New Jersey officials want return of fugitive in Cuba

The possibility of normalizing relations between the U.S. and Cuba has had its supporters and detractors. (In the latest bit of news, Fidel Castro says President Barack Obama "misinterpreted" his brother Raul's remarks on discussing “everything, everything, everything” with the U.S.). Some of the strongest backers hoping for a thawing in relations between the two states are prosecutors in New Jersey.

Joanne Chesimard was convicted over three decades ago for killing a New Jersey state trooper in a 1973 gunfight. She broke out of prison in 1979, changed her name to Assata Shakur, and fled to Cuba where she currently resides.

New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram announced yesterday that she would seek Chesmiard’s extradition to the U.S.

David Wald, spokesman for the attorney general, said Milgram and State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes will write to Obama to request Chesimard's extradition.

"If the president is trying to establish a different relationship, this is something he needs to talk to them about," Wald said.

According to the AP, Fidel Castro “appeared to defend Shakur without naming her” by allegedly referring to her as a victim of "the fierce repression against the Black movement in the United States."

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- miamiherald.com, MSNBC, The Star-Ledger, The Latin Americanist