The General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches has expressed concern about the fate of René González Sehwerert, Ramón Labañino Salazar, Fernando Gonzalez Llort, Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez, and Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, five Cuban nationals who have been imprisoned in the United States for the past eight years.

"The SACC joins with other people of goodwill around the world in expressing our solidarity with the people of Cuba. With them, we demand just treatment for the "Cuban five". Indeed, we seek justice for all political prisoners in the United States, Cuba, and other nations," said the General Secretary, Mr. Eddie Makue.

"We are alarmed by the treatment of these five prisoners, who were held, incommunicado, for nearly three years without trial. They were tried in an extremely hostile environment, in a manner that both US courts and the United Nations Human Rights Commission later deemed unfair," Makue explained.

"We are especially outraged by the double standards applied by the United States in its so-called 'war against terrorism'," said Makue. "While the US government sends agents abroad to kidnap and torture individuals suspected of having links to groups perceived as "terrorist" in Washington - often on flimsy evidence - the US appears willing, even eager, to provide sanctuary to groups bent on the fomenting terror in Cuba by overthrowing her government and attacking her people. When the Cuban government takes steps to defend itself from such assaults, the United States thwarts these efforts by imprisoning Cuba's agents."

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the international ecumenical movement have long been concerned about the treatment meted out to Cuba by her powerful neighbour. On several occasions, including at the WCC's Ninth Assembly in February, church leaders have vigorously condemned the 43-year naval blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States. More recently, the WCC, the SACC and other ecumenical bodies protested the US government plans to prevent the Cuban Council of Churches from accessing humanitarian assistance which is needed to mitigate some of the impact of the blockade.

"It is time for the United States to halt its war of attrition against the people of Cuba and to prevent dissident groups from using its territory as a base from which to launch assaults on Cuban citizens. The SACC calls on the US government to end its punative blockade of Cuba, to take action against terrorist groups in its jurisdiction, and to ensure justice for the 'Cuban five'," Makue said. Makue expanded on the last point saying that, at a minimum, the United States should ensure the five's case receives a thorough and impartial judicial review and that their families and loved ones are given permission to visit them freely.

For more information, contact: Mr. Eddie Makue (082 853 8781)