Protest outside US Embassy - the Miami Five

Notice - photo call

Protest outside US Embassy in London for the Miami Five
Date: Tuesday 7th October
Venue: US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London
Time: Delegation hand in petition 4.30pm followed by a candlelit vigil with 500 people expected at 6pm

A high level delegation will hand in a petition to the US Embassy calling for visiting rights for the wives of five Cuban nationals imprisoned for ten years in the US for defending their country against terrorist attacks.

The petition, with over 10,000 names including MPs, nine Nobel Laureates, and personalities from the worlds of media, law and arts is also asking for freedom for the Five. Two of the wives of the Five, Olga Salanueva and Adriana Pérez have been denied visas to visit their husbands since their trial.

The women’s husbands, René González and Gerardo Hernández, are two of five men known as the ‘Miami Five’, who following an unfair trial were found guilty of “acting as unregistered agents of a foreign government” and related charges. They were monitoring extreme right wing paramilitary groups operating out of Florida who are responsible for launching terrorist attacks against Cuba.

The protest follows an announcement last week by Amnesty International that the human rights group will launch a world-wide campaign for visiting rights for the wives describing their treatment “unnecessarily punitive and contrary to standards for humane treatment of prisoners and states’ obligations to protect family life.”

The delegation handing in the petition includes: Tony Woodley, joint general secretary, Unite the UK’s largest union; Gerry Fernandez, international director, United Steel Workers, USA; Father Geoff Bottoms, Catholic priest and campaigner on this case; Steve Cottingham, Lawyer, OH Parsons; and Rob Miller, director, Cuba Solidarity Campaign.

For more information contact: Unite press officer Liane Groves, 07793 661 657 or Cuba Solidarity media officer Natasha Hickman 07813 689 777 Guardian feature 6/10/08: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/06/usa.cuba

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Protest outside US Embassy - the Miami Five