Letter to Amici regarding the Cuban Five
Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman, P.C.
Attorneys At Law
111 Broadway, Eleventh Floor
New York, NY 10006-1901
June 16, 2009
Re: The Cuban Five
Dear Amici:
As you may know, we have helped co-ordinate the amicus effort in support of the Five's request for Supreme Court review of their convictions.
We regret to inform you that the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Five's petition for review (certiorari) yesterday. As is customary, no explanation was given, and no disclosure made of how the nine Justices voted.
The Supreme Court acted in accord with the position of the United States Government. In May, well after the new Administration had assumed office, the U.S. Government urged the Supreme Court to deny review.
The fight for justice for the Five is far from over. Your active support is more important than ever.
Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo, one of the Five, said, on being informed of the Supreme Court's denial, that "as long as one person remains struggling outside, we will continue resisting until there is justice."
Ricardo Alarcon, president of Cuba's National Assembly, issued a statement declaring that "Our struggle to win their freedom will not diminish for one instant. Now is the time to step up our actions, and not leave even one space uncovered or door unopened... .The struggle must be multiplied until the U.S. government is forced to put an end to this monstrous injustice and restore freedom to Gerardo, Ramon, Antonio, Fernando y Rene."
We can all take heart - as the Five have done - in the extraordinary international support - from all regions and from across the political spectrum - for their effort to obtain justice. An unprecedented twelve amicas briefs were filed in the Supreme Court by U.S. domestic legal organizations, ten Nobel Laureates, foreign parliaments, hundreds of individual parliamentarians, and scores of lawyers and human rights organizations from around the world. Impressive as this showing, the international support for the Five is, indeed, far broader. We attach, for your information, a list of the amicus briefs and an additional, partial list of other support for the Five.
We want to thank you for your support, and for what we are sure will be your continuing efforts to obtain justice.
Sincerely,
Michael Krinsky,
Leonard I. Weinglass. |
