11th Circuit Court Upholds Convictions of Cuban Five!
Free the Cuban Five NOW! -- Extradite Posada!
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The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, 3-judge panel, issued its ruling Wednesday, upholding the convictions of the Five Cuban Heroes, including the espionage conspiracy and murder conspiracy. The life sentences for the espionage conspiracy charges against Antonio, Ramon, and Fernando have been remanded to the Miami trial judge for re-sentencing.
In response to a National Committee to Free the Five, the ANSWER Coalition is calling on all supporters of the Cuban Five to join together in our cities and communities, to hold protests in front of U.S. federal buildings or other appropriate places, and in countries outside the United States, wherever possible, at U.S. embassies, consulates or other appropriate symbols.
The Cuban Five are in U.S. prison, serving four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami in 2001. The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related charges. The Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups, in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba. The Five’s actions were never directed at the U.S. government. They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any weapons while in the United States.
On August 9, 2005, after seven years of unjust imprisonment, the Cuban Five won an unprecedented victory on appeal. A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the convictions of the Cuban Five and ordered a new trial outside of Miami. However, in an unexpected reversal, exactly one year after the victory that granted the Five a new trial, the panel voted 10 to 2 to deny the Five heroes a new trial, and instead affirmed the trial court. This latest court ruling again upholds the convictions.
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Nationwide and Worldwide Emergency Demonstrations:
| San Francisco DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: Powell and Market Sts. Time: 5:00 pm Sponsor: National Committee to Free the Cuban Five Contact: 415-821-6545 Miami DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: Conferencia de Prensa: Local de la Alianza Martiana: 3009 N.W. Calle 7 Time: 11:00 a.m. Sponsor: Alianza Martiana Contact: Andrés Gómez, (305) 757-3113. New York City DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: Federal Plaza Time: 5:00 pm (gather at 4:00 pm) Sponsor: July 26 Coalition, encompassing many organizations Contact: 212-694-8720, 718-601-4751 Washington, DC DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: Justice Department, 10th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Sponsor: DC Metro Free the Five Committee, ANSWER Coalition, FMLN Contact: Banbose Shango, 202-544-3389 Boston DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: Corner of Mass Ave and Boylston St. Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Sponsor: The July 26th Coalition Contact: 617-566-2861 [email protected] Orange County, CA DATE: Friday, June 6 (and every Friday) Location: Corner of Bristol & Anton, South Coast Plaza entrance (one block north of 405 Fwy@ Bristol exit) Costa Mesa Time: 5:00 pm -7:00 pm Sponsor: Orange County Committee To Free The Cuban Five Contact: Chuck Anderson, 714-956-5037 [email protected] |
Los Angeles DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: Outside the CNN Building 6430 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (Corner of Sunset & Cahuenga) Time: 5:00 pm Sponsor: National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, ANSWER Coalition-LA Contact: 213-251-1025, [email protected] Minneapolis DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: in front of the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse, 300 4th Street South Time: 4:30 pm Sponsor: Minnesota Cuba Committee Contact: [email protected] Chicago DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: Federal Plaza in Chicago (Corner of Adams & Dearborn) Time: 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Sponsor: Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban Five, The National Committee to Free the Cuban 5 and ANSWER Chicago Contact: [email protected] Detroit DATE: Thursday, June 5 Location: Windsor Tunnel (Jefferson at Randolph) South side at Mariners' Church Time: 4:00 pm Sponsor: Michigan Campaign to Free the Cuban Five, Justice for Cuba Coalition, U.S./Cuba Labor Exchange and MECAWI Contact: 313 587-9285, [email protected] Seattle DATE: Friday, June 6 Location: Gather at Seattle's "new" Federal Court House (7th & Stewart) Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Sponsor: ANSWER Seattle Contact: 206-992-7266, [email protected] |
Vancouver, BC
DATE: Thursday, June 5
Location: U.S. Consulate (1075 W. Pender St., Downtown Vancouver)
Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Sponsor: Free the Cuban 5 Committee Vancouver, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC)
Contact: 604.719.6947, [email protected]
Winnipeg
DATE: Friday, June 6
Location: U.S. Consulate (Meet in front of the TD Centre, Portage and Notre Dame)
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sponsor: Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee
Contact: [email protected]
Montreal
DATE: Friday, June 6
Location: U.S. Consulate (Corner of René-Lévesque & St. Alexandre)
Time: 5:00 pm -6:00 pm
Sponsor: Table de concertation de solidarité Québec-Cuba, Comité Fabio Di Celmo pour les 5
Contact: [email protected], [email protected]
Toronto
DATE: Thursday, June 5
Location: US Consulate, corner of University Avenue and Armour Street
Time: 5:00 pm
Sponsoring organizations include: Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto, Toronto Forum on Cuba, Free the Cuban Five Cultural Committee, Free the Cuban Five Committee, Communist League, Socialist Action, Communist Party of Canada, Young Communist League, Lawyers' Committee , Hamilton Friendship Association with Cuba, Worker to Worker
Contact: Elizabeth Hill, 416 654-7105
Additional details: An Ad Hoc Committee has been formed of Toronto and area organizations supporting Cuba; future meetings are planned. Signs of the Cuban Five are being prepared in advance, and depending on the decision, final signs will be made the night before. A media list is being prepared in advance for quick dissemination of a media release about the demonstration. A public meeting will take place in the first week, with prominent, knowledgable speakers. A flyer for this will be ready to be handed out at the demonstration.
London (UK)
DATE: Thursday, June 5
Location: Meet in front of the US embassy in Grosvenor Square at 7pm. Bring banners, placards, drums, friends and comrades.
Time: 7:00 pm
Sponsor: Rock around the Blockade, North London Cuba Solidarity Campaign
Contact: [email protected], 0764814365
DATE: Saturday, June 7
Location: Protest rally on the north pavement of Trafalgar Sq - raise awareness of the case of the Cuban Five with stalls, petitions, information, street theatre and speeches.
Time: 12:00 noon
Sponsor: Rock around the Blockade, North London Cuba Solidarity Campaign
Contact: [email protected], 0764814365
Seville (Spain)
DATE: Friday, June 6
Location: Plaza Nueva, Seville Spain, next to the US consulate
Time: 11:00 am
Sponsor: La Asociación de Amistad Hispanocubana, "Bartolomé de Las Casas," Sevilla, Andalucia