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"The National Union is strongly committed to the campaign to win the release of the remaining members of the Cuban 5 who are unjustly held in U.S. prisons," said James Clancy, NUPGE National President.
Ottawa (10 Apr. 2014) — During a meeting with a representative of Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC), Cuba's national labour central, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) reaffirmed the union's support for the case of the Cuban 5.
NUPGE National President James Clancy made the commitment during a meeting with Anibal Melo Infante representing the CTC.
Won't rest until all members of Cuban 5 return home
While two members of theCuban 5, Fernando González and René González, have been released from U.S. prisons, the campaign for justice continues until the remaining three are able to return to their homes.
"The National Union is strongly committed to the campaign to win the release of the remaining members of the Cuban 5 who are unjustly held in U.S. prisons," said Clancy. "Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero and Ramón Labañino must be returned to their families in Cuba."
Cuban 5 were jailed after defending their country from terrorist attacks
The case refers to five Cuban men imprisoned in the U.S. for defending Cuba from terrorist attacks. The five were convicted in a U.S. Federal court on June 8, 2001, in a politically charged. The U.S. government claimed that they were engaged in espionage on U.S. military bases and were a threat to “national security." However, in the 14,000-page court transcript, no proof of espionage was ever produced — a fact openly admitted by the prosecution.
The five Cubans were involved strictly in monitoring the actions of terrorist right-wing groups in Miami who were responsible for the deaths of over 3,500 Cuban people.
Strong friendship
Clancy also spoke about the strong friendship between NUPGE and the Cuban labour movement and between Canadians and Cubans in general.
"Canadians are proud that past governments have enacted a foreign policy that is independent of the U.S. with regard to Cuba," said Clancy. "Our union is committed to continuing that friendship and to being a strong ally of the Cuban labour movement."
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NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE