Cuba Demands US Free Five Imprisoned NationalsCuba's National Assembly of People 's Power, the highest legislative body in the island country, demanded on Friday that the US government immediately release five Cuban nationals jailed in a Miami prison.In a statement adopted at its seventh session, the assembly said the five Cubans were arrested in the United States because they tried to protect Cuba from terrorist activities and maintain the dignity, values and morals of their country. The five were arrested in September 1998 on charges of spying and jeopardizing US national security. A court in Florida upheld the accusation in June this year and the five accused face long prison terms or even life imprisonment. The Assembly insisted that the five are innocent people who committed no crimes but fell victims to anti-Cuban activities by some right-wing forces in the United States. Even the prosecutors had to admit that the accused committed no crime of espionage, and obtained no classified information, the Assembly noted in the statement. It urged Washington to stop terrorist activities against Cuba and its nationals residing overseas and stop the persecution and threat against US citizens who oppose the US embargo against Cuba. The two peoples can and should live in peace, it added. Cuban leaders Fidel Castro and Raul Castro attended the Assembly's session. Family members of the imprisoned Cuban nationals spoke at the meeting. They slammed the unjustified activities of right-wing forces in the United States and pledged their unremitting efforts to fight for the release of their loved ones. |
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