**
New post on *Machetera*
<http://machetera.wordpress.com/author/machetera/> The Cuban Five and the
Tricks
Ahead<http://machetera.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/the-cuban-five-and-the-tricks-ahead/>by
machetera <http://machetera.wordpress.com/author/machetera/>
<http://machetera.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/20080328093805_shell-game.jpg>
*The Cuban Five and the Tricks Ahead **-
español<http://cambiosencuba.blogspot.com/2012/03/los-5-y-las-trampas-en-el-camino.html>
*
By Edmundo García
*Translation: Machetera*
Id like to begin this article by making something perfectly clear: If the
Government of Cuba agrees to allow Alan Gross to travel to the United
States, for whatever period of time or reason, I believe that not even the
bones of the anti-terrorist fighter Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, who is
currently serving a double life sentence plus fifteen years, will ever see
the sun of Cuba again. Thats what I think, and now Ill explain.
On February 27, the news circulated in the Cuban and international press
that Phil Horowitz, the attorney for the anti-terrorist fighter Rene
González Sehwerert, had presented an emergency motion to the court,
requesting permission for his client, currently serving parole in Miami, to
return to Cuba for two weeks to visit his brother Roberto González
Sehwerert, who is seriously ill.
On March 12, the prosecution acknowledged the humanitarian character of the
request, but opposed it, arguing that it posed a security risk for the
FBI. On March 15, more than two weeks after Renes attorneys petition was
made public, the media also publicized a statement from Peter Kahn, the
attorney for Alan Gross, regarding a similar request that he had sent to
the Cuban government via the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, asking
that Gross be allowed to travel for two weeks to the United States in order
to visit his 89 year old mother and daughter, both with health problems.
One does not need to be a psychic to figure out that Kahn is forcing an
equivalent comparison between Renes request and that of Alan Gross. Nor
does one need to be a magician to conclude that his statement is designed
to affect Renes request, and simultaneously counteract the growing
international sympathy for his cause. It would seem that rather than
actually succeeding with his petition for his client, what Grosss attorney
really wants is to negate the prior petition made on behalf of the Cuban
hero.
The thing to keep in mind first and foremost is that Rene is a free man.
And that he is serving parole far away from his family for two particular
reasons:
1. The determining factor, which is that Rene González was born in the
United States, in Chicago. This is why he must serve probation in the
United States. The same situation would apply for Antonio Guerrero
Rodríguez, who was born in Miami, but not for Gerardo Hernández Nordelo,
Fernando González Llort, or Ramón Labañino Salazar, all born in Cuba, and
all of whom would be deported upon leaving prison.
1. The other particular reason is that Renes case, like that of the
other Cuban heroes being held prisoner, is inarguably political. If this
case were not politicized, Renes humanitarian visit would depend simply
upon an interview between his Probation Officer and Judge Joan Lenard, to
determine how his behavior has been since he left prison. Behavior that as
we all know has been exemplary; and for which reason Judge Lenard would
surely approve the request.
If anyone doubts the politicization of this case, one need look no farther
than the recent statements made by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, when
she became aware of the request submitted by Renes attorney. The
Republican legislator and Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
said, with great disgust, nowhere, no way, no how. She even criticized
the Justice Department for so much as leaving the door open by admitting
that the law contemplates certain conditions under which a request such as
Renes might be granted.
This poorly designed scheme, this unacceptable trick of comparing Grosss
condition with Renes parole situation is not sudden; it belongs to an
agenda that began before he even left prison last October 7. A number of
facts convince me that it was the basis for the rejected proposal put forth
by Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, during his last trip
to Havana.
Id like to conclude by putting on the table the truths that define the
situation we are facing: Rene is a free man who has completed his prison
sentence. Alan Gross is a prisoner who recently began to serve his own.
In order for a comparison between the two cases to be possible, Gross would
have had to have completed his prison sentence in Cuba and remain on parole
there as Rene remains in the United States. In that case, yes. But as it
stands, clearly, the two situations are not the same. Another equivalent
example might be if one of the other Cuban Five still in prison were
allowed to travel to Cuban for two weeks in exchange for similar permission
being granted to Gross.
It ought to be remembered that Gerardo Hernández Nordelos mother passed
away while he was in prison and it did not occur to him to ask for
permission to attend her funeral. Just as it would not have occurred to
Rene to ask for permission to travel to Cuba if he were still in prison and
not on parole.
<http://machetera.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/bowing.jpg>The exchange of
prisoners and a corresponding gesture for gesture is not a new chapter in
the history of the tense relations between Cuba and the United States. It
was done in President Carters time, when he asked Cuba to free prisoners
and Fidel Castro asked for the freedom of certain Puerto Rican political
prisoners the Macheteros, - one of whom was Lolita Lebrón. At the
highest level, in the most discreet manner, and without a huge media fuss,
these requests were accomplished. It was known that President Carter faced
strong opposition from Republican politicians over the exchange, but at the
end of the day, reason prevailed and Fidels formula of gesture for gesture
opened the door.
<http://machetera.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/bowing3.jpg>This part of
history ought to be told to Alan Gross, to his wife Judy Gross, and to the
rest of their families and attorneys so that they might be aware that a
solution is possible. They might even try asking Cuba for permission for
Grosss ailing mother and daughter to visit him there, as his wife Judy has
repeatedly done; even though Olga Salanueva and Adriana Pérez have never
been granted U.S. visas to visit their husbands Rene González and Gerardo
Hernández Nordelo.
Senators Patrick Leahy and Richard Shelby, Reverend Michael Kinnamon, Rabbi
Reb David, political strategist Donna Brazile, former Congressional
Representative Jane Harman, and others have also visited Gross. And Cuba
has not asked for any sort of reciprocity in return for these visits; for
example, it has not demanded that Cuban officials like Ricardo Alarcón,
President of Cubas National Assembly, or Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez,
or even Ambassador Jorge Bolaños be allowed to visit the Cuban Five; they
have only been visited by consuls as regulations permit.
Im sure that if Rene is granted permission to travel to Cuba for two
weeks, he will keep his word and return to the United States in the time
and manner indicated. I know this because I know his principles. And also
because he is conscious that his behavior will influence the destiny of his
brothers who remain in prison.
I dont want to end this article without mentioning that these impressions
became ideas, and later, these ideas became written words, thanks to the
trust given me by the Cuban hero Rene González himself, when he told me
last night over the phone that he agreed with this perspective as Id
shared it with him.
*Machetera is a member of Tlaxcala <http://www.tlaxcala-int.org/>, the
international network of translators for linguistic diversity. This
translation may be reprinted as long as the content remains unaltered, and
the source, author, and translator are cited.*
*machetera <http://machetera.wordpress.com/author/machetera/>* | March 19,
2012 at 6:03 am | Tags: Alan
Gross<http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=alan-gross>,
gerardo hernández
nordelo<http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=gerardo-hernandez-nordelo>,
gesture for gesture<http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=gesture-for-gesture>,
jimmy carter <http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=jimmy-carter>, Judy
Gross<http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=judy-gross>,
Lolita Lebrón <http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=lolita-lebron>,
macheteros <http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=macheteros>, Peter
Kahn<http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=peter-kahn>,
rené gonzález
sehrwerert<http://machetera.wordpress.com/?tag=rene-gonzalez-sehrwerert>|
Categories: Cuban
Five <http://machetera.wordpress.com/?cat=29672928>, English
translations<http://machetera.wordpress.com/?cat=362125>,
gerardo hernandez <http://machetera.wordpress.com/?cat=7584843>,
Puerto Rico<http://machetera.wordpress.com/?cat=39662>| URL:
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