WASHINGTON, September 9. – The Partnership for
Civil Justice Fund has filed a lawsuit in the United
States related to the case of the five Cuban
antiterrorist imprisoned in this country since 1998.
The group is acting on behalf of the National
Committee to Free the Cuban Five and officially
brought the lawsuit before the U.S. District Court
for the District of Columbia, according to PL.
The lawsuit is against the Broadcasting Board of
Governors (BBG), for illegally refusing to hand over
specific contracts paid by the U.S. government to
journalists who published negative material about
Cuba or articles that were prejudicial to the case
of the Five.
The legal complaint states that the public has
the right to know that the U.S. government secretly
paid journalists to write stories related to the
case of the men known internationally as the Cuban
Five.
The National Committee to Free the Cuban Five,
under the Freedom of Information Act, submitted a
request to the BBG on January 23 seeking public
disclosure of its funding of journalists. However,
the Washington government is refusing to produce
these documents, the texts states.
Starting shortly after the arrest of the Five on
September 12, 1998 and continuing during their trial,
the Miami press played an important role in creating
a hostile environment in the city, the document
explains.
Since then, it adds, additional journalists in
Miami, calling themselves independent reporters,
have been on the U.S. government payroll to meet
that objective.
