October 5th for the Cuban 5

Obama: The World is Waiting for a Gesture From You.  Free Them Now!

On the fifth of each month for the past sixteen months, without interruption, various personalities from the U.S. and other countries have sent letters to President Obama at the White House expressing their concern for the Cuban 5 and calling for their release.

The authors of these letters have included intellectuals, religious leaders, trade unionists, actors, writers, lawyers and academics, to this date none of them have received a response

Photo: Bill Hackwell

On this October 5th, the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban 5 reiterates what was expressed in a letter that on September 12 was rejected by a security guard of the White House and was sent by postal mail.

"The Five committed no crime, and did not threaten U.S. national security...As you know, the Five were arrested on September 12, 1998. The Chief of the FBI in Miami, HéctorPesquera, used tremendous resources to arrest them..."

"The FBI and government agencies knew that the Five posed no threat to U.S. national security, as was testified by General James Clapper, your current Director of National Intelligence, and other high ranking officials during the trial."

"With profound concern we ask ourselves if the unjust imprisonment of these men and the outrageous sentences against them were in fact a political vengeance."

This October 6 will mark the 37th anniversary of the brutal terrorist attack against a Cuban civilian airliner in which 73 innocent people lost their lives in 1976. Seventy-three families are still demanding justice while the perpetrators of this terrible crime live freely in Miami.

We must continue to push President Obama to put an end to this hypocrisy. We should demand that he jail or extradite Luis Posada Carriles to Venezuela and release the Cuban 5 Now!

International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban 5

---