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| Sunday, 17 July 2005 |
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UN Decision on Cuban Five: An Act of Justice Havana, Jul 15 (Prensa Latina) The decision of a UN Human Rights Committee that the imprisonment of five Cubans in the United States is arbitrary was described here Friday as an act of justice. Olga Salanueva, wife of Rene Gonzalez, one of the five anti-terrorist fighters serving long sentences in that northern nation, told Prensa Latina the decision "is a victory for this just cause." A committee of the UN Commission on Human Rights Arbitrary Detentions Working Group in Geneva noted the legal process and sentences of the Cuban Five, as they are known internationally, violate international law. "I welcomed the news, because it is the third consecutive year we have gone to Geneva to speak with the officials of that organisation," indicated Salanueva. "The Working Group called my husband's imprisonment, and that of his fellow countrymen, arbitrary, taking into consideration their solitary confinement for 17 months," said Rene's wife, whose daughter is still prevented by US authorities from meeting with her father. She said that although the verdict is not binding on the US government, it has to respond in the next session of the Commission on Human Rights, when the committee will table a report in that respect. The Working Group noted that the trial did not take place in the climate of objectivity and impartiality which is required in order to conclude on the observance of the standards of a fair trial, as defined in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the United States of America is a party. The Five are still awaiting the decision of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. Not only for Olga, but also for the rest of the Cuban Five relatives, it is necessary to broadcast the UN decision, which should be taken into consideration by the Atlanta Appeals Court. |
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