Labour
Party issues conference credentials to women the Obama
administration considers a “threat to US national
security”
28 September 2009
A Cuban women who has been refused a visa to enter the United
States on ten separate occasions, most recently because she may
pose a “threat to the safety or national security of the United
States” will be mixing freely with British government ministers and
speaking at a Free the Miami Five fringe meeting organised by
Unite the Union at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton next
week.
Adriana Perez, is in the UK next week to raise awareness for her
fight to obtain a visa from the US government to visit her husband
Gerardo Hernandez, who has been in a US jail for 11 years.
Mrs Perez has not been able to see her husband since he was
imprisoned because the US government considers her a threat to
their national security, a potential spy and illegal immigrant.
Despite this, in the last year she has twice been granted entry
visas to the UK, held meetings inside the Scottish parliament, and
issued credentials to the Labour Party Conference where she has met
and put her case to senior government ministers..
Unite joint general secretary, Derek Simpson, said: "This case
represents a travesty of justice by the US government. To deny the
families the right to visit their loved ones is totally
inhumane."
Adriana is joined in the UK by Olga Salnueva, and Irma Gonzalez
wife and daughter of Rene Gonzalez, another Cuban prisoner in the
US. Rene and Gerardo are two of the Miami Five – five Cubans
considered by many human rights campaigners to be unjustly
imprisoned in US jails for fighting terrorism.
Olga Salanueva and Adriana Perez have both been refused visas to
visit their husbands in US jails for more than 10 and 11 years
respectively.
As well as speaking at a Labour Party Conference fringe meeting
on Tuesday 29 October, the women will be joining Michael Mansfield
QC, MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Colin Burgon, and 15 trade union general
secretaries and leaders at a vigil outside the US Embassy on
Thursday 1 October from 6-7.30pm.
Speaking at the vigil, Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of
Unite will say: "Five men have spent over a decade in jail for
defending their country against terrorism and every day their
families must serve cruel sentences of separation too. We call on
the US authorities to uphold fundamental human rights. Give
visiting rights and let these families be united once again."
Both meetings, which call for justice for the Five men and
visiting rights for their families, come just a few days after the
11th anniversary of their arrests in Florida. They were arrested on
12 September 1998 and charged with spying, shortly after they had
passed information to the FBI about terrorist groups operating from
Miami who were planning attacks against the Cuba people.
The vigil on Thursday 1 October, 6pm-7.30pm, is an annual event
organised by the UK Cuba Solidarity Campaig and Unite . Last year
500 people attended to show their support for the Miami Five.
Olga Salanueva, Adriana Perez and Irma Gonzalez are available
for interviews from 28.09 – 03.10.09
For comments and interviews contact Natasha Hickman 07813 689 77
7 or Unite press officer Liane Groves 07793 661 657 .
Notes to Editors:
1. The Miami Five are five Cubans imprisoned in US jails since 1998
for trying to stop terrorist attacks against Cuba. The United
Nations, Amnesty International and numerous legal, religious and
human rights organisations have questioned the fairness of their
trial and long sentences, and condemned the US government’s
persistent refusal to grant visas to allow two of their wives to
visit
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