CARACAS.— Anti-terrorist fighter René González, who along with his four compatriots is serving an unjust prison sentence for acting in defense of his country and humanity in general, has told the Venezuelan people that the solidarity emanating from Bolívar’s native land fills him with pride.

"This embrace from you all, laden with such a beautiful and rich history, is prize enough for the 45 years of the resistance and courage of the Cuban people."

And so begins the message to the Bolivarian people on behalf of the five Cuban compatriots, political prisoners of the empire, read out during the Anti-Imperialist Forum during the Bolivarian Congress of the Peoples.

"There is no empire with sufficient force to bring history to a standstill. There is no technology or military power that can crush the morale of our peoples. There will never be enough emperors to beat two peoples fused into one, those of Bolívar and Martí," affirmed René in his message.

Adriana Pérez, Gerardo’s wife, gave an account of the case and the cruelty experienced by the Five. "For this reason, we need to transmit the voice of truth to every corner of the world," she stressed. She recalled how there is a young girl who barely knows her father and that for the last six years she herself has not been given permission to visit her husband. She added that a similar situation is occurring with Olga Salanueva, René’s wife and mother of little Ivette. "We are demanding a retrial, outside of Miami, and that they allow us to visit them whilst the legal procedure is underway," she remarked.

She confirmed that despite the silence from the servile press, more than 200 solidarity committees have already been created in 130 countries.

"Cuba is not alone in this battle, it has the support of many people around the world and especially its brothers and sisters in Venezuela," concluded Orlando Rincones, national coordinator of the Free the Five solidarity organization.

At the Forum - one of the principal activities on the third day of the congress – participants condemned the foreign policy of the Bush government, as well as its war crimes, genocide and violations of sovereignty and self-determination of the peoples.

Haiman El Troudi, a delegate to the Bolivarian Congress, commented that the Venezuelan Revolution is reviving the flame of anti-imperialism in the hemisphere. Other contributions came from Iraqi Eman Khamas, director of the Observation Center of the Occupation; Daniel Yang from the U.S. Native American movement; and Freddy Bernal, mayor of Libertador neighborhood.