Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to again raise the case of the Miami Five and the huge injustice perpetrated against the Cuban people. I also thank Deputy Chris Andrews for sharing his time on this urgent matter. I today call on the Government and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to support the families of the Miami Five. I also dedicate this speech to the memory of the 3,748 and 2,099 Cubans killed and maimed, respectively, at the hands of US-based terrorists since 1959. This is not a figure one will hear in the so-called free Western world. This is a story of grave injustice against the Cuban people that has been ignored by the international media and our own so-called free press. I now call for action and an end to this injustice.

I visited Cuba, met the families of the Miami Five and told them I would raise their case on my return . In Cuba, there are posters and pictures of the Miami Five everywhere. They have the same respect and support as did our own Birmingham Six and Guildford Four and hence my support today. For the past 12 years, the five Cubans, namely, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, Antonio Guerrero and René González, have been serving long and unjust sentences in American prisons for the sole crime of defending Cuba from the actions of terrorist groups based in the United States. Their legal process has been ongoing for ten years without justice having been served, despite the recognition by both the Atlanta 11th Appeals Court and the Miami court that tried them that none of them has harmed the national security of the United States. During these years, they have endured many legal and human rights violations, including solitary confinement on various occasions without justified cause. In addition, they have experienced delays in authorising visas for their families, with the result that in most cases, they have been allowed an average of only one visit per year. I also note the systematic denial of visas by the Government of the United States to Olga Salanueva and Adriana Pérez, the wives of Gerardo Hernández and René González, respectively.

After 12 years in prison, it is time for the Obama Administration to feel the full weight of international demands and puts an end to this injustice and the suffering of these five men and their families. The international relations commission of the Cuban parliament has called on all parliamentarians of the world "to build another space for proposals on concrete actions directed at the United States government and Congress, to demand that their president releases these five Cuban anti-terrorists and grants visas to [their families]", to put an end to what Amnesty International has described as unnecessary punishment that goes beyond the norm for humane treatment of prisoners and the obligation of countries to respect family life. Finally, I call for action and support for the Miami Five to ensure their release as their only crime was to defend their country against evil people.

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