LASA Congress calls
for the release of the Five
CALIFORNIA,— Academics from various
countries joined forces with others in the United
States calling for the release of the Cuban Five,
unjustly tried and convicted in U.S. courts for
monitoring anti-Cuban terrorist groups in Miami.
Participants
in the 30th Congress of the Latin American Studies
Association (LASA) held an event here in solidarity
with Cuba, and in opposition to the blockade, which
was attended by an additional 300 people.
The meeting was convened by the
National Committee to Free the Five, led by Gloria
la Riva.
During his closing remarks, Cuban
intellectual Miguel Barnet emphasized the importance
of ongoing work in support of Gerardo, Ramón,
Antonio and Fernando, who have been serving
outrageous sentences since 1998 when they were
convicted for informing their country of plans
hatched by terrorist anti-Cuban groups based in
South Florida.
René González has completed his
sentence but has been forced to remain in U.S.
territory for an additional three years of probation.
During the encounter, Cuban
academics Camila Piñera and Juan Luis Martín
addressed aspects of Cuba’s current reality,
including the updating of the country’s economic
model underway.
In a statement to Prensa Latina,
Barnet emphasized as significant the participation
of representatives from practically all regions of
the United States.
