On Oct 7, René González, one of the Cuban 5 Patriots will be
released from the US prison in Marianna Florida after serving out
his 15 year sentence. Rene's crime was defending the security of
the Cuban people against terrorist attacks.
The US government is now trying to stop his immediate return to
his homeland, and his family, after he serves out the last day of
this unjust sentence. And now, in the most cynical and mean
spirited fashion, the US court that sentenced him in 2001 is
extending his punishment by making him remain in the United
States.
Because Rene was born in the US he will now have to spend an
additional 3 years of probation here. Seven months ago his lawyer
presented a motion asking the court to modify the conditions of his
probation so that after he finished his sentence he be allowed to
return to Cuba to reunite with his wife and his family for
humanitarian reasons.
On March 25, the prosecutor Caroline Heck Miller asked the judge
to deny the motion. On September 16 Judge Joan Lenard rejected the
defense motion, alleging among other reasons, that the Court needs
time to evaluate the behaviour of the condemned person after he is
freed to verify that he is not a danger to the United States.
We have to remember that this is the same prosecutor that
rejected an attempt to try Posada Carriles as a criminal, and this
is the same judge that included in the conditions of his release a
special point that while Rene is under supervised release that,"
the accused is prohibited from associating with or visiting
specific places where individuals or groups such as terrorists are
known to be or frequent"
By writing this Judge Lenard made the shameful recognition that
terrorists groups do exist and enjoy impunity in Miami. Furthermore
she is offering them protection from Rene from bothering or
denouncing them upon his release.
It was not enough for the US government to make Rene fulfill the
complete sentence to the last day; It was not enough to try and
blackmail his family by telling them he would not go to trial if he
collaborated against his 4 brothers; it was not enough to pressure
Rene with what could happen to his family if he did not cooperate
with the government, including the detention and deportation of his
wife Olga Salanueva; and it was not enough to deny Olga visas to
visit her husband repeatedly all these years.
Why does the US government want to continue punishing René and
his family?
The prejudice of the Miami community against the Five was
denounced by three judges of the Eleventh Circuit of the Atlanta
Court of Appeals on August 27, 2005, where it was recognized who
the terrorists were, what organizations they belonged to and where
they reside. To mandate that Rene Gonzalez stay another 3 years of
supervised "freedom" in Florida, where a nest of international
terrorists reside and who publicly make their hatred of Cuba and
the Cuban 5 known, is to put the life of Rene in serious
risk.
Today we are making a call to friends from all over the world to
denounce this new punishment and to demand the US government allow
René Gonzalez to return to Cuba to reunite with his wife and his
family as soon as he get out of prison.
Contact now President Barack Obama and US Attorney General Eric
Holder demanding the immediate return of René Gonzalez to his
homeland and his family
TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE WHITE HOUSE
Write a letter to President Obama
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500
EE.UU.
Make a phone call and leave a message for President Barack
Obama:001 202-456-1111
Send an e-mail message to President Barack Obama
HTTP://WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV/CONTACT
TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Write a letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder
US Attorney General Eric Holder
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Make a phone call and leave a message for US Attorney General
Eric Holder: 001 202-514-2000
Or call the public commentary line: 001 202-353-1555
Send an e-mail message to US Attorney General Eric Holder:
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
