Rosa Aurora Freijales, wife of Fernando Gonzalez, maintained Havana’s position that the espionage was committed by the regime in self-defense.  No mention was made of the spies’ role in the February 1996 murder of four members of the American humanitarian group, Brothers to the Rescue.  Meanwhile, Elizabeth Palmeiro, wife of Ramon Labañino, complained that the world’s mainstream media ignored the plight of the five spies to the benefit of the United States.

Francisco Hernandez, Vice President of the Spanish brigade, claimed they conduct monthly rallies in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol areas and in front of the US embassy.  The goal, according to ACN, was “raising a wave of solidarity from Europe to the United States, since solidarity is the main way to bring the Cuban five back home…”

Editor’s Note: For a concise summary of ICAP’s collaboration with Cuban Intelligence, see the July 5^th posting, “Spy Surrogate to Host “Free the Five” Symposium,:”  http://cubaconfidential.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/spy-surrogate-to-host-free-the-five-symposium/

July 22^nd 2012

We are convinced that if US public opinion knew about the injustice committed against these men, the American people would take sides with us in our struggle to bring them home, said deputy foreign minister Ana Teresita Gonzalez in a meeting with the Parliament Foreign Affairs Commission, referring to the case of the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters held in the U.S. since 1998,.

The parliamentarians addressed the need to raise awareness on the case among the American people as crucial factor to achieve the return to Cuba of the five heroes. The Parliament, the Foreign Ministry and other Cuban institutions have as major objective in their agendas, their actions to break the wall of silence raised in the world and particularly in the United States to prevent the truth of the Cuban five case from being known, said the government official.

Gerardo Hernandez, Rene Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Ramon Labañino were given extremely long sentences after they monitored US-based ultra-right organizations that have undertaken terrorist actions against Cuba over the past 50 years.

Rene Gonzalez, was released from prison after having met his 12-year sentence but he has been forced to stay under a three-year probation in the United States, even though his family is in Cuba.

We have witnessed the clear intention to prevent anybody from knowing who these five men are and why Cuba needed to have them there, said the deputy foreign minister and went on to add that achieving their return home is a priority of Cuban foreign policy.

Later, in statements to reporters, deputy minister Gonzalez insisted that the foreign press and particularly the US media keeps silent about the sentences given to the five Cubans.

“We are working hard to have this case known,” she pointed out.

The Cuban government official referred to the work of supportive parliamentary groups, organizations and lawmakers from other nations, whose actions have yielded results.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry is making efforts through its embassies in different countries to promote the truth of the case and to explain the unfair incarceration of the anti-terrorist fighters.

These efforts are being joined by committees for the release of the five heroes and the Cuban Friendship Institute, she said and noted that “when we gain this battle over the mainstream media, particularly in the U.S., which is silencing the case today, we will achieve the return of our heroes.”

YESCuba News
Kingston, Jamaica

In the Havana’s Conventions Center, Ramon Pez Ferro, president of the Foreign Relations Standing Commission of the Parliament, stressed that to get Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Rene Gonzalez back to the homeland, is in the center of the efforts of that body, and the rest of the Cuban legislature.  After being released in October last year from jail after serving an over-a-decade long sentence, Rene Gonzalez is still being held in the US under “supervised release.”

The lifting of the US economic, commercial and financial against the island and to fight anti-Cuba media campaigns orchestrated by the enemies of the Revolution, were also mentioned by Pez Ferro as permanent labor guidelines of the commission which he presides.   In reviewing the work of the committee during the first day of meeting of the 12 standing commissions of the legislature, the deputy also reported that the ANPP contacts with parliaments of other nations and individuals was considerable in the first half of the current year.  He stressed that at so far this year, his Commission held meetings with leaders of 69 countries and now it has close links with 98 friendship parliamentary groups.

ACN also trumpeted the opening of a Cuban Film Festival 253 miles away in the municipality of Ovalle, Chile.  Among the predictable lineup of movie selections was “Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand Up?,” directed by Castro apologist Saul Landau.

In a statement to the Cuban News Agency (ACN), Salanueva called her gesture “an expression of gratitude on behalf of the relatives of Gerardo Hernandez, Fernando González, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and Rene.”  She applauded Farrell’s initiative and cited it as an example of how other high-profile sympathizers could help the cause. 

Editor’s Note:  Salanueva was deported from the US on humanitarian grounds to raise her children after her husband was arrested for espionage in 1998.

RENE GONZALEZ

EFE

Miami — El cubano René González, que fue condenado por espionaje en EEUU y ahora está bajo libertad supervisada en Miami, presentó una moción en la que solicita que se le permita regresar a Cuba para reunirse con su familia y reinsertarse en la sociedad.

González dijo en la moción presentada el pasado 22 de junio que después de ocho meses de “separación” renovaba su petición a la jueza federal encargada del caso para retornar a la isla caribeña, de acuerdo con el documento de 19 páginas que Efe obtuvo hoy.

Su abogado, Philip Horowitz, argumentó que González ha cumplido con todos los requisitos impuestos desde que salió de prisión el 7 de octubre de 2011, tras pasar trece años en una cárcel del estado de Florida y está cumpliendo tres años de libertad supervisada.

