People's Democracy

US Must Release Cuban Youth, MPs Demand

ABOUT 60 members of parliament, cutting across party affiliations, issued on May 17 a press release, strongly demanding immediate release of the five Cuban youth --- Gerardo Hemandez, Rene Gonzalez, Ramon Labanino Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez --- who are undergoing imprisonment in a US jail after a false trial by the US courts in Miami. The statement said these five young men have never indulged in any kind of criminal activity in US; rather they tried to defend the interests of the Cuban people and opposed the Miami based anti-Cuban activities and expressed their loyalty to the homeland.

The MPs expressed concern over the fact that the US decision to keep the youth under very cruel and unusual detention conditions, including two spells of solitary confinements of 17 months and 48 days respectively, is a serious violation of international justice and human rights. They were also surprised that the verdicts against these youth were delivered without sufficient evidence that they indulged in any anti-US activities. Moreover, throughout the proceedings, there was an intensive, non-stop local press campaign vilifying the defendants and pressurising the judge and jury. Manipulation of ‘evidence’ was done selectively and arbitrarily. In this case, the MPs said, they had a feeling that the US legal system denied natural justice to these youngsters.

The press release issued by the MPs said it was another example of the continuous US attempts to intervene in Cuba’s internal affairs, and an extension of the nearly four decades long inhuman blockade enforced by the US against Cuba. The Indian members of parliament urged the US authorities to stop their anti-Cuba campaign and use of international fora against Cuba. They also expressed support for all the efforts being made by the Cuban people to secure the return of their compatriots.     

The signatories included former minister of external affairs Eduardo Faleiro and another former union minister Mrs Margaret Alva.