Freedom for the Cuban Five on the 11th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 and on the 14th anniversary of the imprisonment of the anti-terrorist Cuban Five

by Morteza Gorgzadeh

Sept. 11th, 2001 reminds us all of the ugly face of terrorism, which brought death and destruction to the people of the U.S. … of course, we remember Sept. 11th, 1973 when a military coup engineered by the C.I.A. and which brought dictator Pinochet to power in Chile, took the lives of tens of thousands of people.  And there are many other sad Sept. 11ths marked by other horrendous acts of terrorism.  Terrorists shall be followed and stopped in their tracks. But then...
 
… Sept. 12th, 1998:  Five young Cubans are arrested in Miami, Florida for having infiltrated terrorist organizations based in South Florida in order to expose their schemes and alert Cuba about impending terrorist attacks. To this date, 3478 Cubans have lost their lives to terrorist acts organized and launched from U.S. territory and thousands more remain permanently maimed.
 
If there were any justice in this world and true tribute was to be paid to the victims of terrorism, not only should the Cuban Five not be imprisoned but, in the words of the former U.S. Attorney General, Ramsey Clark, they would have to be honoured as Heroes of Humanity. 
 
When we remember Sept. 11th, 2001 we see the image of the planes hijacked by the terrorists and in our wishful thinking we look forward “to a day that such monsters never live free!".  Then, we are reminded of the very first act of air terrorism committed against Cuba when a Cubana Airliner was exploded in midflight on Oct. 6th, 1973 and all aboard perished.  The mastermind of this terrorist act, Luis Posada Carriles, is walking the streets of Miami as a free man.  How could it be!
 
Could we say that there are "good" and "bad" terrorists!
 
The Cuban Five did nothing but sacrifice their lives in order to stop the plots of terrorists such as Posada Carriles from coming to fruition and yet, they are the ones behind bars.
 
Nobel Prize winners, Oscar winning actors, renowned intellectuals, judges, jurists, singers … you name it!  Hundreds of thousands of people from across the globe have demanded the freedom of the Cuban Five and yet, on the 14th anniversary of their arrest, they remain imprisoned in the U.S.
 
THE BEST TRIBUTE EVER TO THE VICTIMS OF SEPT. 11TH, IS TO DEMAND FREEDOM FOR THE ANTI-TERRORIST CUBAN FIVE.