Adriana Pérez
denounces
U.S. injustice against the Cuban
Five in Geneva
GENEVA.— Adriana Pérez, wife of
Gerardo Hernández, addressing the United Nations
Human Rights Council, denounced illegalities
committed in the case of the Cuban Five, in an
interactive dialogue with Working Group on Arbitrary
Detentions. She recalled that this entity had
declared its opposition to the incarceration of
Antonio, Fernando, Ramón, René and Gerardo, and that
although almost seven years have passed since their
declaration noting the arbitrary nature of their
imprisonment was made, the United States government
has yet to acknowledge the ruling.
"I would very much like this to be
the last time I raise my voice in this meeting to
denounce the violations being committed against our
family members and demand their return to our
country," she said.
She pointed out that it has been 14
years since the unjust, painful proceedings began,
undermining the most elemental credibility in the
U.S. justice system.
She described the situation René is
facing, obliged to remain in the U.S. at great
personal risk despite having completed his sentence.
He has not yet been granted permission to
temporarily leave the country to visit his gravely
ill brother in Havana.
President Barack Obama, Nobel Peace
Prize winner, has the authority to free the Five as
a humanitarian gesture, to end all of this suffering.
"They are hostages of an absurd and totally
anachronistic policy which has been implemented for
more than 50 years towards our country," she said.
On March 6, Adriana also met with
Gabriela Guzmán, assistant to the Special UN
Rapporteur addressing violence against women and
took the opportunity to explain how this injustice
is directly affecting the mothers, wives, children
and relatives of the Five. (PL)
