Lawmakers Claim Release for Cuban Five

Havana, Cuba, Jul 30.- The International Relations Committee of Parliament on Friday demanded the release of the Cuban Five imprisoned in U.S. jails.

The lawmakers will work harder to fulfill the plan of activities to strengthen the global campaign to free those unfairly condemned for trying to prevent terrorist actions against Cuba.

Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Rene Gonzalez, Fernando Gonzalez and Antonio Guerrero were sentenced to long sentences in U.S. prisons after being victims of a legal process in Miami that has been challenged for its irregularities.

The legislators heard a report by Miguel Alvarez, an aid to the President of the National Assembly of the People's Power, Ricardo Alarcón.

Alvarez explained the legal steps the defense lawyers of the Five have taken with the support of the Cuban government and people to demand their release that could be resolved by President Brack Obama considering his constitutional powers.

One of them, Rene Gonzalez, will complete on October 7 his sentence of 15 years imprisonment imposed by a court in Miami, but he must remain in the USA for three more years on supervised release without being able to that country, said Alvarez.

In reviewing the irregularities of the trial, Alvarez recalled that government's funds were used to pay a group of journalists to exacerbate tensions and anti-Cuban sentiments during the trial and pressure the jury to declare them guilty.

One, Pablo Alfonso, won $ 270,000 USD for participating in the anti-Cuba media campaign designed to encourage long prison sentences for the five innocent Cubans as demonstrated by recently declassified documents, said Alvarez. (Prensa Latina).

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