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!