The decision was hailed as historic by lawyers for the men whose case has become a cause celebre in Cuba.
The five men, Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, René González, and Fernando González, were jailed in 2001 with sentences ranging from 15 years to life, after a seven-month trial in Miami, home to the largest number of Cuban exiles in the US. It was alleged that they had been acting as agents of a foreign government without having registered as such.
The five, who were first detained in 1998, claimed that they had merely been monitoring and infiltrating the anti-Castro groups in southern Florida to prevent attacks on Cuba. A number of exile groups have been involved over the years in assassination attempts against the Cuban leader and efforts to sabotage the island’s economy via a bombing campaign aimed at Havana hotels.
Lawyers for the men, known as both the Miami Five and the Cuban Five, argued before the 11th circuit court of appeals that it had not been possible for a fair trial in the overtly hostile climate of Miami. They argued that jurors would have been aware of the potential angry reaction had they acquitted the men. The court overturned the convictions and ordered a new trial. It is not yet known when or where this will take place and applications for bail will now be made on the men’s behalf. Read more…
