| June
18, 2002
Message
to the American People
"We are
five loyal Cubans, who for 33 months and five days have
endured a severe imprisonment in the jails of a nation where
hostility against our own is obvious with its authorities.
Then, after a long and infamous trial directed by manifestly
political objectives, methods and procedures and overwhelmed
by a real deluge of maliciously concocted propaganda, we have
decided to address the American people to let them know the
truth, that we are the victims of a terrible injustice.
"We have
been accused of endangering the security of the United States
and indicted on numerous charges, including crimes such as
conspiracy to commit murder that could not, and cannot, be
proven for they are false but for which we could be sentenced
to dozens of years of imprisonment and even to life sentences.
"A body of
Miami jurors, and this explains it all, declared us guilty of
all charges. But we are just Cuban patriots and it was never
our intent to cause any harm to neither the values nor the
integrity of the American people.
"Our tiny
nation, that has heroically survived four decades of
aggressions and threats to its national security, of
subversive plans, sabotages and destabilization, has every
right to defend itself from its enemies who keep using the
U.S. territory to plan, organize and finance terrorist actions
breaking your own laws in the process.
"Our
country is also entitled to peace, respect for its sovereignty
and for our most sacred interests.
"In the
four years that we have spent in this country, we have never
stopped wondering why is it that our two peoples cannot live
in peace and how is it possible that the mean interests of the
extreme right, including terrorist groups and organizations
made up by Cuban Americans, can strain relations between two
peoples that are so close geographically and that could easily
maintain relations based on respect and equality.
"In our
prison stay we have had the time to reflect on our behavior in
this country and we can say, without the shadow of a doubt,
that neither with our attitude nor our actions have we in any
way interfered with, or jeopardized the security of, the
American people. What we have certainly done is contribute to
exposing terrorist plans and actions against our people, thus
preventing the death of innocent Cubans and Americans.
"Why is it
necessary for Cuban patriots to stay away from their loved
ones and postpone an otherwise joyful life with their families
and people to discharge the honorable duty of protecting their
homeland?
"Why are
the U.S. authorities tolerant with these terrorists who act
against our country? Why don’t they investigate or take
action against the terrorist plans denounced by Cuba or try to
prevent the numerous attempts against the life of our leaders?
"Why is it
that the professed authors of these and other terrorist
actions are still loose in South Florida as was clearly
established during the trial?
"Who
trained them and who are allowing them to carry out their
plans?
"Who are
those really endangering the security of the United States of
America?
"They are
the terrorist groups made up by Cuban Americans and their
political and economic mentors in America who are gnawing away
at the credibility of this country, giving this nation an
appearance of ruthlessness and misleading its institutions to
an inconsistent, prejudiced and erratic behavior. They are the
same individuals who forestall a serious and sensitive
approach to Cuba related issues.
"Such
groups and their mentors have joined in a coordinated drive to
bring about conflict between our two countries. To that end,
they keep promoting with both the legislative and the
executive branches of government increasingly aggressive
measures against Cuba.
"They want
to continue to update a long-standing history of invasions,
sabotages, biological aggressions and other similar actions,
while sparing no effort to create situations that might lead
to incidents of grave consequences to both our peoples.
"The result
of such aggressions against Cuba is that 3478 people were
killed and 2099 were maimed between 1959 and 1999,
notwithstanding very costly material losses.
"Yet, they
persist in their propaganda campaigns offering the American
people a distorted image of Cuba and trying to prevent with
different pretexts, laws and regulations that Americans travel
freely to Cuba to know first hand the real situation there.
Likewise, they set every obstacle to cooperation in areas of
common interest such as illegal migration and drug-trafficking
that brings so much pain to the American people.
"All this
is compounded by constant requests for ever higher and fresh
amounts of money from the government, thus affecting the
American taxpayers, simply to finance their actions against
Cuba. The enormous amounts of money that keep pouring into
radio and TV broadcastings, as well as to financing their
subjects on the island, take away resources that could better
be used to cope with social problems afflicting Americans.
"There are
recent examples of these groups’ clout and pressures on the
Miami community, its government agencies and even its judicial
system.
"It would
be in the best interest of the American people to get rid of
the bad influence of such extremists and terrorists that cause
so much damage to the United States by breaking its own laws.
"We have
never done anything for money. We have always lived modestly
and acted humbly, living up to the sacrifices of our own
people.
"We have
always been moved by a strong sentiment of human solidarity,
love for our homeland and contempt for that which goes against
the dignity of the human person.
"The
defendants in this trial are in no way repentant of what we
have done to defend our country. We declare ourselves non
guilty and simply take comfort in the fact that we have
honored our duty to our people and our homeland. Our loved
ones understand the depth of the ideas that guide us and they
will take pride in our sacrifices for Humanity in this
struggle against terrorism and for the independence of Cuba.
June 17, 2001 |
