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The City Council of Richmond, California, unanimously passes a Resolution
in support of the Cuban Five and visitation rights for their families
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<br>
International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five <br>
4/8/2009 <br>
<br>
A resolution in support of the Cuban Five political prisoners in the
United States was passed at the Richmond City Council meeting on Tuesday
April 7th by a 7 to 0 vote. The initiative was introduced by Mayor Gayle
McLaughlin and co-sponsored by Councilwoman Maria Viramontes. <br>
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Richmond sits on the northern part of the San Francisco Bay. It is a
multicultural, multiracial city with a population of more than 100,000
people. African Americans and Latinos account for a majority of its
residents. <br>
<br>
The resolution calls for President Barack Obama and Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton to consider the violation of international covenants and
due process for a fair trial associated with the conviction and
imprisonment of the Cuban Five. It also calls for the pardon and release
of the Cuban Five to their homeland as well as the immediate granting of
humanitarian visas to Olga Salanueva and Adriana Perez (wives of two of
the Cuban Five) to visit their husbands in prison. <br>
<br>
Despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the United States and
Cuba, citizens of Richmond have a long history of fraternal relations
with Cuba through its Regla Cuba/Richmond Sister City project. <br>
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In 2007 Mayor Gayle McLaughlin spearheaded a campaign in support of the
right of family visits for the Cuban Five and together with 12 other
California Mayors sent a letter to then US Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales asking him to grant humanitarian visas to relatives of the Cuban
Five. <br>
<br>
The City of Richmond’s resolution joins together with thousands of
supporters, including 5 Presidents from Latin America, 10 Nobel Prize
winners, intellectuals, religious leaders, union leaders, legal and human
rights organizations, artists, members of parliaments and people from all
over the world who are asking the US government to immediately release
the Cuban Five. <br>
<br>
At the same time of the passage of this resolution, hundreds of people
from all over the world are making phone calls and sending letters and
faxes to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Homeland
Security Janet Napolitano to ask them to grant visas to Adriana Perez and
Olga Salanueva to visit their imprisoned husbands who they have not been
allowed to see for over 10 years. <br>
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The Mayor of Richmond and other personalities have also sent individual
letters to both Clinton and Napolitano asking them to grant visas to
Perez and Salanueva including the Vice President of the Mexican Senate
Yeidckol Polevnsky Gurwitz, former California Congressman Esteban Torres,
the President of the William C. Velásquez Institute Antonio
Gonzalez, former Bishop of Detroit Thomas Gumbleton, the president
of the National Lawyers Guild Marjorie Cohn, the Dean of St. Mark’s
Episcopal Cathedral Spenser D. Simrill, the Director of Project Censored
Peter Phillips, and writers Piero Gleijeses, Arnold August and James
Cockcroft. <br>
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The resolution of the Richmond City Council will hopefully pave the way
for other elected officials to support the release of the Cuban Five as a
basic gesture of justice and a step towards normalization of relations
between the US and Cuba. <br>
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To view the resolution visit:
<a href="http://www.thecuban5.org/">www.thecuban5.org</a><br><br>
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
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