Cuban Five deserve to have case reopened

Letter to the Buffalo News, published June 8, 2013

Cuban Five deserve to have case reopened

This week, hundreds of people worldwide have been pouring into Washington to demand justice for the so-called Cuban Five. Their “crime”: They came to Florida to monitor anti-Castro Cuban exiles who, for 40 years, had terrorized their homeland, killing 3,478 Cubans. After gathering the information, Havana presented the evidence to the FBI, expecting Washington to stop the terrorist attacks. But instead of nabbing the real criminals, the five Cubans were arrested and convicted by a Miami court. Lawyers’ requests for an impartial venue were rejected.

In 2009, the lawyers petitioned the Supreme Court to reopen the case. The court rejected the case without explanation. Since then, President Obama has insisted the Cubans had their “due process rights,” a claim that collides against enormous evidence favoring the prisoners. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2005 denounced the court’s proceedings, particularly the prosecutor, for “inflaming the jury’s prejudices,” a “reprehensible” violation of her oath of office. Later, activists discovered that the U.S. government had paid Miami journalists to demonize the defendants before the trial. Amnesty International, in 2011, classified the trial under its section “Unfair Trials.”

Unfortunately, most Americans know little about the injustices inflicted on the Cubans; and the media have ignored them. That’s why hundreds of prominent people worldwide, from lawmakers to religious leaders, have come to Washington to expose the falsehoods keeping the Cubans incarcerated and to demand justice for them.

Edward Cuddy