit. One of the lawyers’ arguments was that federal law barred the lawsuit because it was based on an injury suffered in a foreign country. Gross, 64, was arrested in Cuba in December 2009 on his fifth trip to work with Cuba’s Jewish community set up internet access points.

Gross was working for DAI under a contract with USAID, which does work to promote peaceful democratic change on the island. Cuba considers USAID’s programs illegal attempts by the U.S. to undermine the communist government, and court documents show Gross took steps to avoid detection and believed he was engaged in “very risky business.” A Cuban court subsequently convicted Gross of crimes against the state and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.

Lawyers filed a notice of the settlement Thursday in federal court in Washington. The settlement amount was not disclosed, and the agreement only covers Development Alternatives Inc., also known as DAI, not the government. DAI’s chief executive officer said in a statement that settling the lawsuit, in which neither party admits fault, allows the company to work together with Gross’ family to bring him home.

Gross’ wife Judy, who has traveled to Cuba on several occasions to see her husband, said in the same statement that the family is “very pleased that DAI has committed to help address the injuries sustained by our family.” “We want Alan back home, safe and sound,” she said.

Diplomatic efforts to win Gross’ release have so far failed, and the case has been a sticking point in improving ties between the two countries, which have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1961. The Cuban government has linked Gross’ case to that of five Cubans convicted of in 2001 of spying on U.S. military installations in South Florida as well as exile groups and politicians. Cuban officials have suggested they would be willing to free Gross in exchange for the men. Four of the men remain in prison in the United States. One man who completed his sentence but was serving probation in the U.S. was recently allowed to return to Cuba permanently.

By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press

Havana Times: Obama Must Set the Cuban Five Free 2

Por Elio Delgado Legón

HAVANA TIMES — In the course of over 14 years, I have often asked myself why so much secrecy has surrounded the case of the five Cubans who were detained in Miami in 1998. These men endured 17 months of solitary confinement in “the hole”, in violation of U.S. law, as well as a 3-year trial replete with similar violations of the country’s laws, and no newspaper made any effort to bring to light what was taking place.

I am referring to Miami’s newspapers, radio and television, yes, for these, to my knowledge, did not go on vacation in the three years the trial lasted. A number of journalists did work, but only to create an atmosphere charged with anti-Cuban sentiments and feelings of antipathy towards those they referred to as spies. We later found out that those journalists had been paid by the US government, to create precisely that kind of atmosphere and steer public opinion and the juries entrusted with the verdict towards those feelings of antipathy.

The judge turned down the petition to hold the trial in a more impartial venue, as the laws of the country demand. The juries were intimidated by Miami’s terrorists, terrorists whose identity everyone knows. In my opinion, the judge was also intimidated and threatened, for the ridiculously harsh sentences she imposed on the Cuban Five cannot be explained any other way.

Rene Gonzalez’ sentence was the least severe: 15 years in prison, a term he has already served. The most severe and irrational sentence was imposed on Gerardo Hernandez: two life sentences plus 15 years.

Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez had their initial sentences overturned and a subsequent re-sentencing took place as a result of an appeal process. However their second sentences were also irrational and unjust, for they were again accused of crimes they did not commit.

They tried to blackmail Rene, using his wife’s detention to pressure him into pleading guilty of espionage, in order to be able to accuse Cuba of spying on the United States. But a true revolutionary like Rene does not yield to blackmail. He would have had to lie, to his country’s detriment, to save himself from a sure conviction. They had no evidence against him, but they sentenced him to 15 years in prison nonetheless.

Conspiracy to commit murder was one of the unfounded charges brought against Gerardo, in connection with the downing, over Cuban waters, of two small planes belonging to the terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue (Hermanos al Rescate), an organization that had been systematically encroaching on Cuba’s airspace and dropping leaflets that called for an armed uprising against the government.

The organization had announced another fly-over for February 24 and the Cuban government had forewarned US air traffic authorities that, if they encroached on the country’s airspace again, they would be shot down in self-defense, because a terrorist organization could, at any moment, decide to drop bombs instead of leaflets.

