Five Cuban prisoners discussed in press conference [Archives:2006/915/Local News]

SANA'A, Jan. 23 – Pedro Estevez, first secretary and second head of mission at the Republic of Cuba's Embassy in Sana'a, held a press conference to discuss the case of five Cubans arrested September 1998 in the United States.

They five are: Gerado Hernadez, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, Rene Gonzalez and Roman Labanino. All five were convicted of acting as unregistered agents of a foreign country.

The main suspect is Guerrero, who worked as a manual laborer at the U.S. naval base in Boca Chica, Florida, near Key West. Gerrero, Hernadez and Labanino were sentenced to life in prison, while Fernando and Rene Gonzalez received 15 and 19 years respectively.

The five went to the U.S. in the early 1990s in response to the wave of violence aimed at Cuba by mercenary groups from the Cuban exile community in southern Florida. It is claimed the men were sent by the Cuban government without arms and with no plan to inflict harm on the U.S. Their only goal was to infiltrate the network of terrorist groups attacking Cuba since the triumph of the Revolution.

At the time, the prisoners' trial was considered one of the longest in U.S. history because it took place in Miami, considered the most anti-Cuban authority state in the U.S. For that reason, lawyers tried to change of the venue from Miami to another city five times. The judge denied every request.

Estevez stated, “The U.S. doesn't respect human rights even for its own citizens. Three of the prisoners have American nationality. We demand U.S. authorities release them as soon as possible and give them a fair trail.”
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