By Kuvee Kangueehi
Windhoek
The families of the ‘Cuban Five’ arrive tomorrow to at Hosea Kutako International Airport for a weeklong visit to the country.
The visit will be part of Namibia joining the rest of the world in observing International Days of Solidarity with the Cuban Five.
The Cuban Five are Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Roman Labanino, Rene Gonzalez and Fernando Gonzalez who were convicted in the US Federal Court on June 8, 2001.
Three of the Cuban Five, namely Gerardo, Rene and Fernando fought for the freedom of Africa, as internationalist soldiers and fought together with the People Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) in Angola.
In a media release issued by the Cuban Embassy in Namibia, the Ambassador Ana Vilma Vallejera Rodriguez said the five Cuban men are in the United States prisons for simply defending Cuba, their country, from terrorist acts by extremist right-wing Cuban exile groups in Miami.
She said the five men were sentenced for 15 years to two life sentences yet they never harmed anyone, but are in prison while the anti-Cuban extremists whom they tried to stop are walking freely in Miami.
“It was the job of the five Cubans patriots to monitor those terrorist actions and to inform Cuba of impending attacks by those extremist groups.”
During their stay, Gerardo’s wife, Fernando’s mother and Rene’s daughter, will have meetings with Namibian political leaders and with a variety of sectors of the Namibian society.
Rodriguez said for more than 40 years, anti-Cuban right-wing groups in Miami have engaged in countless terrorist activities against Cuba, against Cuban-Americans and anyone who calls for normalisation of relations between Cuba and the US.
She said the organisations were established with the financing, training and backing of the CIA and the five Cubans are still serving long sentences in the US high security prisons and they have been deprived of regular family visits.
Meanwhile, at a press conference held yesterday the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL), Swapo Party Women’s Council, Swapo Party Elders Council (SPEC) and the Namibia Cuba Friendship Association called on the US to release the Cuban Five.