Cuban Five Defense Team Says the Battle Continues

Havana, August 22 (RHC) - The team of defense lawyers representing the Five Cuban antiterrorists prisoners unfairly held in US prisons, said, at a press conference in Havana, that the political battle for the release of these men must go on.

Present at the news conference were Joaquin Mendez, Leonard Weinglas and Phillip Robert Horowitzs, defense counselors for Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Rene Gonzalez, respectively; William Norris, on behalf Ramon Labañino; and Tom Goldstein, who headed the defense team before the Supreme Court; appeal specialist Richard Klugh; and Rafael Anglada, member of the defense team.

They discuss the cases of Antonio Guerrero, Ramon Labañino and Fernando Gonzalez pending a re-sentencing trial, set for October 13, for which they will be transferred to Miami.

Mendez said that, throughout his professional career, he never a case that had taken so long. He said that this case has not jet been properly defined and it has been 11 years already since their arrest in 1998.

Norris hopes the US government will provide the defense team with the information they need to prepare their case again.

Goldstein said the judge should take into account the long term they have been in jail, the suffering of two of the prisoners and their families, plus the support they have gotten from the international community.

Meanwhile, Weinglass has said to be optimistic about the fact that perhaps the life terms imposed on Antonio and Ramon could be suspended.

The lawyers said that Tony, Ramon, Fernando and Rene are concerned about Gerardo, who was sentenced to two life imprisonments, one of them for conspiracy to commit murder. Goldstein said that in their presentation they will make sure to expose the absurdity of the charges.

Rene Gonzalez was not given the chance of a re-sentencing trial either. His lawyer, Phillip Robert Horowitz, said that his defendant is about to serve 15 long years in prison, where he has maintained, as well as the rest of the five Cuban prisoners, an excellent behavior.