The Obama administration announced changes to travel and money transfer restrictions on Cuban-Americans in April, which allow travel to Cuba of unlimited frequency, no cap on money transfer amounts and the ability to send clothes and certain personal hygiene items. These are welcome but very minimal changes, which don’t even go so far as to include non Cuban-Americans.

In line with his presidential campaign, Obama has made public comment that he will seek new relations with Cuba. For instance at the recent Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, Obama said he would move to have Cuba invited to rejoin the Organisation of American States, after 47 years of exclusion, and was open to direct talks. However these changes don’t mark any significant change in foreign policy towards Cuba. The US government continues to uphold the trade embargo, illegally occupy Guantanamo Bay, and deny a fair trial for or the release of the Cuban Five.

US telecommunication companies are now able to seek contracts in Cuba, but aside from this Obama is continuing to uphold the trade embargo against Cuba. The embargo began during the early days of the Cuban revolution in 1958, was broadened by Eisenhower in 1961 and again by Kennedy a year later to full trade restrictions. Diplomatic relations since then have been stagnant. The Helms-Burton Act of 1996 remains, preventing normal relations between American diplomats and Cuba under the Castro Presidencies. Aimed at undermining and causing the downfall of the Cuban government, the embargo has been a resounding failure, but is among the primary reasons that Cuba has an extremely low level of material wealth, struggles to attain hard currency, and is limited in its ability to continue to develop its productive capacity. Despite this Cuba remains among the leading bastions of anti-imperialism and true internationalism in the world, and persists as a counter weight and an embarrassment to US imperialism. Cuban exiles and organisations of counter-revolutionaries who operate out of Miami and hold political influence in Florida, continue to oppose any relaxation of the firm isolationist policy towards Cuba.

The US has a more than 50-year long history of aggression against Cuba. The Cuban people were victorious in overthrowing the US backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in January in 1959. In April 1961 US backed mercenaries and opponents of the revolution invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, in an attempt to overthrow the revolutionary government. However the mass mobilisation of the Cuban people to defend their revolution and subsequent embarrassing defeat of the invading forces was clear proof that revolutionary sentiment and support for the new government was deep seated and popular.  In October 1962 President Kennedy verged on using nuclear warfare when the former Soviet Union began to station missiles on Cuba.

Since March 1959 Cuba has demanded the return of the land occupied by the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, and accepted no rent money. However the US continues to illegally occupy this land and commit human rights atrocities on it.

The Cuban Five or Miami Five were falsely convicted of espionage, conspiracy and related charge sand are serving long and life sentences in US prisons. They have been made heroes of the Republic of Cuba. The men were operating undercover in Miami gathering information on terrorism against Cuba. They successfully infiltrated terrorist organsiations, with the aim of informing Cuba of imminent attacks. Terrorist operations against Cuba have been occurring since 1959, resulting in around 3,500 deaths and 2000 injuries to Cubans and people who actively support the normalisation of US policy toward Cuba. These groups operate with freedom out of Miami and have the complicit backing of the CIA and FBI.

The Five were arrested by the FBI in September 1998 and held illegally in a Miami jail for 17 months. After a 7-month trial in Miami, they were convicted June 2001. The Five were denied a fair trial beyond the near-hysterical anti-Cuba atmosphere of Miami.

In August 2007 the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the convictions and ruled for retrials outside of Miami. However, the original panel of three judges was vacated and a new panel of 12 judges one year later reversed the original decision. The convictions were reaffirmed. Several issues still remain before the court of appeal.

The Cuban Five are political prisoners. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions ruled that irregularities in their trial and arrest denied them a fair trial. Obama says his administration is willing to engage with Cuba “on a wide range of issues, including human rights, free speech, democratic reform, drugs, immigration and the economy”. Yet, reaffirming his hypocrisy as the mouth piece of imperialism, Obama rejected an offer made by Raul Castro at the beginning of 2009 to send over 200 prisoners held in Cuba, and their families, back to the United States, in exchange for the return of the Cuban Five to Cuba.

 An important international solidarity campaign exists for the defense and release of the Cuban Five. In New Zealand contact the Cuba Friendship Society: Inashina@clear.net.nz

Meeting calls on President Obama to release the Cuban Five

The Christchurch Cuba Friendship Society (CCFS) has called on President Barack Obama to free the Cuban Five.

