On the 10th anniversary of the Cuban Five's unjust conviction

We are close to our goal of a

full-page ad in the Washington Post, to say:
President Obama, Free the Cuban Five Now!

Sisters and Brothers: With the support of many organizations and individuals, the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five is happy to announce we are very close to reaching our goal for a full-page ad in the Washington Post, to demand immediate freedom for the Cuban Five.

We have set a goal of September for the ad to appear.

Today, June 8, 2011, marks the 10th anniversary of the political and judicial outrage committed against the Cuban Five, when a Miami jury convicted them, after a politically-motivated persecution by the United States government.

The Five were arrested in Miami on Sept. 12, 1998 and held in solitary confinement for 17 months, before the trial began in November 2000.

Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando and René were locked up and isolated, in the midst of a media hysteria, in Miami, the U.S. city notorious for harboring anti-Cuba terrorists, who operate with impunity granted to them by the U.S. government. And to stack the deck further, many journalists were on the government payroll.

The National Committee to Free the Cuban Five has been working intensely for two years on vital research to expose the government’s role in manufacturing the media’s prejudicial coverage of the Five’s case.

Everyone involved in the freedom struggle for the Cuban Five is fully aware of their uphill battle in the U.S. legal system, because it is not a system based on justice. But it is absolutely necessary for the Five to utilize every legal process available to them. In addition to other arguments used in their defense, the new evidence of Miami journalists who covered the Five’s trial with extreme bias while secretly receiving U.S. government pay through the propaganda stations Radio and TV Marti, is a vital part of the appeals for the Cuban Five. The National Committee is working hard to make this information available to the public and to raise more support for the Five Heroes.

The National Committee has worked to mobilize public support for Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando and René during the ten years since their conviction. In March of 2004, we published a full-page ad in the New York Times demanding freedom of the Cuban Five. It required the efforts of hundreds of individuals and organizations to broadcast a message of the Five and their supporters, and resulted in a major breakthrough in the censorship practiced by the media.

We believe the time is now for a new full-page ad.

Cuba solidarity groups, Cuban Five organizations and individuals in Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, England, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Italy, and across the United States, have donated generously to the campaign. We are truly grateful for that support.
With your solidarity, we will accomplish our goal!