FRFI 216 August/September 2010

At a press conference in Washington on 2 June, the US National Committee to Free the Cuban Five revealed evidence of covert payments made by the state’s Office of Cuba Broadcasting, through Radio and TV Marti, to supposedly independent Miami journalists during the Cuban Five’s detention and trial.

The Cuban Five were convicted and imprisoned on trumped-up charges for their undercover work aimed at foiling acts of terrorism and sabotage by right-wing Miami-based groups against Cuba. It is now clear that so desperate was the state to ensure a conviction that it handed over tens of thousands of dollars in secret payments to ensure highly prejudicial pre-trial coverage in Miami, where the Five’s trial was held.

The Committee is calling for immediate action on the basis that ‘it is illegal for the US government’s Broadcasting Board of Governors [who oversee Radio and TV Marti], under the Smith-Mundt act, to engage in propaganda operations against the US public. The articles included many that were highly incendiary, included false information and poisoned domestic public opinion in Miami during the prosecution, trial and conviction of the Cuban Five.’

Salvador Capote, writing for www.cubadebate.cu, found that the Miami newspaper El Nuevo Herald, has featured 806 articles about the Five since their arrest. None was positive and at least 239 were written by recipients of US government payments, including 96 by Pablo Alfonso, who received at least $58,600 between the Five’s arrest and conviction. Another reporter for El Nuevo Herald, Wilfredo Cancio Isla, received $4,725 between 30 September 2000 and 3 December 2001. One of his articles was published the day the jury began its deliberations. This jury was ‘unsequestered’ – meaning they went home every day to see the outright lies put forward by US government mouthpieces in the most widely-distributed Spanish language newspaper in Miami. Another $1,125 was given to Helen Ferre, an editor of Diario Las Americas, which published hostile articles during the Five’s prosecution including ones by Ariel Remos, who himself received $11,700, and Orlando Bosch, a notorious counter-revolutionary terrorist who helped bomb a Cuban civil aircraft in 1976, murdering 73 passengers.*

However, recently the international movement to free the Cuban Five has achieved some significant victories. These include winning reduced sentences for three of the Five: Ramon Labanino from life plus 18 years to 30 years, Antonio Guerrero from life plus ten years to 21 years ten months, and Fernando Gonzalez from 19 years to 17 years nine months.

On Saturday 11 September, FRFI readers can act in solidarity with the Cuban Five by joining Rock around the Blockade as part of the International Day of Action to Free the Cuban Five. See www.ratb.org.uk for details of events.

* For the full press statement on the paid journalists go to www.ratbnews.blogspot. com/2010/06/us-paid-journalists-to-write-propaganda.html

See also www.ratbnews.blogspot.com/2010/ 02/cuban-five-sentences-reduced.html

Luke Lucas