Alan Gross: Cuba’s Ambassador responds
J-Wire has reported that Federal MP Michael Danby raised the issue of American Alan Gross, held in Cuba and reportedly charged in February 2011 with “actions against the independence or the territorial integrity of the state” with Cuba’s ambassador to Australia. He was also accused by State prosecutors of engaging ‘in a subversive project aiming at bringing down the revolution’. The Cuban ambassador responds….
To J-Wire from Pedro Monzon, Ambassador of Cuba in Australia Regarding the article published in your page J-Wire in November 12, 2012 by Henry Benjamin titled “Danby Joins the Protest”.
HE Pedro Monzon
“I would like to make some points that will give information on the exact situation of Mr Allan Gross and the relation the issue has with United States policy towards Cuba. We have to clarify, first, that Alan Gross has not been tried and sentenced in Cuba because he has been doing “humanitarian and voluntary work” associated with helping the Cuban Jewish community to connect to the Internet.
The Cuban synagogues had access to the Internet long before the arrival of Gross in Cuba. His purpose was to implement a sophisticated network of communication in Cuba with political objectives and outside the communications systems established in our country.
The aim was to carry out covert activities to destabilize Cuba, violating our laws. This kind of behaviour is considered illegal in Cuba as in many countries, including the United States. In fact Mr. Gross activities were not voluntary; it is publicly recognized that he has been hired by the U.S. Government to implement federal programs that attempted against Cuba’s constitutional order.
We have to add that it is more than suspicious that during multiple visits to Cuba, Mr. Gross never told the people he contacted that he was working under a contract for the U.S. Government. He misleads even the Cuban Jewish community. It is also very well known that US policy towards Cuba through more than half a century have included a military invasion, mercenary infiltrations, terrorist activities, the openly acknowledged intent to assassinate our leaders and a tough and strict economic, commercial and financial blockade that affect not only our bilateral relations but, since it has an extraterritorial reach, the whole relations of Cuba with the world. Just the past November 13 UN overwhelmingly condemned for the 21st time US Blockade against Cuba.
Then the fact that Mr Gross activities have been conceived and financed by the US government is really meaningful. To ignore it would be in the crassest ingenuity. Violent activities from such a powerful and neighbouring country against Cuba lead us to develop defensive measures. One of them was the infiltration of 5 Cubans within terrorist Cuban-American groups in New Jersey and Florida seeking to pre-empt their further terrorist actions and to gather evidence about them that could be used to arrest those unlawful and criminal people operating inside U.S. territory.
Since this activities have been dangerous even to the American population, our country good willingly gave all the information to the FBI; however instead of stopping those terrorists’ actions, they captured the five Cubans and put them in jail where they have already served unjustly 14 painful years, far from their spouses, children and relatives. On the other hand, it has been proved that they did not infiltrate US military or government facilities but exclusively those extremist groups. Let’s also make clear that the state of health of Mr. Gross remains normal and that he is even making intense physical exercises regularly.
He also has all the necessary medical attention from Cuban physicians whose high standard is worldly known. Mr. Alan Gross received several visits from his wife during his period in jail and we have given to them all the facilities and created the best conditions. It is fair to point out that the Cuban Government has conveyed to the U.S. Government its willingness to find a humanitarian solution to the case of Mr. Alan Gross on reciprocal humanitarian bases.
On this stand many issues in our bilateral relations could be placed on the negotiating table. However we didn’t have a response from US government until now.
Let’s finally say that President Obama has taken some limited measures on US Cuba’s policy that we have recognized as positive. But they have a positive nature only to the relationship and regular interaction between Cubans and Cuban-Americans, nevertheless the fundamentals that have historically characterized U.S. policy towards Cuba has not been modified by the Obama administration. The so-called economic sanctions against Cuba (the blockade) remain in force without any change. The US also didn’t modify or stop many other aggressive and destabilizing polices such as radio and television broadcasts, specially designed to promote subversion in Cuba and the constant unjust blacklisting with the obvious purpose of de legitimizing our country. Nor they have been reviewed illegal programs financed in order to promote the overthrown of the Cuban government.
Of course they have failed, since changes in Cuba are simply a sovereign right of the Cuban people. I will like to take the advantage of this message to state again that Cuba reiterates its willingness to dialogue with the Government of the United States in order to achieve a solution to the case of Mr. Gross and that we are still waiting for a response from their side.”
