17th December 2014
Great news - the Miami Five are free
 Cuba Solidarity has today announced that after 16 years of unjust imprisonment in US jails all of the Miami Five are now free and at home with their families in Cuba.
On Wednesday 17 December, Cuba and the United States announced that a prisoner exchange would take place which would see Antonio, Gerardo and Ramon released and back home in Cuba.
Kate Ramsden, Branch Chair said, "The Branch had joined the campaign calling for the release of the remainder of the five and we are absolutely delighted that they are now back home with their families."
Thanking all the supporters who have campaigned for this day, Rob Miller, CSC Director said: “This is the right thing to do. It is truly wonderful news for the Five, their families, all those who have campaigned to see this day and above all for the Cuban people.
We now hope that this will see the end of 50 years of the failed policy of aggression and blockade and the beginning of a new era of friendly relations between two countries and two peoples.”
In addition to the release of the remaining members of the Miami Five President Raul Castro and Barack Obama announced the beginning of normalisation of Cuba-US relations.
“We have agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations, but this does not mean that the main issue has been resolved, the blockade that generates economic losses and humanitarian problems in our country must stop,” said Raul Castro.
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9th January 2014
Branch supports the Miami Five and calls on members to sign online petition
The Branch has donated £100 in support of the International Commission of Inquiry into the case of the Miami Five which will take place in London on 7-8 March.
We are also encouraging all our members to support the online petition. Click here to add your name and message of support.
Find out more about the Commission
Who are the Five?
The Miami Five are five Cuban men who were unjustly imprisoned in the United States after being arrested by the FBI on Sept 12 1998 and convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami in 2001, in a political prosecution by the U.S. government.
They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González, who has since been released.
The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related charges.
The Five’s actions were never directed at the U.S. government. They never engaged in nor planned any conspiracy against the government.
As the Cuban Five pointed out in their defense, they were on a mission in Miami, beginning in 1990, to monitor the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups, in order to prevent those groups from carrying out attacks on their country of Cuba.
They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any weapons on their mission. Their objective was simply protecting people from terrorism.
UNISON has long supported the campaign to free the Miami Five.
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