[RSF] I: LETTER TO AMERICAN INTELLECTUALS AND ARTISTS

er i cinque cubani accusati di terrorismo

LETTER TO AMERICAN INTELLECTUALS AND ARTISTS

On June 15, the US Supreme Court refused to review the case of the five
Cuban anti-terrorist activists unjustly imprisoned in your country. This is
another chapter in a long series of injustices that have resulted in over 10
years' loss of liberty for Gerardo Hernandez, Rene Gonzalez, Ramon
Labanino, Antonio Guerrero y Fernando Gonzalez.

Thus, a unanimous call from numerous voices in the world at large and the
United States itself has fallen on deaf ears. The appeal the lawyers
submitted to the Court was endorsed by ten Nobel prize-winners, hundreds
of parliamentarians in Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, jurists
professional bodies and a large number of religious, academic, cultural and
human rights institutions all over the world.

The five Cubans were convicted in Miami, following a trial that was
manipulated by the Cuban-American extreme right wing. The South
Florida-based groups, organized and carried out acts of terrorism against
Cuba that cost innocent lives, with the connivance and support of US
authorities.

The five men never posed a threat to US national security, or acted against
a single American citizen. Their aim was to prevent the terrorists, operating
with impunity on American soil, from carrying out their plans.

President Barack Obama has the power to free these five Cubans. Doing
so would be an act of pure justice and would be consistent with his speech
on May 21 last in Washington, in which he spoke of restoring legality in the
fight against terrorism.

We are convinced that if the American people knew the truth about these
five men, they would spare no effort in getting them released and returned
to their families.

We appeal to you again, dear colleagues, to publicize the truth about this
case, by whatever means you have at your disposal.

Havana, 19 June 2009
CUBAN NATIONAL UNION OF WRITERS & ARTISTS (UNEAC)