The Facts Behind Cuba's Persecution of U.S. Agents
From the Catalyst
Newsletter of Winnipeg SMAC

The Bush administration recently issued veiled threats
of aggression against Cuba over the arrest and
conviction of 75 Cubans found guilty by Cuban courts to
have been paid agents fomenting subversion of the
government. The United States is portraying those
convicted as "dissidents" and prisoners of conscience
victimized by an act of "political repression". It has
called for condemnation of Cuba by the UN Human Rights
Commission and by the Organization of American States.
Of course, the Bush administration and media, including
various Canadian media, fail to mention that these
individuals were not convicted for their political
beliefs or their opposition to the government, but
because they openly violated a Cuban law which forbids
collaboration with a foreign threat to Cuba?s
sovereignty. In fact, the most prominent political
opposition leaders on the island were not even included
in the arrests.
During the trial, Cuban prosecutors presented an
enormous volume of evidence proving the guilt of the
accused. Photographic evidence showed the accused at
various meetings with the head of the US Interest
Section in Havana, James Cason. Undercover agents who
had infiltrated organizations financed by Washington
testified about the illegal activities of the
defendants. In addition, laundered money used to
finance their illegal activities was traced back to the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and
other U.S. agencies which regularly finance subversive
activities in Cuba. USAID documents admit to paying
over $8 million per year to various organizations in
Cuba whose stated aim is the overthrow of the Cuban
government and the destruction of the Cuban economic
and social system. James Cason was found to be
providing the use of his personal residence and U.S.
government offices in Havana as meeting places for the
group, as well as money to recruit supporters. The aim
of the group was to organize an opposition party in
Cuba which would be financed by and represent the
interests of the American government.
The United States has similar laws forbidding political
actions by individuals who are financed by a foreign
government, and since September 11 has imprisoned
thousands of individuals without trial or access to
lawyers on suspicion of representing a threat to U.S.
security. In fact, most countries in the world have
laws against those who accept money from foreign
governments to subvert the existing social order.
The American government and media have also raised a
furor about the execution of three Cubans convicted of
violently hijacking a passenger ferry and attempting to
sail it to Florida. The three were the ringleaders of a
group of 11 armed terrorists inspired by the rewards
and honours heaped on previous Cuban terrorists who
have succeeded in reaching the United States. In 1995
the U.S. government entered into an agreement with the
Cuban government to resolve the crisis created by the
rafter exodus of 1995. That agreement resulted in the
enactment by the U.S. government of the Cuban
Adjustment Act under which the United States was
required to: 1) issue 20,000 visas to Cubans annually;
2) strictly punish hijackers; and 3) return any Cubans
intercepted at sea. The U.S. is also a signatory to
international treaties requiring the strict punishment
of hijackers and the prompt return of hijacked
airplanes to the originating country.
However, the Bush administration has refused to comply
with these domestic and international laws. During the
past six months it has issued only 505 visas to Cubans,
creating pressure for illegal emigration. It has also
refused to prosecute hijackers from Cuba or to return
hijacked planes to Cuba. In fact, two recent hijackers
have been treated like heroes in Miami and rewarded
financially for their crimes. The Cuban government has
appealed to the Bush administration repeatedly to
enforce the law in order to avoid another emigration
crisis. However, the Bush administration has arrogantly
refused to do so, threatening instead to take
unspecified action against Cuba if there is another
rafter exodus to Florida. Clearly the Bush
administration is deliberately trying to provoke a
crisis with Cuba that can serve as a pretext for either
a further tightening of the economic blockade or
military action.

Faced with the increasingly hostile and warlike
attitude of the Bush administration and its de facto
encouragement of acts of terrorism against Cuba, the
Cuban government saw no alternative to vigorously
enforcing its laws and demonstrating to both the U.S.
agents and the terrorists inspired by them that their
behaviour will not be tolerated. Only those who apply a
double standard to those countries that wish to defend
their independence and sovereignty from the United
States can find fault with Cuba on this issue.

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