38 years of
injustice
38 years have passed and the Cuban people
continue to demand justice. On October 6, 1976, 73
people, amongst them 11 Guyanese, 5 citizens of the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and 57 Cubans
were killed on a Cubana Airlines flight.
The
authors of the brutal crime walked free in the
streets of Miami and the U.S., they made no secret
of the fact that the CIA and the U.S. government
protected them. The very same country that has
launched wars across the world, supposedly against
terrorism, never brought the terrorists who killed
those returning home after a stopover in Barbados,
to trial.
That October 6 the nation, which since 1959 to
date has been the victim of acts of terrorism
orchestrated by figures such as Luis Posada Carriles
and Orlando Bosh, simply for having reclaimed its
sovereignty less than 90 miles from the most
powerful nation on Earth, was in mourning. Four
years ago, Army General Raúl Castro stated: "Today
we are here to pay tribute to the 3,478 Cubans who
have died and 2,099 who have been permanently
disabled by acts of terrorism perpetrated for half a
century against our homeland, a toal of 5,577
victims. The Martyrs of Barbados join the long list
of those fallen, whom we will never forget."
Before Raul’s speech, it was announced that
October 6, would be officially commemorated every
year in Cuba as "Victims of State Terrorism Day".
Having personally suffered the cruelty of this
criminal policy, 4 years ago today, the Cuban
government and people reaffirmed their decision to
condemn and combat terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations, including state terrorism, wherever
it occurs and whatever the reasons given by the
authors.
On October 6, 2010, Raul announced, "Our country
has signed the 13 existing international agreements
on such matters and strictly fulfills the
commitments and obligations set out under the
resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly
and Security Council. Cuba does not possess or have
the intention of acquiring weapons of mass
destruction of any kind and has fulfilled her
obligations in accordance with the existing
international regulations on nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons. The territory of Cuba has never
been used, nor will it ever be, to organize, fund,
or carry out terrorist acts against any country,
including the United States. "
Indignation and courage have been Cuba’s response
to every single act of terrorism and death it has
been subjected to. These acts, aimed at sowing panic,
have instead found a people committed to further
radicalizing their Revolution. That is why the words
of the Commander in Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, as he
bid farewell to the victims of the attack on the
Cuban airplane on October 15, 1976, continue to
reverberate across the world; "When an energetic and
virile people cry out, injustice trembles."
