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. (signatures)
June 17, 2001