National Committee to Free the Cuban Five

Emergency Press Conference To Protest Luis Posada Carriles' Impending Release And to Demand his Extradition to Venezuela To be Tried for Terrorism

April 11, 2007

Speakers (in order of appearance):

Wayne Smith, Senior Fellow and director of the Cuba Program at the Center for International Policy, former head of the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba during the Carter Administration (begins at 0:58 in the program)
Livio di Celmo, brother of Fabio di Celmo, an Italian citizen killed in a Havana hotel bombing on Sept. 4, 1997 by a bomb placed by a mercenary paid by Luis Posada Carriles (begins at 4:40 in the program)
Andrés Gómez, director of Areodigital, leader of the Alianza Martiana in Miami, director of the Antonio Maceo Brigade (begins at 9:05 in the program)
José Pertierra, attorney for Venezuela in the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles (begins at 11:58 in the program)
Odalys Pérez Rodríguez, daughter of Wilfredo "Felo" Perez, the pilot of Cubana Flight 455, blown up in mid-air on Oct. 6, 1976 along with 72 other victims, by two bombs placed by terrorists under the direction of Luis Posada Carriles (begins at 18:29 in the program)
Gloria La Riva, coordinator of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five (begins at 25:10 in the program)
Question and Answer begins at 28:15 in the program

Audio: (please note - this was a telephonic press conference, and sound level varies from speaker to speaker):

mp3 file

Selected quotes:

Wayne Smith

Let us send him back to Venezuela for trial. A judge said he couldn't be sent to Venezuela...because he would be tortured. That's absurd. Venezuelan authorities have made it clear that he would be held under the most transparent of conditions. U.S. Consular Officers could visit him every day if they wanted.

Livio di Celmo

Fabio my brother was killed ten years ago by a bomb put by a mercenary hired by Luis Posada Carriles. He admitted to The New York Times in 1998 that he was responsible for hiring the mercenary. My family has been shattered by this act of terrorism, one of many that has originated in the United States.

Luis Posada Carriles is a terrorist and the United States Government has refused to define him so. I think that the American people should know the extent by whichthere has been ambiguity in the war on terrorism. This is an insult to my brother and to the victims of terrorism and it should be exposed to all.

Andrés Gómez

Of course, his is not an isolated case. In Miami we have other terrorists, convicted terrorists even in U.S. courts, that roam free in Miami, thanks to the decision of the United States Government not to prosecute them and to allow them to remain free.

José Pertierra

No evidence was presented. No witnesses were presented. This is consistent with what they did during the immigration proceedings last year, when no evidence was presented, and no witnesses were presented. The government not only failed to present any evidence, but left this political hot potato of Posada's freedom on bond in [the judge's] lap. She knows full well that the government could have presented witnesses and chose not to do so. She knows full well that the government could have presented an immigration detainer and chose not to do so. Had the government placed an immigration detainer on him, the whole bond proceedings would have been mooted out. So I am not surprised that Judge Cardona ruled as she did, because she knows full well that the fate of Posada Carriles' freedom of detention lays entirely in the lap of the White House and not on the lap of a Federal judge who's trying him only on the charge of lying to federal authorities.

Odalys Pérez Rodríguez

We demand that the United States Government ceases to protect the terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. We demand that the U.S. Government indict Luis Posada Carriles and try him as a terrorist as international treaties that the United States is signatory to obliges them to do. We demand that if the U.S. Government does not want to try Luis Posada Carriles as a terrorist, they extradite him to Venezuela to be tried for his crimes committed in that country. We hope that the people of the United States join our efforts to demand justice.

Gloria La Riva

We think it's most appropriate and necessary to raise the issue of the reprehensible, shameful, and really criminal behavior of the United States in imprisoning the five Cuban men who were working in Miami in the midst of the terrorists to try to stop their plots of which we've heard some of what Luis Posada Carriles is responsible for. Five Cuban men who are in U.S. prison across the country, serving 15 years to double life for having opposed the terrorism which the U.S. has backed for over 40 years. We call, as the outrage of Posada's imminent release to join his other accomplices in Miami, as this comes nearer, we demand more than ever the freedom of the Cuban Five, which the Bush Administration has total power to do so. We are committed to keep fighting until they are freed.