| A heroic behavior in the entrails of the monster
• Revolting injustice against five Cuban patriots • Declared
guilty in rigged and cynical trial for discharging their duty to inform our people of
terrorist actions by the Cuban American mob • A
brave message to the American people that will go down in history
Last June 8, five fellow countrymen who in
the very entrails of the monster risked their lives daily to discover and inform on the
terrorist plans hatched against our people by the Cuban American Mafiosi under the
tolerant eye, and with the complicity, of the U.S. authorities, were declared guilty of
infamous and false charges in a Miami court of law.
A rigged, prejudiced and misinformed jury,
working under tremendous pressure brought on them by the authorities, the media and the
poisoned and stinking atmosphere of Miami, have declared them guilty of grossly
manipulated and deceitful charges which were never proved but for which they could be
sentenced to remain for the rest of their lives in hostile, ruthless and subhuman jails in
the United States of America.
All sorts of outrages and humiliations have
been practiced against them, including punishment in solitary confinement cells for long
periods of time; three of them have spent up to 17 months there deprived of all contact
with their immediate families.
Given the nature of their heroic mission, it
was necessary to wait for the development of the long and sinister process from their
detention until the unfair decision passed by the jury, before we could begin to expose
and denounce the shameful conduct of the Miami law enforcement and judicial authorities.
After almost three years of anonymous and exemplary heroism, the time has come to display
the whole truth.
Based on a moving message addressed to the
American people and signed by our five fellow countrymen, today the true history will
begin to come up in successive televised round tables. Our people will be given every
possible detail on the subject that do not affect the indispensable need to preserve
methods, tactics and information sources that should be protected.
Our countrymen, who have become the victims
of such an atrocious injustice while discharging a sacred duty with their nation, are not
ignorant or unprincipled people but rather well-educated men with deep moral and patriotic
convictions. They are: René González Sehwerert, a flight instructor and a specialist in
aviation technology; Ramón Labañino Salazar, a Major in Economy, graduated suma cum
laude at the Havana University; Fernando Gonzalez Llort, a Major in International
Relations from the "Raúl Roa García" Higher Education Institute; Antonio
Guerrero Rodríguez, a civil engineer specialized in the construction of airways and
Gerrardo Hernández Nordelo, also a Major in International Relations graduated from the
"Raúl Roa García" Higher Education Institute.
Following is the full text of the message
addressed to the American people by the five Cuban patriots from the rigorous jail in
Miami where they are unfairly and cruelly being kept prisoners:
"MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
"We are five loyal Cubans, who for 33
months and five days have endured a severe imprisonment in the jails of a nation where
hostility against our own is obvious with its authorities. Then, after a long and infamous
trial directed by manifestly political objectives, methods and procedures and overwhelmed
by a real deluge of maliciously concocted propaganda, we have decided to address the
American people to let them know the truth, that we are the victims of a terrible
injustice.
"We have been accused of endangering
the security of the United States and indicted on numerous charges, including crimes such
as conspiracy to commit murder that could not, and cannot, be proven for they are false
but for which we could be sentenced to dozens of years of imprisonment and even to life
sentences.
"A body of Miami jurors, and this
explains it all, declared us guilty of all charges. But we are just Cuban patriots and it
was never our intent to cause any harm to neither the values nor the integrity of the
American people.
"Our tiny nation, that has heroically
survived four decades of aggressions and threats to its national security, of subversive
plans, sabotages and destabilization, has every right to defend itself from its enemies
who keep using the U.S. territory to plan, organize and finance terrorist actions breaking
your own laws in the process.
"Our country is also entitled to peace,
respect for its sovereignty and for our most sacred interests.
"In the four years that we have spent
in this country, we have never stopped wondering why is it that our two peoples cannot
live in peace and how is it possible that the mean interests of the extreme right,
including terrorist groups and organizations made up by Cuban Americans, can strain
relations between two peoples that are so close geographically and that could easily
maintain relations based on respect and equality.
"In our prison stay we have had the
time to reflect on our behavior in this country and we can say, without the shadow of a
doubt, that neither with our attitude nor our actions have we in any way interfered with,
or jeopardized the security of, the American people. What we have certainly done is
contribute to exposing terrorist plans and actions against our people, thus preventing the
death of innocent Cubans and Americans.
"Why is it necessary for Cuban patriots
to stay away from their loved ones and postpone an otherwise joyful life with their
families and people to discharge the honorable duty of protecting their homeland?
"Why are the U.S. authorities tolerant
with these terrorists who act against our country? Why don’t they investigate or take
action against the terrorist plans denounced by Cuba or try to prevent the numerous
attempts against the life of our leaders?
"Why is it that the professed authors
of these and other terrorist actions are still loose in South Florida as was clearly
established during the trial?
"Who trained them and who are allowing
them to carry out their plans?
"Who are those really endangering the
security of the United States of America?
"They are the terrorist groups made up
by Cuban Americans and their political and economic mentors in America who are gnawing
away at the credibility of this country, giving this nation an appearance of ruthlessness
and misleading its institutions to an inconsistent, prejudiced and erratic behavior. They
are the same individuals who forestall a serious and sensitive approach to Cuba related
issues.
"Such groups and their mentors have
joined in a coordinated drive to bring about conflict between our two countries. To that
end, they keep promoting with both the legislative and the executive branches of
government increasingly aggressive measures against Cuba.
"They want to continue to update a
long-standing history of invasions, sabotages, biological aggressions and other similar
actions, while sparing no effort to create situations that might lead to incidents of
grave consequences to both our peoples.
"The result of such aggressions against
Cuba is that 3478 people were killed and 2099 were maimed between 1959 and 1999,
notwithstanding very costly material losses.
"Yet, they persist in their propaganda
campaigns offering the American people a distorted image of Cuba and trying to prevent
with different pretexts, laws and regulations that Americans travel freely to Cuba to know
first hand the real situation there. Likewise, they set every obstacle to cooperation in
areas of common interest such as illegal migration and drug-trafficking that brings so
much pain to the American people.
"All this is compounded by constant
requests for ever higher and fresh amounts of money from the government, thus affecting
the American taxpayers, simply to finance their actions against Cuba. The enormous amounts
of money that keep pouring into radio and TV broadcastings, as well as to financing their
subjects on the island, take away resources that could better be used to cope with social
problems afflicting Americans.
"There are recent examples of these
groups’ clout and pressures on the Miami community, its government agencies and even
its judicial system.
"It would be in the best interest of
the American people to get rid of the bad influence of such extremists and terrorists that
cause so much damage to the United States by breaking its own laws.
"We have never done anything for money.
We have always lived modestly and acted humbly, living up to the sacrifices of our own
people.
"We have always been moved by a strong
sentiment of human solidarity, love for our homeland and contempt for that which goes
against the dignity of the human person.
"The defendants in this trial are in no
way repentant of what we have done to defend our country. We declare ourselves non guilty
and simply take comfort in the fact that we have honored our duty to our people and our
homeland. Our loved ones understand the depth of the ideas that guide us and they will
take pride in our sacrifices for Humanity in this struggle against terrorism and for the
independence of Cuba.
René Gonzalez, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez Llort,
Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernández
June 17, 2001
Translated by ESTI |
