Granma International
March 11, 2002

The U.S. government will never have the moral authority to fight terrorism,
as long as it continues to use such practices against countries like Cuba

                   Speech given by President Fidel Castro at the ceremony to decorate
                   the mothers and wives of the five Heroes of the Republic of Cuba
                   imprisoned in the United States, held at the Karl Marx Theater on March
                   8, 2002, Year of the Heroes Imprisoned by the U.S. Empire.

                   (TRANSLATION OF THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE)

                   Compatriots:

                   Throughout history we have paid tribute to legendary heroes and
                   heroines, those glorious examples of bravery, unselfishness and the
                   spirit of sacrifice that always inspire whole generations in their fight
                   for a better, more humane and fairer world. There have, however,
                   been very few times when we have been able to live alongside those
                   men and women.

                   The five Heroes of the Republic of Cuba imprisoned in the empire,
                   their admirable mothers and wives, our contemporaries and the pride
                   of our country, have deeply touched the hearts of their people and,
                   we can say, in every one of our sons and daughters, without
                   exception.

                   They are here today, on International Women’s Day, in a moving and
                   solemn ceremony that will surely never fade from our memories as
                   they receive the Mariana Grajales and Ana Betancourt Orders, are
                   Carmen, Magali, Irma and Mirta; Adriana, Rosa Aurora, Olga and
                   Elizabeth; the mothers and wives of Gerardo, Fernando, René,
                   Antonio and Ramón.

                   Absolutely innocent of the charges, after 16 months of isolation and
                   seven months of a rigged trial where the lies, hypocrisy and cynicism
                   of the accusers were shattered, three have been sentenced to life
                   imprisonment and two to long stretches in jail.

                   In yet another manifestation of rage and hate, they continue to
                   receive heartless and brutal treatment. Thinking that their morale and
                   strength can be destroyed, the courts have put them in five
                   top-security prisons, with a minimum of 1,400 kilometers between
                   each jail, after a hazardous and cruel journey, always held in
                   punishment cells, and then thrown into the general population of
                   prisons where control, impartiality and moral leadership are
                   conspicuous by their absence. This is a harsh test of our heroes’
                   unshakable strength and valor. And this is being done to men who,
                   seeking information about terrorism, were defending their people to
                   the death.

                   Alleging the same objective, the United States has launched all its
                   forces to invade nations, using its most sophisticated and destructive
                   weapons, declaring a long, indefinite and imprecise world war against
                   terrorism.

                   With the height of superiority and arrogance, it has threatened more
                   than 80 countries and taken the liberty to indicate which are, or are
                   not, terrorists. It also has the gall to mention Cuba among those
                   terrorist nations, when in reality thousands of Cubans have died as a
                   result of terrorism from the United States, and not one single U.S.
                   citizen has suffered the slightest scratch or harm from any act of this
                   type by Cuba.

                   It goes without saying that our country cannot be intimidated. By
                   using such stupid threats, they are banging their heads against a brick
                   wall.

                   The U.S. government must ask Cuba’s forgiveness for the thousands
                   of acts of aggression, sabotage and terrorism committed against our
                   country for the last 43 years. The U.S. government must ask Cuba’s
                   forgiveness for over three decades of economic war and the total
                   blockade of food and medicine; these are genocidal acts which even
                   in times of war are sanctioned by 1948 and 1949 international
                   treaties signed by both nations. The U.S. government must
                   compensate our country for crimes that have caused enormous
                   suffering and the loss of tens of thousands of lives. The U.S.
                   government must break with the Miami terrorist mafia, which
                   organized and financed brutal acts of terror such as the explosion of
                   a Cuban airplane in full flight with 73 passengers on board, all of
                   whom perished, and the innumerable bomb attacks on Cuban
                   buildings and hotels, hundreds of assassination attempts on leaders
                   of the Cuban Revolution, biological warfare against people, animals
                   and plants. The U.S. government must arrest and try Orlando Bosch,
                   the well-known terrorist who, along with others, freely walks the
                   streets of Miami. The U.S. government must stop protecting Posada
                   Carriles and demand that justice be done for him and the other
                   criminals who brought scores of kilograms of extremely powerful
                   explosives into Panama, planning to kill hundreds of young university
                   students with the aim of assassinating the Cuban delegation to the
                   Ibero-American Summit, in Panama City. The U.S. government must
                   eliminate the Torricelli Act, the Helms-Burton Act and numerous
                   amendments aimed at tightening up the blockade against our
                   country. The U.S. government must eliminate the murderous Cuban
                   Adjustment Act, which has cost the lives of so many women,
                   children, elderly and other citizens, and continues to take the lives of
                   the people of Cuba.

                   The U.S. government must discuss with Cuba the illegal and arbitrary
                   occupation of a piece of our territory, to come to an agreement
                   about when it will be returned to our country. The U.S. government
                   must respect the Cuban people’s right to self-determination, as well
                   as the economic and political system it has decided to follow.

                   The U.S. government will never have the moral authority to fight
                   terrorism as long as it continues to use such practices against
                   countries like Cuba, and continues to support massive, repugnant
                   and brutal massacres such as those being perpetrated by its ally, the
                   state of Israel, against the Palestinian people. It must renounce its
                   policy of world domination, stop intervening in other countries,
                   respect the authority of the United Nations and honor the treaties it
                   has signed. These are indispensable requisites for achieving a climate
                   of peace in the world and eradicating that odious scourge of
                   terrorism.

                   Our heroes must be freed. The whole world will learn of the
                   enormous injustice committed against them. Millions of books will tell
                   the truth and send out Cuba’s message. Sooner rather than later,
                   our comrades will come home! No matter what it costs or where
                   they are, their relatives will exercise their right to visit them every
                   month, and bring them the encouragement and affection of all their
                   people. (APPLAUSE)

                   Eternal glory to the heroic sons of Cuba, (SHOUTS OF "GLORY!) to
                   the mothers who bore them and raised them, (SHOUTS OF
                   "GLORY!) to the wives and children who contributed lovingly to
                   creating their will of iron and invincible spirit! (SHOUTS OF "GLORY!)

                   Hasta la victoria siempre!

                   Patria o Muerte!

                   Venceremos!