FIVE CUBAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN THE UNITED STATES

Havana, July 12, (PL).- The president of the Cuban Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, on Sunday said US President Barack Obama can and should release five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters serving harsh prison sentences in the United States since 1998.

Alarcon told local media and Prensa Latina that no normalization of relations between Washington and Havana is possible as long as the Cuban Five remain in jail. Their confinement proves the US government continues to support anti-Cuba terrorism, he added.

The Cuban official recalled the Atlanta Court of Appeals revoked sentences against Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labañino and Antonio Guerrero, and ordered the Miami court to re-sentence them.

After 11 years of confinement, the Atlanta Court realized an error was made. There was no evidence that the three of them had conspired to commit espionage, nor that they had collected or passed classified information to the Cuban government, he said.

According to Alarcon, the court committed prevarication when it failed to correct the same mistake in the case of Gerardo Hernandez and Rene Gonzalez.

Obama can solve this case by dismissing all charges against the Cuban Five, the Cuban official stressed. He recalled the President of the United States did so in May, when according to the Wall Street Journal he pardoned three people who have been passing secret information to a foreign government.

According to Alarcon, by dismissing the conspiracy to commit espionage charge against Antonio, Ramon and Fernando, Obama would only be dismissing a charge already dismissed by the Atlanta Court of Appeals. As to Gerardo, the prosecution failed to prove he had conspired to commit murder so it requested the charge was dismissed during the Miami trial in 2001.

But the jury, that was being threatened and under a lot of political pressure, feared to dismiss the charge. Even the judge had to admit the jury was under pressure, the Cuba official recalled.

Obama knows very well he can release them. We should remind him of his Yes We Can campaign slogan, and tell him that he can and should immediately release the Cuban Five, the head of the Cuban Parliament stated.

Alarcon said that if the White House refuses to pardon them, the three Cuban set for re-sentencing in October must be released because they have already served 11 years in prison. As to Rene, his 15-year prison term is due to expire in 2011.

Ramon and Antonio were sentenced to life, while Fernando was given 18 years.

As to Gerardo, we should try to have his case reopen at any cost, because as I said, no normalization of relation between the United States and Cuba is posible as long as one of them remain unjustly incarcerated, Alarcon stressed.