Submitted by the Washington State Convention, April 26, 2014

WHEREAS:  

Rene Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero  and Fernando Gonzalez, known as the Cuban Five, were unjustly imprisoned in Miami and placed in solitary confinement for 17 months until charges were brought, and

WHEREAS:  

None of the charges reflected violence against the United States or use of weapons or threats to any individual, and

WHEREAS:  

The Cuban Five recognized their mission to monitor activities of anti-Cuban groups operating in Miami and report planned threats to the Cuban government to protect their people, and

WHEREAS:

A hostile media campaign denied any appearance of due process and obstructed the right to a fair, impartial trial by jury including a total lack of presumption of innocence for the defendants, and  

WHEREAS:  

A retired Admiral and three retired Generals of the United States army testified at the trial that the Cuban Five were not a threat to United States national security, and

WHEREAS:  

In similar circumstances the government of the United States has quickly expelled suspected agents of other countries without long-term prison sentences, and

WHEREAS:  

A report issued by Amnesty International, October 2010, stating, “should a legal appeals process not provide a timely remedy for cruel and unusual punishment and length of time served by prisoners, we support a call for review of the case by U.S. executive authorities through the clemency process or other appropriate means”.and

WHEREAS: 

Two of the defendants released on good behavior, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez, have already returned to their homeland,.  Thank you,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED

that the 30th National Convention of the Communist Party USA in Chicago, Illinois calls for President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry to consider the violation of due process for fair trial associated with the conviction and imprisonment of the Cuban Five, and recommend the immediate pardon and release of the Cuban Five to their homeland with consideration for time served since September 1998, and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED

that this resolution be sent to President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and attorney General Eric Holder.

President Barack Obama,   The White House   1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW   Washington DC 20500   USA
Secretary John Kerry   US Department of State   2201 C Street N.W.  Washington DC  20520
Attorney General Eric H. Holder   US Department of Justice   950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW   Washington DC 20530-0001

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CONVENTION DISCUSSION 
30th National Convention, Communist Party USA
Chicago | June 13-15, 2014

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