Observer publishes letter on the Miami Five

_ The Observer has published extracts of a letter signed by 30 British gerneral secretaries, MPs and labour movement personalities calling on President Obama to allow Rene Gonzalez, one of the Miami Five to be allowed to return home to Cuba following his release from a US jail.

The full transcript of the Observer letter and original letter to Obama can be read here.

The Observer, Sunday 6 November, 2011
(from the website)

Allow this Cuban to go home

We appeal to President Obama to intervene to allow Cuban-American citizen René González to return home to Cuba following his release from Mariana prison, Florida, on 7 October.

Gonzalez is the first of five Cubans (the Miami Five) to be released for infiltrating terrorist groups in Miami, for which he was charged with conspiracy to commit espionage by the US government. He has been told he must serve three years' probation in the US and his lawyer and family are concerned for his safety if he is forced to remain there alongside the very terrorist groups he was monitoring.

Mr González's safety is also threatened by the statements from Cuban-born Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who called González an "enemy of America" with "blood on his hands", just days before his release.

Brendan Barber, General secretary, Trades Union Congress
Len McCluskey, general secretary, Unite the Union
Dave Prentis, general secretary, Unison
Paul Kenny, general secretary, GMB
Billy Hayes, general secretary, CWU
Mark Serwotka, general secretary, PCS
Christine Blower, general secretary, NUT
Bob Crow, general secretary, RMT
Keith Norman, general secretary, ASLEF
Sally Hunt, general secretary, UCU
Matt Wrack, general secretary, FBU
Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary, NUJ
Gerry Morrissey, general secretary, BECTU
Luke Crawley, deputy general secretary, BECTU
John Smith, general secretary, MU
Gerry Doherty, general secretary, TSSA
Michael Leahy OBE, general secretary, Community
Ronnie Draper, general secretary, BFAWU
Jonathan Ledger, general secretary, NAPO
Rob Miller, director, Cuba Solidarity Campaign, UK
Baroness Angela Smith, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cuba
Michael Connarty MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Kelvin Hopkins MP
Cathy Jamieson MP
Victoria Britain, journalist and writer
Steve Cottingham, OH Parsons Trade Union Lawyers
Stephen Cavalier, CEO Thompsons Solicitors

See the letter on the Observer webiste (5th letter down)
Labour movement appeals to Obama on the Miami Five
Write to Obama calling for Rene to be returned home

cuba-solidarity.org.uk