Recordó que su cliente ha salido de Estados Unidos solo en una ocasión con previa autorización de la jueza Joan A. Lenard, encargada del caso, para visitar a un hermano gravemente enfermo y regresó en el plazo fijado por la magistrada.

Otro de los argumentos es el temor a su seguridad que siente González desde que salió de prisión porque al ser convicto como un agente del Gobierno de Cuba es “vilipendiado” por un “significativo” número de personas con puntos de vistas anticastristas y algunos han “propugnado la violencia”.

El cubano se ha visto obligado a tomar fuertes medidas para mantener en secreto el lugar donde reside y resguardar su identidad, además de vivir prácticamente escondido, según el documento.

También dijo estar dispuesto a renunciar a su nacionalidad estadounidense para probar al tribunal y al Gobierno de EE.UU. que no intentará regresar a este país “con ningún propósito sospechoso”.

René González, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labaniño, Fernando González y Antonio Guerrero fueron hallados culpables en 2001 de conspirar y operar como agentes extranjeros sin notificar al Gobierno estadounidense, tras desmantelar el FBI la red de espionaje “Avispa” en 1998.

La red se infiltró en grupos del exilio cubano y espió instalaciones militares estadounidenses en el sur de Florida, según las autoridades.

“Los Cinco”, como son conocidos en Cuba, admitieron que eran agentes del Gobierno cubano, pero afirmaron que espiaban a “grupos terroristas de exiliados que conspiraban” contra el entonces mandatario Fidel Castro, y no al Gobierno estadounidense.

René González fue condenado a 15 años de cárcel, que por buena conducta se redujeron a 13; Labañino a 30 años; Fernando González a 17 años; Hernández, considerado el líder de la red, a dos cadenas perpetuas y Antonio Guerrero a 21 años.
Source: el Nuevo Herald

MIAMI — A convicted Cuban spy who finished his U.S. prison time is again asking a federal judge to allow him to return to Cuba to serve probation.

The attorney for Rene Gonzalez says in recent court papers that he has complied with all probation requirements since his October release from prison.  Gonzalez served about 13 years for his role in a ring that prosecutors say spied on Cuban exiles and tried to infiltrate military bases and political bases.

Gonzalez and four others still imprisoned are known as the “Cuban Five” and celebrated as heroes in Cuba.

Gonzalez has served about eight months of his three years’ probation.  His attorney says he wants to return to resume a normal life and be close to his wife and daughters.

On March 12, 2012, the National Lawyers Guild made Roberto González an honorary member “in recognition of his contributions as an human rights defender and, in particular, his efforts in the case of the Cuban Five.  NLG Executive Director Heidi Boghosian went on to state “Roberto’s career and his steadfast support of his brother are emblematic of the Guild’s basic principle that human rights are more sacred than property interests. We are proud to count him in our numbers.”

Apparently unaware of the Cuban Five’s assistance in the February 1996 murder of four Americans, the NLG press release misidentified the convicted spies as “a group of political prisoners”

“On background, a source apprised of the dealings among Gross’ advocates, the U.S. government and the Cubans says that Gross’ advocates are willing to press for visits by the wives of two of the Cuban Five, Rene Gonzalez and Gerardo Hernandez. The U.S. has refused visas multiple times for the women, and Amnesty International has taken up their cause.

Another possible “give,” according to the source:  a permanent return to Cuba for Gonzalez, who is out of jail and serving probation in the Miami area.”

Read the full article here:  Consideration of Cuban demands

Omitted from the story is Washington’s rationale for banning visits by the wives of René González and Gerardo Hernandez.   Following the arrests of Wasp Network spies in September 1998, Hernández’s wife, Adriana Pérez O’Connor, was identified as “Agent Bonsai.”  Her mission was to courier messages and material between Havana and Miami.  Still in training as an intelligence asset at the time of the arrests, she and her children were deported and permanently banned re-entry visas.

In an act of unappreciated generosity, the U.S. also decided not to charge Olga Salanueva (wife of René González) with espionage and deported her and the children to Cuba.  However, her espionage career renders her ineligible to ever return to the United States, even to visit her incarcerated husband.

The U.S. allows family members of the three other members of the Cuban 5 almost limitless visas.  In addition to the long and frequent family visits, Cuban government officials also often enjoy visits with all five convicts.

See also:  US Department of State.   “The “Cuban Five: Cuban intelligence operatives often misrepresented as political prisoners,” June 9, 2008, http://www.docstoc.com/docs/14807527/The-%E2%80%9CCuban-Five%E2%80%9D

Havana succeeds in yet another “Influence Operation.”  Cuban spy Olga Salanueva, wife of Cuban 5 spy René González, met with Uruguayan President Jose Mujica and secured his support for the imprisoned Cubans.  Salanueva was deported from the US on humanitarian grounds to raise her children after González was arrested for espionage in 1998.

Published on Mar 18, 2012 by CubaSolidarity 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX-0Cc2TrLc&feature=related