Bush, stop your terror!
Extradite bomber Posada to Venezuela, free the Cuban 5
By
Teresa Gutierrez
Published May 19, 2005 11:14 PM
There must be some in Washington right now
who regret being so public in their menacing demand that Cuba stop
harboring
a “terrorist” and hand over Assata Shakur—an African American
woman and former U.S. political prisoner who escaped and was offered sanctuary
in the revolutionary island nation.
President Fidel Castro Ruz has told
the U.S. in no uncertain terms that Cuba will continue to provide political
asylum to Shakur, a former Black Panther and Black Liberation Army member. The
Cuban leader called Shakur “a true political prisoner” and a victim
of “the fierce repression against the Black movement in the United
States.”
The Cuban people rallied to demonstrate they agree. They
marched through the streets of Havana on May 17—1.2 million
strong—and brought three messages right to the doorstep of the U.S.
Interests Section.
They vowed to defend Assata Shakur.
They demanded
the release of their five compatriots being held in U.S. prisons: Gerardo
Hernández, René González, Ramón Labañino,
Antonio Guerrero and Fernando González. The Cuban Five are serving prison
terms from 15 years to double life sentences in U.S. prisons as
“terrorists,” when in fact they were trying to monitor
CIA-orchestrated right-wing-terror plans against Cuba.
And those rallying
on May 17 exposed the hypocrisy of Yankee imperialism’s “war on
terror” by demanding the Bush administration arrest and deport two genuine
terrorists—Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch—living free on
U.S. soil.
In his speech President Castro also denounced Washington
“for harboring and supporting terrorists that have killed or injured
thousands of Cubans.”
The Bush administration’s double
standard on “terrorism” has led to a world outcry of denunciation.
Cuba’s demand in particular was so united, so loud, so amplified by media
around the world, that it forced U.S. immigration officials to seize
Posada—who has ties to the CIA and FBI—later that same day.
The arrest of Posada can be considered a victory not only for Cuba but
for Venezuela, all of Latin America and the Caribbean, and all the world’s
progressives and revolutionaries.
Bosch is still free in Miami. Posada,
infamous for his role in bombings and other acts of terror, had been
“hiding in plain sight in Miami.” (Miami Herald, May 17)
Now
the Chávez government in Caracas, itself a survivor of U.S.-led coup
attempts, is demanding that Washington extradite Posada to stand trial in
Venezuela, but so far the Bush administration has balked.
The fabric of
U.S. imperialism is soaked with the blood of millions of workers and oppressed
people. Its entire history is filled with colonial and imperialist interventions
and countless wars of conquest and domination.
The arrest of Posada,
although a good friend of Washington, is a result of this history. Posada became
a liability for imperialism. That is why he was arrested.
But what still
remains is for Posada to be tried and convicted for his crimes against humanity.
The movement must stay strong to assure that justice is served. It is Posada who
should be in jail, and the Cuban Five freed.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
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