SIPTU is supporting a vigil in solidarity with the Cuban Five which is taking place at the Spire in O’Connell Street, Dublin, on Thursday, 12th September, at 6.00 p.m. The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are unjustly imprisoned in the United States after being arrested by the FBI on 12th September 1998. The five men, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González where investigating the activities of anti-Cuban terrorist groups based in the United States when they were arrested. The men were convicted in a Miami court of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and other illegal activities. Their convictions and sentences have been strongly contested by the men and their many supporters who include Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former US President Jimmy Carter. Those attending the vigil are encouraged to wear a yellow ribbon in support of the five men. Scheduled to address the event are Chair of the Free the Cuban Five Campaign (Ireland), Marie Barry, ICTU President, John Douglas and Independent TD Finian McGrath. The vigil will mark the men’s fifteen year of imprisonment during which contact with their families has been severely restricted.
Dublin vigil in support of Cuban Five
