World Solidarity with the Cuban Five in Washington

The Five Days for The Five began June 4 in the U.S: capital with a press conference at the National Press Club, led by Canadian author Stephen Kimber and defense attorney Martin Garbus.

Garbus recalled that federal dollars were used to pay Miami journalists covering the Five’s trial in violation of U.S. law and that the defense team has repeatedly been denied access to government documents related to the case, another obstruction of justice.

Kimber, author of the book What Lies Across the Water, the Case of the Cuban Five criticized the legal proceedings and called on Obama to find a humanitarian solution to free the Five.

Activities continue today, June 5, for delegations from Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Caribbean, with a conference meant to examine the unchanged U.S. policy towards Cuba that has been in place for over fifty years and advocate for its change.

The opening session of the conference features actor Danny Glover, an advocate for changing the U.S. policy towards Cuba and a supporter of efforts to free The Cuban 5, arrested in the U.S. in 1998 for attempting to thwart attacks against Cuba planned and carried out by Cuban-exile groups located in Miami.

The event coincides with the 49th birthday of Gerardo Hernández, incarcerated in the Victorville, California, maximum security prison.

There will also be sessions focusing on the secret U.S. programs aimed at destabilizing Cuba, such as the USAID-sponsored ZunZuneo social media network; the history of terrorism committed against Cuba; and a legal update on the case of the Cuban 5.

Other notable speakers include Tom Hayden, Reverend Joan Brown Campbell, Canadian author Stephen Kimber, and attorney for the Cuban 5 Martin Garbus.

The Conference will close with a concert by critically acclaimed progressive hip-hop artists Dead Prez at the Auditorium of the Columbia Heights Educational Campus. Dead Prez will be backed up by D.C.’s own DJ PhenomeJon and other local artists.

GRANMA

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