03-29-06,8:50am

Havana, 27th March, (RHC).- The Honorable Minister, Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, at a meeting with the families of the Cuban Five, Saturday in the Palco Hotel, Havana, said in statements to Radio Havana Cuba that he and his organization will take an active part in seeking the release of the Cuban Five.

The event was organized to inform the Black Muslim leader and his African American delegation, who are in Cuba to meet with US students who are medical students at the Latin American School of Medicine as guests of the Cuban government, about the case of the Cuban Five. A screening of “Mission against Terror”, the documentary about the five Cuban political prisoners incarcerated in US prisons was presented to give the group some background knowledge about the case of the Five.

The short Cuban documentary “Ivette”, which features the seven year old daughter of Rene Gonzalez, one of the five, was also shown. After the presentations of the films, Bernie Dwyer and Roberto Ruiz, co-directors of “Mission against Terror” a Cuban/Irish co-production, answered questions about the making of the film and the reaction of US audiences during Dwyer’s recent tours of the United States.

The Nation of Islam leader and his delegation were visibly moved by the accounts of the wives and mothers of the five Cuban political prisoners of the emotional hardships suffered by them in the absence of their men folk. The women also recounted their difficulties in obtaining visas from the US authorities to visit to the United States to visit their husbands and sons.

After the meeting, in a short interview with Radio Havana Cuba, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan stated that he and his delegation had learnt from the presentation that the Cuban Five, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernandez, René Gonzalez, Ramon Labanino and Fernando Gonzalez, were part of a group to infiltrate terrorist organizations within the Cuban community in the United States that were planning terrorist actions against the government and the people of Cuba.

He also said: “we have learnt of the horror of the legal system and the wickedness of those that have manipulated that system to put innocent people in jail. So we hope to learn more and do as much as we can to help those who are fighting to release the Cuban Five.

When asked if he sees any parallels between the attitudes of the US government to the Nation of Islam and its treatment of the Cuban Five, The Honorable Minister replied:

“There are always parallels between those who suffer injustice and the more that we find the ways to unite our efforts, the stronger will be our effort to free those who are in prison unjustly but the main thing is to establish justice”.



US Farrakhan Defends Cuba Havana, March 28 (PL).- US Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan and his accompanying delegation are winding up Tuesday a visit to Cuba, after touring places of social, economic interest and meeting with local authorities.

During his stay on the island nation, Farrakhan urged the White House to exert justice for the five Cuban anti-terrorists illegally imprisoned in US jails.

He also slammed the US travel restrictions that keep Americans from visiting Cuba and called for lifting such arbitrary regulations. He said the Cuban Revolution’s original ideals are more humanist than any of the religions he is acquainted with.

When attending the radio-TV roundtable broadcast Monday, Farrakhan rejected George W. Bush’s warmongering policy, revealing that in 2001, he sent a letter to the president warning him about Iraq.

Shortly before concluding the program, the religious leader sent a message to Cubans, affirming the US people will love Cuba when the truth about it is fully known.

'The Cuban Revolution must be defended, as this is one of the richest nations regarding human nature and development,' the visitor stressed.