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Bush, stop your terror!

Extradite bomber Posada to Venezuela, free the Cuban 5

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.