Granma International
October 14, 2002

Posada Carriles in the “Renacer Hilton”

                   Will there be justice in Panama?

                   BY JEAN-GUY ALLARD (Special for Granma International)

                   LUXURIOUSLY accommodated in his presidential “suite” in the
                   El Renacer model prison, terrorist chief Luís Posada Carriles,
                   meeting with his three henchmen, observes the dilatory
                   maneuvers of his narco-attorney Rogelio Cruz and the slow
                   but sure reduction of the charges against him and his
                   accomplices. He is already dusting off his suitcases,
                   convinced that he will soon be on the road to his Salvadoran
                   “hole” from where he will be able to reinitiate his terrorist
                   activities. Meanwhile, his helpers will return to their Miami
                   homes in the capital of U.S. terrorism, without any concerns.

                   Posada, aged 74; Gaspar Jiménez Escobedo, 67; Guillermo
                   Novo Sampol, 62; and Pedro Remón, 58, were arrested
                   in Panama City, November 17, 2000, just after Cuba revealed
                   to the Panamanian authorities a conspiracy to assassinate
                   President Fidel Castro at a student assembly.

                   Posada shares with Orlando Bosch of Miami the title of “most
                   dangerous terrorist in the hemisphere” given to
                   him by the very FBI, despite the links of both of them with
                   the CIA. And without exception, his accomplices have a long
                   history of terrorism. Among other crimes, Jiménez murdered
                   Cuban technician Artaignan Díaz in Mexico; Remón
                   assassinated Cuban UN representative Félix García Rodríguez,
                   and Novo killed former Chilean Ambassador Orlando Letelier.

                   On November 19, 2000, the Panamanian authorities confirmed
                   that they had arrested various terrorists, among them
                   Posada, Jiménez, Novo and Remón. They also seized a large
                   quantity of C-4 explosives, made in the USA, along with
                   compromising documents, providing evidence of an extremely
                   grave conspiracy.

                   Nevertheless, in the following months, the apparent
                   determination of the Panamanian judicial apparatus to pursue
                   the four suspects gave way to foreign intervention,
                   maneuvers behind closed doors, press campaigns and other
                   tricks orchestrated by Miami Mafia bosses and Rogelio Cruz,
                   former prosecutor of the Republic, with a long record of ties to
                   the Colombian drug cartels. He was elected by the Miami
                   leaders to get their four protégés released from prison.

                   The conclusion: the amply justified extradition requests from
                   both Cuba and Venezuela against Posada were discarded, as
                   were a written request for DNA tests and the most recent
                   findings of those involved in protecting the four terrorists. The
                   explosives’ detonator mysteriously disappeared and suddenly,
                   the conspirators’ driver doesn’t remember ever having seen
                   the explosives.

                   This quartet of assassins is to be brought before the court for
                   the preliminary hearing on December 5. This does not involve
                   any charges of attempted murder, as logic would dictate, but
                   rather three minor charges: possession of explosives, illegal
                   association with the express purpose of breaking the law and
                   forgery of public documents. In accordance with Panamanian
                   legislation, the judge will determine during the preliminary
                   hearing if the case is even worthy of a trial or... if it should
                   be dismissed.

                   The most likely outcome is that the four indicted suspects will
                   be released from prison even if found guilty on the lesser
                   charges. After all, they’ve already done two years in jail.

                   THE LAW ACCORDING TO ROGELIO CRUZ

                   As attorney for the Miami mafia, attorney Rogelio Cruz is
                   clearly attempting to justify the huge salary he is being paid
                   by demonstrating his ability to use classic legal devices, in
                   which exercise he has a lot of experience. He is proclaiming
                   that his clients are suffering from a long list of illnesses,
                   denouncing the alleged violation of their human rights,
                   disinforming the press and constantly petitioning that they be
                   moved to more “adequate” quarters in order to put together
                   an eventual escape plan.

                   “Rogelio Cruz is guilty of slowing down the judicial process;
                   he wants to avoid any case,” declared Julio Barrios, the legal
                   representative for the popular groups, to the Mexican news
                   agency Notimex. Barrios denounced various attempts by the
                   narco-attorney to expel trade unions and student groups that
                   wish to participate in the eventual trial.

                   In vain, Cruz presented various appeals for habeas corpus to
                   the court in an effort to free his clients, but a move that did
                   procure them trial postponements. This technique is worth it
                   for their defense attorney as he continues to receive payment
                   for his service while the judicial process is prolonged.

                   Cruz likewise fruitlessly tried challenge Judge Enrique Paniza,
                   finally given the case, using the fallacious argument that he
                   had a “special interest” in the trial. The judge denied any
                   intent and a higher court rejected the petition.

                   TELEVISIONS, INTERNET AND UNLIMITED VISITS

                   Meanwhile, the four terrorists continue waiting for their lucky
                   break in the El Renacer model prison, on the verge of being
                   renamed the “Renacer Hilton” due to the number of privileges
                   granted to the Miami camarilla family.

                   Situated just 60 meters from the Panama Canal, which the
                   four terrorists view freely, inciting them to escape, the court
                   offered its most “distinguished” prisoners services of the likes
                   most Panamanian prisoners couldn’t even dream of.

                   In the El Renacer penitentiary, Posada, Jiménez, Novo and
                   Remón currently enjoy the comforts of a gilded cage, as
                   pointed out in a recent roundtable discussion on Cuban
                   television. This was confirmed by journalist Lázaro Baredo
                   who, as a Cuban deputy, had the opportunity to visit the
                   prison with a delegation of Ibero-American parliamentarians.

                   They have televisions, computers with Internet access, air
                   conditioning, different meals from those of the other
                   prisoners; they also receive a daily number of unlimited visits,
                   including other Miami terrorists, among them Santiago
                   Alvarez, whose criminal activities are widely documented.

                   “UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES” FOR BRIBERY

                   Reports recently prepared by Panamanian legal experts have
                   demonstrated that that country’s judicial system is subject to
                   both corruption and manipulation. Corruption is one of the
                   most serious problems of the Panamanian judicial system,
                   remarked the Pro-Justice Citizens’ Alliance last year. The
                   custom of judges accepting bribes behind closed doors
                   illustrates the absence of transparency that presents
                   “unlimited opportunities” for different types of illicit behavior,
                   commented the organization.

                   Present detention conditions authorized by a controversial
                   judge; the mafia-type methods of attorney Cruz; suspicious
                   visits in Panama by representatives of the Miami camarilla,
                   both to see the prisoners and to confer privately with the
                   national authorities; the disappearance of evidence; and the
                   reduction of charges against the four known terrorists, all
                   open the doors to every doubt.

                   The crime planned by Posada Carriles and his accomplices in
                   November 2000 was extremely grave and could have resulted
                   in a major massacre involving hundreds of students and
                   workers: in other words, Posada and his henchmen were at
                   the point of committing one of the most disastrous acts of
                   terrorism ever seen on the continent.

                   In light of their records, these four suspects have amply
                   demonstrated their capacity to coldly commit the worst acts
                   of terrorism.

                   Now that the charges against the four terrorists have been
                   reduced to minor offenses, they will soon be able to reinitiate
                   the same criminal activities they have honed over four
                   decades. And so, the question begs: will there be justice in
                   Panama?