letter of december to the President Obama(traduction)

President Barak Obama,

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N. W

Washington, D.C. 20500

Mister President,

Last month an international symposium was held in the Cuban town of Holguin, dealing with the liberation of the Cuban Five, Gerardo Hernandez, Fernando Gonzalez, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and René Gonzalez, imprisoned since more than eleven years in the United States.

Over forty five nations attended, and numerous journalists, lawyers, writers, political officials and of course friends of the FIVE. The participants explained why they are asking for the immediate freedom of the FIVE, the arguments for which were quite obvious.

Mister President, if those five men acted on behalf of their network “Avispa”, to avoid any terrorist acts against their country, it is mainly due to the fact that the U.S. government did not assume its own work! How can we accept that such a powerful country like the United States allows such terrorists to act freely, unless the country itself might be the incentive of such forfeiture?

It is not an accident that the archives which should have been declassified are still held secret! They would probably contain too much information which might compromise some key people acting (or who acted) at the highest levels of your country.

The terrorists, whom the FIVE infiltrated, are without doubt involved in such activities that are kept secret and thus allowing impunity. The protection offered by your government to those individuals is a kind of blackmail, allowing them to remain silent about their “ugly actions”. We are convinced that your country is not willing to publicly release such acts.

As of today, only Antonio Guerrero received a new sentence, which is twenty-two years and this is totally unacceptable. Who is going to give him back the eleven years that he has already spent, unjustly held in a high security jail combined with unfair inhuman conditions agreed to by your own system of justice?
When this letter will reaches you, Fernando and Ramon will be receiving within a few hours their new sentences.

Gerardo is confronting the worst situation! Since when does the justice system, when it admits not having a single proof of him being guilty, condemns someone to life? The death of 4 young pilots on 24th February 1996 is tragic incident, and I am deeply sorry for this. However have you ever considered what is the real role of “Brothers to the Rescue”, hidden behind their humanitarian facade? Since 1994, acting publicly to “save” the “balseros”, the “Brothers” never followed the flight plans and thus violated the Cuban air spaces, defying international laws and the Federal Aviation Administration, acting as terrorists against Cuba. On 13th July 1993, Basulto’s planes were definitely flying on low altitude over Havana. This same day could have been deadly for this association’s pilots. Upon return Basulto was joyfully commenting his exploit on “Radio Marti”. Following this flight incursion, the Cuban government warned the United States authorities, that in case of any new violation of its aerial space, serious measures would be undertaken. The government of United States advised Basulto on August 8, 1993.

Such serious warning had not stopped Basulto to fly over Cuba again on the 9th and 13th of January 1996, and to release hundreds of thousands propaganda flyers, and to finally once again boast about his new heroic exploit on “Radio Marti”.
Cuban authorities have again protested to the United States government, warning that new violations would have serious consequences.

Playing with fire, someone may get burned; on the 24th of February 1996 Cubans reacted to this new provocation and you know the end result. What about you, Mister President, would you remain quiet, without reacting to such repeated violations of your own aerial space?

It is unfortunate that pilots had to pay with their life, due to the ideas of their chief Basulto. Don’t you think that they might have been sacrificed on the altar of the counter-revolution? Why incriminate Gerardo Hernandez for such a sad issue, as Miami judges went a little too far by linking this story with Gerardo. It seems to me that it looks similar to an episode of “Operation Northwood’s”.

Mister President, the only issue to end all such shameful situations is to finally initiate new honest relations with Cuba.

You are aware that such relations will be conditioned on the liberation of the FIVE, which represents the only justice possible.

We are impatient that you will offer an “Executive Pardon” which will erase all those years of injustice. The FIVE have suffered enough, due to their courageous work against terrorism. As this situation is now on a strictly political level, you will have more facility to act accordingly.

We are hoping that you will take this courageous decision very rapidly. Mister President, receive my most humane and sincerest best regards.

Jacqueline ROUSSIE
64360 Monein (France)

traduction: Martine Vaugien

C.C.: Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid and his Excellency the ambassador of United States in France.