Forward from mart.
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY.
END THE BLOCKADE!
FREE THE MIAMI FIVE!
NOW!!!
**********************
Fidel Castro, March 8, 2002
"The U.S. government will never have the moral authority
"The U.S. government will never have the moral authority
to fight terrorism, as long as it continues to use such
practices against countries like Cuba"
Speech given by President Fidel Castro at the ceremony to
Speech given by President Fidel Castro at the ceremony to
decorate the mothers and wives of the five Heroes of the
Republic of Cuba imprisoned in the United States, held at
the Karl Marx Theater on March 8, 2002, Year of the Heroes
Imprisoned by the U.S. Empire.
(TRANSLATION OF THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE COUNCIL
(TRANSLATION OF THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE COUNCIL
OF STATE)
Compatriots:
Throughout history we have paid tribute to legendary heroes
Compatriots:
Throughout history we have paid tribute to legendary heroes
and heroines, those glorious examples of bravery,
unselfishness and the spirit of sacrifice that always inspire
whole generations in their fight for a better, more humane
and fairer world. There have, however, been very few times
when we have been able to live alongside those men and
women.
The five Heroes of the Republic of Cuba imprisoned in the
The five Heroes of the Republic of Cuba imprisoned in the
empire, their admirable mothers and wives, our
contemporaries and the pride of our country, have deeply
touched the hearts of their people and, we can say, in every
one of our sons and daughters, without exception.
They are here today, on International Women’s Day, in a
They are here today, on International Women’s Day, in a
moving and solemn ceremony that will surely never fade
from our memories as they receive the Mariana Grajales
and Ana Betancourt Orders, are Carmen, Magali, Irma and
Mirta; Adriana, Rosa Aurora, Olga and Elizabeth; the mothers
and wives of Gerardo, Fernando, René, Antonio and Ramón.
Absolutely innocent of the charges, after 16 months of
Absolutely innocent of the charges, after 16 months of
isolation and seven months of a rigged trial where the
lies, hypocrisy and cynicism of the accusers were
shattered, three have been sentenced to life imprisonment
and two to long stretches in jail.
In yet another manifestation of rage and hate, they continue
In yet another manifestation of rage and hate, they continue
to receive heartless and brutal treatment. Thinking that their
morale and strength can be destroyed, the courts have put
them in five top-security prisons, with a minimum of 1,400
kilometers between each jail, after a hazardous and cruel
journey, always held in punishment cells, and then thrown into
the general population of prisons where control, impartiality
and moral leadership are conspicuous by their absence.
This is a harsh test of our heroes’ unshakable strength and
valor. And this is being done to men who, seeking information
about terrorism, were defending their people to the death.
Alleging the same objective, the United States has launched
Alleging the same objective, the United States has launched
all its forces to invade nations, using its most sophisticated
and destructive weapons, declaring a long, indefinite and
imprecise world war against terrorism.
With the height of superiority and arrogance, it has threatened
With the height of superiority and arrogance, it has threatened
more than 80 countries and taken the liberty to indicate which
are, or are not, terrorists.It also has the gall to mention Cuba
among those terrorist nations, when in reality thousands of Cubans
have died as a result of terrorism from the United States, and not
one single U.S. citizen has suffered the slightest scratch or harm
from any act of this type by Cuba.
It goes without saying that our country cannot be intimidated.
It goes without saying that our country cannot be intimidated.
By using such stupid threats, they are banging their heads
against a brick wall.
The U.S. government must ask Cuba’s forgiveness for the
The U.S. government must ask Cuba’s forgiveness for the
thousands of acts of aggression, sabotage and terrorism
committed against our country for the last 43 years. The
U.S. government must ask Cuba’s forgiveness for over
three decades of economic war and the total blockade of
food and medicine; these are genocidal acts which even
in times of war are sanctioned by 1948 and 1949 i
international treaties signed by both nations.
The U.S. government must compensate our country for
crimes that have caused enormous suffering and the loss
of tens of thousands of lives.
The U.S. government must break with the Miami terrorist
mafia, which organized and financed brutal acts of terror
such as the explosion of a Cuban airplane in full flight with
73 passengers on board, all of whom perished, and the
innumerable bomb attacks on Cuban buildings and hotels,
hundreds of assassination attempts on leaders of the
Cuban Revolution, biological warfare against people, animals
and plants.
The U.S. government must arrest and try Orlando Bosch, the
well-known terrorist who, along with others, freely walks the
streets of Miami.
The U.S. government must stop protecting Posada
Carriles and demand that justice be done for him and the
other criminals who brought scores of kilograms of
extremely powerful explosives into Panama, planning to
kill hundreds of young university students with the aim of
assassinating the Cuban delegation to the Ibero-American
Summit, in Panama City.
The U.S. government must eliminate the Torricelli Act,
the Helms-Burton Act and numerous amendments aimed
at tightening up the blockade against our country. The U.S.
government must eliminate the murderous Cuban Adjustment
Act, which has cost the lives of so many women, children,
elderly and other citizens, and continues to take the lives of the
people of Cuba.
The U.S. government must discuss with Cuba the illegal and
The U.S. government must discuss with Cuba the illegal and
arbitrary occupation of a piece of our territory, to come to an
agreement about when it will be returned to our country.
The U.S. government must respect the Cuban people’s right to
self-determination, as well as the economic and political system
it has decided to follow.
The U.S. government will never have the moral authority to fight
terrorism as long as it continues to use such practices against
The U.S. government will never have the moral authority to fight
terrorism as long as it continues to use such practices against
countries like Cuba, and continues to support massive, repugnant
and brutal massacres such as those being perpetrated by its ally,
the state of Israel, against the Palestinian people.
It must renounce its policy of world domination, stop intervening
in other countries, respect the authority of the United Nations and
honor the treaties it has signed.
These are indispensable requisites for achieving a climate of
peace in the world and eradicating that odious scourge of terrorism.
Our heroes must be freed. The whole world will learn of the
Our heroes must be freed. The whole world will learn of the
enormous injustice committed against them. Millions of books
will tell the truth and send out Cuba's message. Sooner rather
than later, our comrades will come home! No matter what it
costs or where they are, their relatives will exercise their right to
visit them every month, and bring them the encouragement and
affection of all their people. (APPLAUSE)
Eternal glory to the heroic sons of Cuba, (SHOUTS OF "GLORY!)
Eternal glory to the heroic sons of Cuba, (SHOUTS OF "GLORY!)
to the mothers who bore them and raised them,
(SHOUTS OF "GLORY!) to the wives and children who contributed
lovingly to creating their will of iron and invincible spirit!
(SHOUTS OF "GLORY!)
Hasta la victoria siempre!
Patria o Muerte!
Venceremos!
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