Who are they ?
Who are the Cuban Five ? Why are they imprisoned in the United States ?
The Cuban Five are five men who came to the United States in the early 1990s in response to the wave of violence directed at Cuba by mercenary groups from the Cuban exile community in southern Florida. Their names are Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzáles and René González.
The Five were sent by the Cuban government unarmed and without any plan to inflict harm on the U.S. Their sole purpose was to infiltrate the network of terrorist groups that had been attacking Cuba since the triumph of the Revolution.
They came at a particular time in the history of the Cuban Revolution. Cuba's number one trading partner, the Soviet Union, had recently collapsed, and the economy of Cuba had gone into freefall. The Cuban government decided that one of the ways to restore economic health in Cuba was to engage in the tourist industry. The tourist industry was built up in 1992-93 and was an ongoing concern through 1994-95. In response, the mercenary wing of the Cuban exile community in South Florida decided to begin a violent terror campaign against the tourist industry as a way of undercutting the Cuban economy.
Bombs were placed in various hotels by anti-Cuban terrorists, in one instance killing an Italian tourist. A bomb was placed in the Havana airport. Bombs were placed in buses to and from the airport. The Cuban government protested these terrorist activities to the U.S., but to no avail. They protested to the United Nations, also without a response. As a result, beginning in the 1994-95 period, the Cuban Five came forward to protect their country.
The Five quickly succeeded in infiltrating the groups and reporting warnings to Cuba of the plans being developed to attack Cuba. In 1996-97, the U.S. government became aware of their presence in this country, and the FBI rounded them up in 1998. They were prosecuted on a variety of charges, including failure to register as foreign agents. Three were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage; one was charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
A Miami jury convicted them on all counts after a seven-month trial. The trial of the Five was the longest trial in the history of the U.S. at the time. During the trial, the attorneys for the Five requested a change of venue from Miami to another city five times. The judge denied each request.
In December 2001, two of the Five were sentenced to life in prison, one to 19 years, and one to 15 years. Gerardo Hernández received two life terms.
The Five
#1
Ramón Labañino Salazar
No. 58734-004
Postal Address USP BEAUMONT, PO BOX 26035 Beaumont TX 77720
Telef: 409-727-8188, Fax: 409-626-3700
Born in the City of Havana on June 9, 1963. Graduated with a summa cum laude on Economy in the University of Havana in 1986. Ramón has three daughters of 18, 12 and 8 years of age.
He was unfairly sentenced to life imprisonment plus 18 years.
Charges : General Conspiracy, Conspiracy to commit espionage, False Identity and Conspiracy to act as a non- registered foreign agent
#2
René González Sehwerert
No. 58738-004
Postal Address FCI Marianna, P.O. Box 7007, Marianna, FL 32447-7007
Born in Chicago, US, on August 13, 1956. He is a pilot and flight instructor. René has two daughters of 21 and 7 years of age.
From 1977 to 1979 he participated as internationalist combatant in the war of liberation of Angola and against apartheid.
René was unfairly sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. The government of the United States prohibits his wife and his little daughter to visit him.
Charges : General Conspiracy and Conspiracy to act as a non- registered foreign agent
#3
Gerardo Hernández Nordelo
No. 58739-004
Postal Address USP VICTORVILLE, PO BOX 5400, 13777 Air Expressway Road, Adelanto, CA 92394
Telef. 760-530-5000
Born in the City of Havana on June 4, 1965. Graduated in 1989 on International Political Relations in the Higher Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
From 1989 to 1990 he participated as internationalist combatant in the war of liberation of Angola and against apartheid.
Gerardo is a caricaturist and he has published his drawings in the Cuban press media and displayed them in exhibitions in various galleries. A book containing his works was published in Cuba.
Gerardo was unfairly sentenced to two life terms plus 15 years. The government of the United States prohibits his wife to visit him.
Charges : General Conspiracy, Conspiracy to commit espionage, Conspiracy to commit murder, False Identity and Conspiracy to act as a non- registered foreign agent
#4
Fernando González LLort
No. 58733-004
Postal Address FCI Oxford, PO BOX 1000 Oxford, WI 53952-0500
Telef: 608-584-5511, Fax: 608-584-6371
Born in the City of Havana on August 18, 1963. Graduated with a summacum laude on International Political Relations in the Higher Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987.
From 1987 to 1989 he participated as internationalist combatant in the war of liberation of Angola and against apartheid.
Fernando was unfairly sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment.
Charges : General Conspiracy, False Identity and Conspiracy to act as a non- registered foreign agent
#5
Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez
No. 58741-004
Postal Address USP FLORENCE, PO BOX 7500, 5880 State HWY 67, South Florence, CO 81226
Telef: 719-784-9454, Fax: 719-784-5157
Born in the city of Miami on October 16, 1958. Graduated as airfield construction engineer from the Technical University of Kiev, in the former Soviet Union. The expansion of the Santiago de Cuba International Airport was the most important works in which he was involved.
Antonio is a poet. He has published three books of poems, "From my Altitude", "Confidential Poems" and "Poems for Antonio Maceo". Several of his poems have been put to music. He has two sons of 20 and 13 years of age.
He was unfairly sentenced to life imprisonment plus 10 years.
Charges : General Conspiracy, Conspiracy to commit espionage and Conspiracy to act as a non- registered foreign agent
