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- The Case of The Cuban 5 Must be an Issue Everywhere!
Vancouver Activists Continue Organizing for Cuban 5 heroes
By Sarah Alwell and Noah Fine
Don’t put me staring at the darkness.
Don’t intend to try me as a traitor.
I am a man, a good one, you can be sure,
And I will die someday, facing the sun
~ Antonio Guerrero, one of the Cuban 5 heroes
To know the case of the Cuban 5 is to know the great injustice and brutality that the U.S. government has quietly been carrying out against the people of Cuba for the last 5 decades and against 5 innocent men, who have been unjustly imprisoned in U.S. jails for over 14 years.
But to know the case of the Cuban 5 is to also know the tremendous courage, humanity and dignity of 5 men who sacrificed their lives in the battle for justice and against all odds, refuse to give up in the struggle for a better world.
Gerardo Hernandez, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and René Gonzalez, known internationally as the “Cuban 5” were unjustly imprisoned in the U.S. for peacefully defending their people against Miami-based terrorist groups responsible for the deaths of over 3,400 civilians in Cuba. Four of the 5 unjustifiably remain behind U.S. bars today, while René Gonzalez who was released from prison last year for having completed his sentence, is being forced against his will to remain on parole in Florida for three years without being allowed to return to his homeland and visit his family in Cuba.
The struggle continues!
Thousands of people all over the world are joining together to demand the immediate freedom of the Cuban 5 heroes, and here in Vancouver BC, the campaign for their freedom persists stronger and louder than ever as the Free the Cuban 5 Committee Vancouver continues to organize monthly protest actions as part of the international “5th of the month for the Cuban 5” campaign.
On October 5th supporters of the Cuban 5 heroes in Vancouver gathered together in front of the U.S. Consulate to demand freedom for the Cuban 5 and justice for the victims of anti-Cuba terrorism, marking the 36th anniversary of the 1976 bombing of Cubana flight 455 which killed all 73 innocent passengers on board. While the Cuban 5 remain imprisoned, the terrorist responsible for the bombing, Luis Posada Carrriles, continues to walk free in Miami, Florida.
On November 5th, as part of the culmination of the 5th Annual Vancouver International Che Guevara Conference, dozens of people came together in front of the U.S. Consulate to once again demand freedom for the 5 Cuban Heroes. Many new faces joined to participate in the 84th monthly protest, most of which had heard about the case of the Cuban 5 for the first time during the Che Guevara Conference where the case of the 5 Heroes was an important topic of discussion throughout the workshops.
Protesters promised to return to the U.S. consulate every single month until the Cuban 5 are free and with their families in Cuba.
Next, the Free the Cuban 5 Committee Vancouver will be participating in the “8th Colloquium for the Freedom of the Cuban 5 Heroes & Against Terrorism” to be held in Holguin, Cuba, from November 28th – December 1st, where hundreds of people from all over the world will come together to discuss how we can strengthen the international campaign for the freedom of the 5 heroes.
The Free the Cuban 5 Committee Vancouver also encourages all people in Vancouver to join the 85th monthly protest action on December 5th outside the U.S. Consulate (1075 W. Pender St.) at 4pm to demand “Hey Obama: Free the Cuban 5 Now!”
For more information please visit:
www.freethe5vancouver.caBack to Article Listing