Here is the link to Amnesty International findings on the irregularities of the case of the Cuban Five. The link to Amnesty International findings was disconnected on their website this week, but you can still find the entire document at:
http://mltoday.com/subject-areas/cuba/amnesty-international-report-the-case-of-the-cuban-five-984.html
From Amnesty International’s conclusion of their report: “However, the organization believes that the concerns outlined above combine to raise serious doubts about the fairness of the proceedings leading to their conviction, in particular the prejudicial impact of publicity about the case on a jury in Miami. Amnesty International hopes that these concerns can still be given due consideration by the appropriate appeal channels. Should the legal appeals process not provide a timely remedy, and given the long prison terms imposed and length of time the prisoners have already served, Amnesty International is supporting calls for a review of the case by the US executive authorities THROUGH THE CLEMENCY PROCESS or other appropriate means.” (my emphasis)
HE P Monzon sounds reasonable and he does have valid complaints about the USA. At the same time it must be borne in mind that he is the ambassador of a repressive dictatorship.
If Allan Gross was working for the US government and trying to undermine Cuba, he should by now have been put before a court and the charges against him should have been heard. There is also a concern that his alleged illegal activities could be linked to the treatment of Jews is Cuba. And there is the other possibility that the Cuban regime is holding Gross as a bargaining chip to secure there release of the 5 Cubans agents sent to the US to spy on Cuban groups in the USA. Danby is right to be concerned and he is to be applauded for speaking up.
However, one cannot fail to notice that while Gross is held by a repressive regime, the exceptional USA, ever so proud of its respect for and adherence to law, has its own Prisoner of Zion – Jonathan Pollard – jailed for over 27 years on a charge that carries a penalty of 2 to 4 years. He was jailed on secret evidence and in breach of a plea bargain. And no-one, but no-one speaks up for Pollard other than to whine for mercy and yelp that he was sorry. The USA should be sorry for persecuting a man who revealed intelligence which the USA had promised to share with Israel but showed its good faith by reneging on the deal.
What was Alan Gross actually DOING in Cuba?
Here’s an excellent report by an Associated Press reporter who probed Gross’s activities: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9SSHGPG2.htm
And for the very detail-minded, here is how the Cuban court summarized the evidence and justified the sentence it imposed on Gross: http://www.walterlippmann.com/alan-gross-sentencing-03-11-2011.pdf
Ambassador Monzon has written a concise rationale for both the arrest, conviction and confinement of Mr. Alan Gross. He has summarize the reason for Cuba’s vigilance and the compelling need for Cuba to infiltrate the terrorist groups of Miami and New Jersey. Although Mr. Gross’ activities were directed towards destabilizing Cuba’s government his imprisonment is drastically more humane than the fate of the Five Cubans anti-terrorist fighters who had no intention of destabilizing the US government.
The answer form the USA has so far been to misinform the people and to continue a media war against Cuba. Perhaps the new US administration will not only heed the UN vote (188 nations condemning the US embargo against Cuba) but also proceed to find a humanitarian solution of both Mr. Gross and the Cuban Five.
Milton Sanchez-Parodi
Poland, OH USA
I am pleased to see your reporting such a balanced and fact based response of the Cuban Ambassador. about the Alan Gross case. I think he covered all the main issues, but in case some readers want to read source materials, I have included the following links:
You may also be interested in Alan Gross’s support pages, and notice who they chose to be his defense lawyers; Perseus Strategies.
1. Associated Press, Feb. 13, 2012. First in-depth report in US press spells out the case, including CIA/State Dept. links. Note that Alan Gross’ support page [link below] includes a number of self-serving press links, but jumps right over the AP story link. (If you need a copy, email me.)
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9SSHGPG2.htm
2. Decent overview of this case on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Phillip_Gross
3. Cuban Indictment of Alan Gross, January 29, 2011. (Very revealing details.)
http://www.bringalanhome.org/newsroom/Indictment.pdf
4. Cuban Court Sentencing Decision March 11, 2011 detailing conviction of Alan Gross. (PDF attached)
http://tinyurl.com/94kyhu8
5. Appeal Decision, Aug. 4, 2011. Note that Gross’ support page highlights a section they think is favorable to their argument, but if you read the whole document (and the others) his awareness he was breaking the law becomes obvious. (PDF without Gross highlighting attached)
http://www.bringalanhome.org/newsroom/Appeal%20Decision.pdf
6. Alan Gross’ Support Home Page. Note that they have included links and attachments of the major documents, except the AP report of Feb. 13, 2012, and they have been understandably very biased in their use and interpretation of these documents.
http://www.bringalanhome.org/index.shtml
7. Perseus Strategies – Press Release Sept. 13, 2012 (English/Spanish) [Note the logo!]
http://www.bringalanhome.org/newsroom/Newsroom-2012-09-13.pdf
8. Perseus Strategies (These guys deserve to be researched.)
http://www.perseus-strategies.com/
9. Perseus Strategies logo search. Notice the imperialistic logo designs they considered before they choose the one on their documents and site.
http://99designs.com/logo-design/contests/create-next-logo-perseus-strategies-llc-83530 (If this disappears, let me know.)
I welcome any additions or corrections.
I do hope that these cases are resolved in a way that helps return the 5 to their homes.
Walter Teague
[email protected]