A Letter to Rene from the Free the Cuban 5 Committee - Vancouver

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February 27, 2014

Dear Rene,

We are sure that whatever hour it is that Fernando's plane touches down in Havana, that you will be there waiting to embrace him and celebrate his freedom. We, the participants in the Thursday, February 27th, 2014 meeting of the Free the Cuban 5 Committee – Vancouver, are celebrating over here to your North, just as we are sure peace and justice loving people are celebrating in all corners of the world.

As we celebrate Fernando's release, we are also in the midst of our final meeting before our 100th consecutive monthly protest in front of the U.S Consulate in Vancouver on March 5th. We will be joined by solidarity actions in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Chicago, San Francisco and others, to denounce your unjust imprisonment, and demand the immediate release of Ramon, Antonio and Gerardo. This is an important milestone in the international Cuban 5 campaign, and we are committed to continue organizing until all of the Cuban 5 are free.

One can only imagine your own feelings upon finally returning permanently to Cuba last year, after serving all of your own inhumane sentence. We have also seen how despite your obvious elation to be with your family and friends, that you haven’t wasted any time in continuing the struggle to free all of your brothers from the dungeons of the United States government.

We share the same conviction that Fernando will be, as you said, “at my side in the battle”. We too remain committed to this battle, and will continue to organize as part of the growing international movement demanding freedom for all of the Cuban 5! We have moved another step forward, and March 5th we will again be on the streets to take another!

Hasta la Victoria Siempre!

With Love and Solidarity, Free the Cuban 5 Committee – Vancouver

Alison Bodine
Noah Fine
Steve Bottomley
Janine Solanki
Max Tennant
Mario Mendoza
Colleen Glynn
Nestor Otero
Carmen de Irigoyen
Azza Rojbi
Andre Durena
Shakeel Lochan
Stan Squires
Ali Yerevani
Thomas Davies
Tamara Hansen
Aaron Mercredi
Sarah Alwell