US Political Prisoner Released After 17 Yrs: You won't believe why he was jailed

The Cuban Five FIPs (Falsely Imprisoned Persons) are Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Ramón Labañino Salazar, Rene González Sehwerert, Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez and Fernando González Llort. They were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the United States plus other related charges.

The Five state in their defense that they were involved in monitoring actions of Miami-based terrorist groups to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba as planned. They never harmed anyone, yet they are in prison while the anti-Cuba extremists, whom they tried to stop, are walking freely in Miami.

Although Llort, one of the Cuban 5, fulfilled every day of his sentence, he’s still forced to endure an ”undetermined time” process before freedom surrounded by loved ones. Thursday, he’ll be taken from the Federal Correctional Prison in Safford Arizona to a federal immigration prison until deported back to Cuba. 

“Along with his family, the heroic people of Cuba, and the thousands of people in the international solidarity movement for the Cuban 5 we advocate that this last bit of injustice ends as swiftly as possible,” committee of advocates said in a written statement Tuesday.

The Mayor of Richmond, California Gayle McLaughlin recently released the video below, sharing her view about the Cuban 5, inviting people to join her during “5 Days for the Cuban 5″ in Washington D.C. June 4th through the 11th. 

Canada and Europe have staged protests against the U.S. for its treatment of the Cuban Five. U.S. organizations, however, have struggled for support to address the the U.S. Department of Justice and Homeland Security associated alleged false arrests and imprisonments of such Targeted Individuals.

False imprisonments to silence dissent are a major characteristic of fascism, according to historians and authors such as Naomi Wolf and Glen Yeadon. “Fascist regimes use violence and terror to gain and preserve power. Hitler had his Brown Shirts intimidate voters and opposition. Once in power, he used the Gestapo, the secret state police to root out and remove any opposition,” Yeadon writes.  (Glen Yeadon, Nazi Hydra in America, Progressive Press. 2009, p.31)

“All the love, pride and respect of the entire island of Cuba is waiting for Fernando, a true Hero of the Republic of Cuba. His return will give more strength to the solidarity movement as he joins forces with Rene in leading the struggle to demand the freedom of Gerardo, Antonio and Ramon.

On Friday, March 21, a reception will celebrate one of the other Cuban 5 members, Fernando González, prison release. An exhibit of fifteen watercolors by Antonio Guerrero, one of the Cuban Five political prisoners, unjustly incarcerated in the U.S. will be held.  

Guerrero’s paintings mark the 15th anniversary of imprisonment of the Five and display one watercolor for each year.  As Guerrero explains, “All these images have one thing in common: they were memories of the unjust and cruel treatment given to us since the very first day of our detention.”

The exhibit from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. is hosted by the iMPeRFeCT Gallery at 5601 Greene St. (Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.) 

Learn more: TEL.: (215) 991 – 5672    (215) 848 – 2922, EMAIL: [email protected], TEL.: (917) 957- 4504, See imperfectgallery.com