Final Declaration by the Participants at the IV International Symposium on the Cuban Five
Nov. 11, 2008
Reprinted from Ahora
Statement by the participants at the 4th International Symposium “For the Release of the Cuban Five and for the Fight Against Terrorism,” who unanimously agreed to issue the following final declaration:
To the all men and women of the world who are lovers of justice.
Five courageous Cubans: Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando and Rene, have been unfairly imprisoned in the United States of America for over ten years; their only crime was fighting terrorism.
Those five men, by fighting against terrorism and defending the just causes of dignity and human freedom, hold the respect of all their people, of all progressive humankind.
The long and politicized process served to subject them and their families to the most incredible physical and mental torture, violations of the norms of due process and the undermining of rules on the treatment of detainees, all which constitute flagrant violations of the most basic principles of international law.
The government of the United States of America maintains a double standard in its fight against terrorism by harboring, protecting and supporting terrorist organizations that systematically operate from that country in preparing such acts. This has resulted in a host of victims, not among only the Cuban people, but also individuals from other countries.
Taking into account the proceeding:
Participants at the 4th International Symposium “For the Release of the Five Cuban Heroes and for the Fight against Terrorism” agreed to issue the following statement:
1. We demand the government of the United States of America:
- Respect its own constitution and adjust its actions to the norms of law;
- Immediately stop the repeated and systematic human rights violations being committed against the Cuban Five and their relatives;
- Deactivate terrorist groups and organizations based in that country;
- Judge notorious terrorist Luis Posada Carriles in its courts —as established in the 1971 Civil Aviation Agreement of Montreal, Canada, and 2001 Resolution No. 1,373 adopted by the UN Security Council—
or to arrange his immediate extradition to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to be tried for the crime perpetrated against a Cuban airliner, which resulted in the death of 73 people.
2. We demand, the government of the United States of America to release the Cuban Five now, because they are innocent.
3. We call on all honest people in the world, working on the noble task of disseminating information hard about the just cause of the five heroes and demanding their release.
4. We affirm to the five anti-terrorist fighters and all those people fighting for their freedom, that we will never tire of denouncing this injustice and will continue fighting until they return to their motherland.
Release them now!
They will return!
Long live our five imprisoned heroes!
Long live the Cuban Revolution
Ever onward toward victory!
City of Holguin, November 8, 2008. | 
