Venezuelan President Demands Release of Cuban Five

[T&T Venezuela Bolivarian Solidarity]

Havana, August 6 (acn) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday demanded the release of the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters who remain as political prisoners in the United States while, paradoxically, Washington protects international criminal Luis Posada Carriles.

In his "Alo, Presidente" radio and television program, the Venezuelan leader noted that these cases are two faces of one problem adding that the United States government uses the so-called war on terror as an excuse.

Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labañino, Rene Gonzalez y Gerardo Hernandez, internationally known as the Cuban Five, are serving harsh and cruel sentences for having infiltrated anti-Cuba terrorist groups in Miami and for trying to prevent them from perpetrating terrorist actions against the Cuban people, which have caused the death of 3,500 people since 1959.

According to Prensa Latina news agency, Chavez referred to the Cuban Five as "heroes imprisoned within the Empire" and urged the world to join the campaign for their release.

In addition, he recalled that Posada Carriles was head of operations of the former Venezuelan Secret Police (DISIP) and was in charge of planning the torture and assassination of social and political leaders.

Chavez's comments came after a brief intervention by the President of the Cuban Parliament Ricardo Alarcon, who stressed that the case of Posada Carriles shows that what the Cuban Five were doing in Miami was right.