The CCFC meeting, held in the city Thursday night, welcomed President Obama’s decision to close the Guantanamo torture camp and urged that he take the next logical step and abandon the facility altogether to its rightful owner the people of Cuba.

The meeting also resolved to write to Mr Obama seeking justice for the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters held in US prisons for the past 10 years.

“Much has been said on the issue of change by President Obama now is the time for action” CCFS spokesperson Paul Piesse (above) said. “Guantanamo should not simply be closed but returned to the people of Cuba along with the anti-terrorist fighters unjustly imprisoned in the US.” Mr Piesse added.

The five, Gerardo Hernández, René González, Antonio Guerrero, Ramon Labañino and Fernando González were gathering information about terrorist groups that operate on US soil “Their actions” Mr. Piesse noted “helped prevent terrorist acts and protect innocent civilians. Their continued imprisonment is a travesty of justice”

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that the men’s imprisonment is in breach of article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“Mr Obama” Piesse noted “is now in a position to demonstrate his commitment to ‘honesty, courage and fair play’ – it’s time to walk the talk.”

The meeting also called on Unions, Churches and all those who seek justice to also petition the new US President for the Cuba Fives immediate release.

Peter arrived in Auckland straight from Venezuela where he has spent the past three weeks.

Below are notes taken from the meeting.

He was there for the elections which were won by the revolutionary United Socialist Party by a large majority.

This election had the biggest turnout ever, 65%, whereas the record previously was just 50% (voting is voluntary in Venezuela). The polls don’t close until there are no more voters and there were people lining up to vote until 11.30pm.
The United Socialist Party (PSUV) won 17 out of 27 governors, and combined with its allies won 6 million votes to the right-wing opposition’s four million votes. It was a resounding vote of confidence in the revolution. The opposition won a couple of key states which gave a boost to the right wing reaction, but the overall vote was conclusively in favour of the revolution.

Battalions of volunteers ran the election campaign. Each battalion was made up of 30 to 100 people and each person had 10 people to contact about the election. They’d fill up a book of these names and details then start on a new book. But it didn’t stop at polling day. Immediately after the election they got together to discuss the results and plan ahead.

Peter Boyle made it clear that he had no intention of overstating the development of the movement; he painted a frank and detailed picture of a society undergoing transformation in fits and starts.

He spoke of the changes taking place in education where nearly the whole population has gone back to school – from children up to 80 year olds. He met a 73 year old woman who had left school at primary level who was now completing her law degree. She will use her education to serve the people she says. There are around 100 Bolivarian universities set up that give the poor their first opportunity at tertiary education. In contrast the established universities are still bastions of the elite.

Health care has been transformed for the poor, and greatly assisted by Cuban doctors – who at one time numbered 30,000. Currently there are around 15,000 Cuban doctors who provide free health care 24 hours a day in small local clinics where they live. There are also bigger medical centres that provide diagnostic services (mostly run by Venezuelan doctors), and dentists – also from Cuba, who give dental care to masses for the first time ever.

Clean running water, good sewage systems and affordable housing are key advances being made. There is building going on everywhere and Chavez has joked that he doesn’t know why the West accuse him of being anti-private property when he has created more private home owners than ever before. Now people in poor working class districts can get low interest loans to buy their homes.

As well as these mass campaigns, there are around six communes which are pilot projects. These are aggregations of communal councils of which there are 1500 operating. These organisations are developing popular participatory democracy. These are the seeds of new democracy from below. One of the challenges is to get the youth to become activists. At the moment it is mostly middle aged women who are leading the charge. These people were never political before, have now become real agents of change.

There are security committees that replace the corrupt police who have been driven out of the barrios, and these new committees solve the problem of crime.

The question of how to organise the people living in slums – which comprise the biggest populations in the megacities today – is pivotal in Venezuela. The problem of criminal gangs is rife, and the way forward has been found to organise the mothers. Even the hardened gang members will listen to their mammas!

Every revolution has its enemies within and the wealthy are opposed to the transformations of the Bolivarian revolution. There are all sorts of ways they are trying to stymie the revolution, says Peter.

The army is being revolutionised and politicised, which is a very interesting experiment. There are also 1.5 million militias, although only 200,000 to 300,000 have received training.

For all the progress there is still a long way to go. But people are rising to the challenge.

The revolution in its tenth year now has been a combination of mass mobilisation on the ground and alliances and compromises in the parliamentary arena. More and more a mass revolutionary base is being developed.

Download the MP3 here.