To U.S. law enforcement Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Rene Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez are five convicted Cuban spies who tried to transmit secret information back to the island. But to Cubans, they are seen as "Heroic Prisoners of the Empire" who are unjustifiably sitting in a U.S. prison. Defense attorneys for “The Miami Five” are seeking a retrial outside of South Florida and the Cuban media is enthusiastically supporting their cause. It’s hard to say what are the odds that the convicted spies will get a retrial, but it is definitely safe to say that their case has inflamed passions between Cuban exiles and compatriots back on the island.
Image- Houston Chronicle
Links- New York Newsday, Prensa Latina, Periodico 26
"tried to transmit secret information"???
ReplyDeleteErwin, don't you think that's a little too vague to describe this case??? When someone reads that they are "convicted spies" and "secret information", one would assume tht they were spying on a government, when in fact they have done no such thing.
It seems that glossing over the actual facts in this case is one form of bias against the Cuban Five. I happen to think if most Americans knew the facts of this case, they'd be outraged that these 5 are rotting in prison.
According to U.S. prosecutors that is the reason why the Cuban 5 were charged and subsequently convicted. Unfortunately it is hard to get the "actual facts" behind the case via the media outlets (U.S. and Cuban) unless one goes through court documents and the like.
ReplyDeleteAssuming that you do know much about the facts, please feel free to write about it and submit it to us and we'll gladly post it.