HAVANA, September 14.— The first public concert in solidarity with the Cuban Five, political prisoners in the United States, was held in New York with more than 600 spectators who demanded freedom for the anti-terrorist fighters.

Alicia Jrapko, a member of the International Committee to Free the Five, told the Cuban National News Agency (AIN) that the event, "Five Stars and a Song," was organized to demand that Washington immediately release René González, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando González. The Five were arrested on September 12, 1998 in Miami for working to prevent acts of terrorism from being carried out against Cuba.

The venue for the concert was the Hostos Community Center Auditorium, where a message was read from the Five, heroes of the Republic of Cuba.

Performances by celebrities like Puerto Rican singer Danny Rivera, Dominican Víctor Víctor, Las Estrellas Doradas del Jazz from Puerto Rico and a message from actor Danny Glover were applauded by the audience.

Events that are part of the campaign to free the Five took place in cities such as Dili, capital of Timor Leste, with a rally in the centrally located Dissidere Park.

Three representatives of the demonstrators went to the U.S. embassy in Dili and presented a statement — passed moments earlier — demanding the release of the Cuban anti-terrorists.

Also in Timor Leste, the 200-plus delegates attending the closing session of the 2nd Congress of the National Women’s Organization began circulating and signing a statement appealing to mothers and wives in the United States to join the international demand for Olga Salanueva and Adriana Pérez to be allowed to visit their husbands, René and Gerardo, respectively, and to free the Five.

In Seville, Spain, a solidarity vigil for the Five was organized, and in Japan, a press conference was held by the Cuban ambassador in that country, José Fernández de Cossío, attended by the major Japanese media — Asahi, Kyodo News, NHK, NTV — to kick off the Third Mobilization for Freedom for the Five. Those attending the conference received press releases on the case.

The group Friends of Cuba in Australia demanded freedom for the Cuban anti-terrorist fighters at a demonstration in front of the U.S. consulate in Perth, in western Australia. At the event, groups from the Friendship Association, political organizations and others demanded justice and freedom for the Five and released five doves.