We are proud to announce the Cuban Five as the 2014 People’s
Choice Award Winners!
Their Story:
In 1998, five Cuban intelligence agents were arrested
following their surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They were
brought up on multiple charges including espionage. These five men were sent
from Cuba to investigate and report on right-wing groups in Miami planning
attacks against the Castro government and the Cuban people. Their presence in
the U.S. was in response to several attacks in Cuba for which these U.S.-based
groups claimed responsibility, including bomb attacks at many popular tourist
hotels and restaurants in Havana.
The trial for the Cuban Five was conducted in Miami, despite
objections that the city’s legacy as a bastion of anti-Castro extremists was
not conducive to an impartial hearing. The men received lengthy prison sentences,
and when jailed, were kept in isolation for extended periods of time. The
imprisonment of the Five has been deemed arbitrary by a United Nations Working
Group on Arbitrary Detention in 2005, and the arrest, trial, verdict, and
sentencing has been protested and criticized by activists, Nobel Laureates, EU
Parliamentarians, and prominent characters including the former Chief of the
U.S. Interests Section in Havana and many others around the world. Committees
to free the Cuban Five exist in hundreds of communities.
The situation surrounding the case of the Cuban Five should
be understood as a microcosm for relations between the United States and Cuba
at the time, and into the present day. The treatment and imprisonment of the
Cuban Five is colored by the continued antagonism that defines the U.S.
approach to the Caribbean nation.
Selection of the People’s Choice Honoree was based
on the following evaluation criteria:
·
The number of votes from the public each
candidate receives
·
Evidence of contribution to human rights
struggles
·
Demonstration that the People’s Choice Award
honor will strengthen and advance the candidate’s efforts and work
The 2014 People’s
Choice Award
Join us in shining a light on the tireless efforts of Human
Rights Advocates, the individuals and organizations that inspire you. The Cuban
Five will be honored at the 2014 Human
Rights Awards on May 8th, in San Francisco, CA.
If you are having trouble nominating or voting, please
contact Membership and Outreach Officer Corey Hill, Corey@globalexchange.org
Tomado de humanrightsaward.org
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