To: His Excellency, President Barack Obama, President of the United States of America
From: Free the Cuban 5 Campaign South Africa
9 September 2011
The South African Free the Cuban Campaign, appeals to the US President Barack Obama, to secure the urgent release from US prisons, of the Five Cuban citizens- René, Gerardo, Fernando, Ramón and Antonio. The Five were incarcerated in the United States on September 12th, 1998 for fighting to combat terrorism against the Cuban people, using US soil. They have amongst them served over 60 years in jail and subjected to inhumane detention conditions.
A judicial process with no warranties and a lack of evidence condemned them to unjust penalties that range from 15 years to 2 life sentences. The General Attorney of the United States has admitted that there was a lack of evidence in the process (2001). Still, the Cuban Five are still incarcerated in different prisons throughout the United States.
It is our opinion that the Cuban Five were victims of a political trial and that justice in American laws will remain a huge travesty if the five Cubans do not gain their immediate freedom from detention.
The Committee of Arbitrary Detentions of the United Nations is interested in the case and questions the environment in which the trial was performed.
After 13 years of defending their principles, the Five have been recognized by the world as fighters against terrorist plans that had Cuba as the target.
The only crime the Five have committed was to provide information about terrorist plans undertaken in the United States against the Cuban people; and to denounce terrorist plans against Cuba in which the American people were endangered.
Since their detention, they have suffered very strict measures: they have been isolated in the so called "hole"; the US government has done everything to prevent them from seeing their families; the American law has been broken and human rights have been violated in a number of occasions.
We call on the President of the United States who can and must release the Cuban Five, to be on the side of justice for the five, put at rest their unjustified suffering and release them immediately from US jails.
Signed by:
1. Gwede Mantashe
Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC)
2. Zwelinzima Vavi
General-Secretary of Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
3. Blade Nzimande
General-Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP)
4. General Secretary, South African National Civic Organisations (SANCO)
5. Chris Matlhako
General-Secretary of the Friends of Cuba Society of South Africa (FOCUS-SA)