the letter of march to Obama

March 1st, 2010

Mister President Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.

Washington DC 20500

(Translate by William Peterson)

Mister President,

When you receive this letter, five Cubans: Fernando González, René González, Ramón Labañino, Gerardo Hernández and Antonio Guerrero, will have been imprisoned in your country, for eleven and a half years. An extremely long punishment for having fought against terrorism instigated by the USA against Cuba. Every one of their sentences is excessive; these five Cubans should have been freed a long time ago.

After the new sentences were handed down against Antonio, Ramón and Fernando, only one of the Cuban Five, Gerardo, was maintained under a life sentence, what is more, a double life sentence!

Here is a man serving a double life sentence for “attempted conspiracy to commit murder”, whereas the prosecution itself reckoned that it is impossible to prove this crime!

Indeed, in May of 2001, the Prosecutor sent a letter to the judges, expressly demanding them to retire charge n°3, as they say in the language of law, from Geraldo’s case file. This charge had been an object of contention all during the proceedings of his case, which is why it was maintained. In his letter, the Prosecutor recognized that “In light of the proofs presented, we are confronted with an insurmountable obstacle that will provoke the collapse of the accusation.”

How can one maintain an accusation when the very person prosecuting admits that he is incapable of proving the charge, and asks that the charge be eliminated?
As for the jurors, in the deleterious atmosphere, it took them a record time to declare Gerardo guilty of charge n°3, for which he was not even accused, without a second thought!

Mister President, we beseech you to investigate this case because it merits further inspection, this painful case of the planes that were shot down. The case evidence clearly demonstrates the innocence of Gerardo. Judge Kravitch, one of the three judges of the Atlanta Court of Appeal charged with the Cuban Five case, demonstrated this fact perfectly. You have, moreover, received, with my letter of December 2009, the case file constituted by this judge, refuting the responsibility of Gerardo.

The Cuban Five court case is one of the longest in the history of your country, a tragic miscarriage of justice. It is a purely political affair – these men should have been freed but the Florida Mafia’s implication in your country’s proceedings is testicular and powerful.

In addition, during 2000 and the preparation of the trial, the Prosecutor opines in official documents (motion in limite of the Prosecutor) :

"The struggle against terrorism is the culprit’s motivation, and the motivations must not be expressed in front of the jury »* :

Is the collusion between your country’s government and these terrorist groups going to continue unabated?

When Judge Joan Lenard justified Fernando’s condemnation by the fact that it ought to “serve as an example for those who might have the temptation to come to the U.S. to spy on United States citizens and to prevent them from exercising their constitutional rights”, all was said! She confirmed that, for the U.S. government, it is legitimate and complies with the Constitution of the United States, to organize terrorist attacks against sovereign countries.

We are disappointed with your government’s unwillingness to initiate new relations with Cuba. We believed the fine words of both your electoral campaign and of your mandate; you expressed the desire to have relations with other countries as equals. What happened to these fine resolutions?

Mr. President, “actions speak far louder than words”, if this really was a new beginning in foreign diplomacy, you would without delay, accord “presidential clemency” to these five Cubans.

We ask you once again – Mister President, do you have the courage to take this step? We deeply hope so.

Please accept, Mister President, the expression of my most sincere humanitarian sentiments.

Jacqueline Roussie

64360 Monein (France)

Copies sent to: Mrs. Michelle Obama, Mrs. Nancy Pelosi, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Mr. Harry Reid and to the U.S. Ambassador in France.