Despite this, the planes took off from U.S. soil and penetrated Cuban airspace. The head of the organization didn’t take any chances; he stayed behind to watch his planes be shot down. If anyone is to be held responsible and pay for those deaths, it is Mr. Basulto, the person who sent them to a sure death, without even having had the courage to face the same fate. He used them as cannon fodder to later be able to accuse Cuba of murder.

The government of the United States has repeatedly refused to publish the satellite images which show the exact location where the planes were shot down, for these images show that the incident took place within Cuba’s airspace and, therefore, Gerardo cannot be held liable for the pilots’ deaths in any way.

Of all the charges brought against Gerardo and the other four anti-terrorist activists convicted, the only truthful one is that these men were acting as agents for the Cuban government without declaring this fact at the Attorney General’s Office. But acting as an agent does not mean conducting espionage. These men infiltrated terrorist organizations, not official institutions of the US government.

The Cuban Five have been the victims of innumerable irregularities and violations, violations I have enumerated in a previous post. This is the reason the US government doesn’t want the press to give the case any coverage, for, if the people of the United States knew what was happening, they would demand that this situation, which puts a stain on their country’s judicial system, be brought to an end. All of this ought to be considered by the Obama administration, which must set the Cuban Five free.

Editor’s Note: This article is an excellent example of disinformation, which is false or inaccurate information deliberately spread with the goal of making legitimate information useless. It is inherently different from misinformation, which is spreading information that is unintentionally false.

Cuba’s intelligence chieftains undoubtedly view the recent Justice Department decision allowing convicted spy Rene Gonzalez to remain in Cuba as a strategic victory. As a result, expect a sharp increase in the volume of disinformation and other propaganda emanating from Havana and its allies regarding its incarcerated spies.

CBS News Exclusive: Cuban Spy on Renouncing U.S. Citizenship 1

CBS News Exclusive: Cuban spy on renouncing U.S. citizenship

CBS News’ Portia Siegelbaum has an exclusive interview with Cuban intelligence agent Rene Gonzalez, who spent 13 years in a U.S. prison and two years of supervised probation in Florida before being allowed to renounce his citizenship.

Cuban Spy Slams U.S. 1

Cuban agent Rene Gonzalez reaffirms his commitment to the communist-led island and defends his fellow Cuban spies still in U.S. detention shortly after taking the first steps to renounce his American citizenship.

Cuban Spy Unrepentant, But Hopes For Better Ties 1

HAVANA (AP) — A Cuban intelligence agent who spent 13 years in a U.S. prison said Monday he still has affection for America and hopes to see the two countries reconcile, but added that he does not regret for a moment his decision to spy for Cuba. Rene Gonzalez also told The Associated Press he would welcome an exchange of prisoners that would send a jailed U.S. government subcontractor home in return for freedom for four other Cuban agents serving sentences in America. Speaking soon after renouncing his U.S. citizenship, Gonzalez called on President Barack Obama to show “courage” in changing U.S. policy toward the Communist-run island. “I would like to think that the North American government will meet the hopes of the whole world, which is telling it to change its policy toward Cuba,” Gonzalez said. “Courage is what President Obama needs now.”

The interview, conducted in the presence of his lawyer and a Cuban government representative, was Gonzalez’s first since U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard ruled Friday that he could remain on the Communist-run island in return for renouncing his U.S. citizenship. Gonzalez had asked for permission to do so several times, but the U.S. government initially refused. Lenard had earlier granted the 56-year-old leave to travel to Cuba to attend a memorial for his father, the second trip home he had been allowed to make since his release in 2011. Earlier Monday, Gonzalez arrived at the U.S. diplomatic compound in Havana accompanied by his wife and children to renounce his citizenship. He waved as onlookers shouted his name from surrounding buildings, then spent about 30 minutes inside completing the necessary paperwork.

