UN Commissioner Urged to Join Campaign for Cuban Five

_ Escrito por Raquel Maria Garcia Alvarez    

(Prensa Latina) Cuban Ambassador in Geneva Rodolfo Reyes urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, to join the world opinion in favor of the release of five anti-terrorist Cuban fighters held in US prisons.

Millions of people worldwide are trying to pull down the wall of silence imposed by the US government around the case of The Cuban Five, as they are internationally known, and demand their immediate release, said Reyes.

Cuba’s permanent representative sent Pillay on Monday the final declaration of the 7th International Colloquium for the Release of The Cuban Five and against Terrorism, held in the Cuban province of Holguin on Nov. 16-19.

In the event, more than 400 delegates from 50 nations denounced the situation of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez, who are serving lengthy prison sentences for warning their people of terrorist acts by Miami-based anti-Cuban groups.

On October 7, Rene Gonzalez was released from prison, but US authorities forced him to remain in the United States an additional three years under supervised release, preventing him from returning home and reuniting with his family.

Reyes urged again the High Commissioner to join the world opinion and make a public statement or any other timely action demanding the return home of Rene Gonzalez and the release of his four comrades.

The Cuban ambassador addressed similar messages to the president of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

Prensa Latina