Final Declaration from the Peoples’ Tribunal and Assembly for the Cuban Five

Final Declaration

With this Declaration, we bring to a close the work of the Breaking the Silence: Justice for the Five Peoples’ Tribunal & Assembly, held in the City of Toronto, Canada from the 21st to 23rd of September, 2012.

Over the past two and a half days, we have reviewed in detail the legal miscarriages and political intrigue which led to the detention and wrongful conviction of the Cuban Five – Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, and René González – patriots whose only “crime” was to investigate and expose the criminal, terrorist plots being hatched and executed against Cuba by hostile groups based in Southern Florida – extremist right-wing groups aided and abetted by the U.S. government. The Cuban Five never spied upon or otherwise threatened U.S. national security; they acted only to protect their native country and the lives of their people.

Once again, we affirm that these five Cubans are not only the innocent victims of a grotesque miscarriage of justice, and not only prisoners of conscience. They are all that. But they are also, and foremost, ‘prisoners of war’, an undeclared and unrelenting war which has been conducted by U.S. imperialism against Socialist Cuba and its people ever since the victory of the Revolution in 1959.

We express our deep appreciation for the tremendous legal work which has been and continues to be undertaken on behalf of the Five Cuban heroes. And we salute the tireless efforts of friendship and solidarity groups, trade union and labour organizations, the youth and student movement, First Nations organizations, progressive NGOs and other people’s organizations and concerned individuals in Québec and across the rest of Canada, as well as within the United States itself and indeed around the world, for speaking out in favour of winning justice for the Cuban Five and in demanding their immediate release, and for organizing campaigns and other initiatives to spread awareness of their plight and build pressure on the U.S. government to win their freedom.

At the same time, we express our anger at the intransigence of the U.S. authorities in refusing to reverse this grievous wrong, and at the mainstream corporate-controlled press & media for maintaining a ‘wall of silence’ around the case of the Cuban Five. We are convinced that our collective effort to break the silence and bring to light the full, untold story of the Cuban Five remains a decisive factor in ultimately overturning their conviction, winning their release and allowing them to return to their families in Cuba.

Despite all of the obstacles prolonging this injustice, we are not discouraged. We remain steadfast in our knowledge of the rightness of this cause, convinced that truth and justice will ultimately triumph. We draw strength from the victories – large and small – which have been won along the way. We are renewed by every solidarity initiative which helps spread awareness and build support for this struggle. And most of all, we are inspired by the Cuban Five themselves, by the remarkable courage and grace they have maintained through all they have endured over the past fourteen years.

At this Tribunal & Assembly, we have exchanged ideas and proposals on how we can move this struggle forward. It has been a dynamic and creative process, and while much remains to be done to bring these fresh ideas and initiatives to life, we are committed to ensuring their realization. We leave this Tribunal & Assembly with renewed energy and commitment, as well as a renewed sense of urgency, to broaden and deepen the solidarity movement supporting the Cuban Five. We will not be deterred. We will never give up this just fight. Let us move forward with vigour and unity.

Free the Cuban Five!

BACK  TO  ´PEOPLES´  TRIBUNAL  AND  ASSEMBLY  INDEX  PAGE