Under U.S. law, Americans who choose to renounce their citizenship must do so at an overseas consular office. They are warned that the move is irrevocable, and must pay a $450 fee. Gonzalez‘s request must still be sent to Washington for approval, at which point he would receive a certificate of loss of nationality. Gonzalez, who was born in Chicago before moving to Cuba as an infant, is one of the so-called “Cuban Five.” The men were convicted in 2001 of spying on U.S. military installations in South Florida as well as exile groups and politicians. Gonzalez was released about a year and a half ago but ordered to stay in the U.S. while he served a three-year probation. The other four agents remain in jail.

The Five are celebrated as heroes in Cuba, with their faces staring down from highway billboards and restaurant shrines. Their case has received renewed attention since the 2009 arrest of Alan Gross, a U.S. government subcontractor who is serving a 15-year sentence after he was caught bringing communications equipment onto the island illegally while on a USAID-funded democracy building program. Cuba has suggested it would be willing to free the 64-year-old Maryland native in exchange for the five agents, something Washington has rejected, at least publically.

In the interview, Gonzalez said such an exchange would be “a good gesture on both sides in order to improve relations between Cuba and the United States.” He said he hoped his release would give hope to the other four agents and their families. Of his four co-defendants, 49-year-old Fernando Gonzalez, also known as Ruben Campa, is scheduled for release from an Arizona prison Feb. 27, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. Antonio Guerrero, 54, is set to walk out of a north Florida prison Sept. 18, 2017. The other two are serving much longer sentences. Gonzalez flew to Florida in 1990 on a crop duster that he had supposedly hijacked in order to defect. In reality, he was a Cuban agent from the start.

Finally reunited permanently with his wife and two daughters, Gonzalez insisted on Monday that he had never second-guessed his actions. “Nobody made me do it. They told me the risks, and I said ‘Yes,’” he said. “I did it as a Cuban patriot and I don’t have any regrets … I’ve never doubted myself for a second.” Gonzalez insists his activities never aimed to harm the United States or its people, but only to protect Cuba from a wave of bombings perpetrated by militant exile groups that aimed to sabotage the island’s tourism industry. An Italian man was killed.

He said he took no pleasure in renouncing his citizenship, though he has always felt more Cuban than American. “I have family in the United States and I left many friends there,” he said. “It is a country with a history that is admirable … One realizes that there is more that we have in common than what separates us.”

Breaking News: US Judge Allows Spy to Stay in Cuba 1

By Curt Anderson, Associated Press Legal Affairs Writer

MIAMI May 3, 2013 — A federal judge has agreed to allow a convicted Cuban spy to remain in Cuba permanently in exchange for renouncing his U.S. citizenship. The decision Friday by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard means that the first of the so-called Cuban Five spy ring will be returning to his homeland for good. Four others remain imprisoned in the U.S.

Rene Gonzalez was released from prison in October 2011 but was serving three years’ probation. The Justice Department initially opposed his request to serve probation in Cuba. Officials dropped their opposition when Gonzalez offered to renounce his U.S. citizenship. Gonzalez arrived in Cuba recently for what was originally to be a temporary visit to attend his father’s funeral. Gonzalez is a Cuban citizen, and has a wife and daughters living in Cuba.

The Cuban Five Condemn Boston Attacks 2

Washington, Apr 22 (Prensa Latina) The five anti-terrorist Cuban fighters unfairly held in US prisons expressed their solidarity with the US people in the wake of bomb attacks occurred a week ago at the end of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding another 180. “With extreme consternation and sorrow we could see the images of the attacks in Boston, which caused the loss of lives of innocent people and considerable material damage,” says a message from Ramon Labanino released today on behalf of him and his four comrades Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Rene Gonzalez and Gerardo Hernandez, all known as The Cuban Five and given harsh sentences for monitoring anti-Cuban actions by Miami-based terrorist groups.

Labanino, sentenced to 30 years in prison, said that the Cuban people knows very well the terrible scourge of terrorism and “understands and supports the US people and feels their sorrow.” He said “it is time for all of us to unite and wipe out this terrible evil in our societies. We have always been and will always be against terrorism, all kind of terrorism.”

Editor’s Note: Cuba’s intelligence services have a long history of terrorist acts against the United States, from its failed “Black Friday” attack in New York City and continuing with the support of numerous US-based terrorist groups from the 1960s through the 1980s, for example, the Weather Underground Organization (WUO).

The most dangerous US terrorists sustained by Havana were two Puerto Rican terrorist groups; the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) and the Boricua Popular Army (EPB). In testimony before a US Senate subcommittee, Dr. Daniel James claimed that Havana’s Directorate General of Intelligence (DGI), working through Filiberto Ojeda Rios, created FALN in 1974.

From 1980-1986, Puerto Rican terrorists conducted 55% of all domestic terrorist acts in the US. By the time these groups ceased their terrorist activity and moved to non-violent activism, they had killed more Americans and destroyed more property than any international terrorists in US history, with the exception of Al Qaeda’s 1994 and 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

More recently, after 9/11, Cuba flooded US Embassies around the world with provocation agents whose mission was to degrade and disrupt US Intelligence efforts supporting the war on terror. Details can be found in the Sun-Sentinel article, “Embassy Walk-ins Were Cuba Spies Sent To Mislead U.S., Experts Say,” http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2009-10-20/news/0910190393_1_cuban-intelligence-cuba-experts-cuban-agents

Secretary of State: No Swap of Cuban Spies for Alan Gross 1

By Juan O. Tamayo, jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com

Secretary of State John Kerry has declared the U.S. government will not swap five Cuban spies held in the United States for American Alan Gross, serving a 15-year prison term in Havana, but is pushing to win his release as a “humanitarian gesture.” “They were and have been attempting to trade Alan Gross for the five spies that are in prison here in the U.S., and we’ve refused to do that because there’s no equivalency,” Kerry testified Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Alan Gross is wrongly imprisoned, and we’re not going to trade as if it’s spy for spy,” Kerry added in response to a question from Rep. Albio Sires, a Cuban-American Democrat from New Jersey. But the U.S. government is “trying to find whether there is a humanitarian capacity or not” in Cuba to free Gross, a subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Kerry did not detail those efforts but noted he himself had tried to help Gross before he became secretary of state in February, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, visited Cuba recently, met with Gross, “and talked to the government.”

Gross’ imprisonment in Havana since Dec. 3, 2009 has become the key stumbling block in efforts to improve U.S.-Cuba relations. Relatives have complained that Gross’ health is failing. The 63-year-old Maryland man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for delivering communications equipment — paid for by USAID’s pro-democracy programs, which Cuba has outlawed, saying they are part of a “subversive” attempt to topple the government. The equipment, which was to be delivered to Cuba’s small Jewish community, would have given recipients’ access to the Internet without passing through government censors.

The five Cubans were convicted in a federal trial in Miami in 2001. One was sentenced to two life terms for his role in the deaths of four Miami men during the 1996 shoot-down by Cuban MiGs of two small civilian airplanes. Three are serving sentences of 18 to 30 years, and the fifth man, René González, was released in 2011 but is still serving three years of parole somewhere in Florida.

Kerry did not explain his comment to the committee that he himself had made efforts to free Gross, but he might have been referring to a secret meeting in 2010 with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez at the home of Havana’s ambassador to the United Nations. The meeting took place with State Department approval at a time when Kerry, who has traditionally favored closer engagement with Havana, was a Democratic senator from Massachusetts and chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. Kerry’s meeting and other U.S. government efforts to win Gross’ release were first reported early this year in a lengthy article in the respected Foreign Affairs magazine. His office did not challenge the report.

In a separate matter, the secretary of state told the House committee that he has worked through unofficial channels to try to find out more about retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, a South Florida resident who disappeared six years ago while on a trip to Iran. “On Levinson, I have actually engaged in some back-channel diplomacy in an effort to try to see if we can get something done there,” Kerry said, giving no further details. Levinson’s family in Coral Springs received a video in November 2010 showing a gaunt and bearded Levinson. The FBI has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the location and recovery of Levinson, who opened a private-investigations firm after his retirement.