When Ignacio Ramonet asked Fidel: “What are the main concerns you currently have as Head of State?” He made many things clear, but among the first he mentioned was: “Today our attention is focused (…) on the struggle for the liberation of the Five Heroes, who are imprisoned in the United States.” [1]
And so it was, a constant struggle, an unrelenting demand, a call for justice that united the entire Cuban people. The release of Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Ramón Labañino Salazar, Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez, René González Sehwerert, and Fernando González Llort was among the top priorities of the Commander-in-Chief, and of this people who always trusted Fidel’s words when he said: “They have not committed a single act of violence. We assert, maintain, and are ready to prove that they are political prisoners, prisoners of the empire. (…) We will crush that accusation to dust; the innocence of these patriots is absolute. I’ll just say one thing: They will return!” [2]
“Our heroes must be freed,” declared Fidel in 2002. “As yet another display of rage and hatred, they continue to receive ruthless and brutal treatment, under the belief that this will break their morale and resolve. They have been scattered across five high-security prisons, with minimum distances between each of them exceeding 1,400 kilometers, after a harrowing and cruel journey, always confined to punishment cells, only to be later mixed into prisons where control, impartiality, and moral integrity of the prison authorities are glaringly absent. (…) And this is done to men who, in seeking information about terrorism, were defending their people from death” [3].
“The enormous injustice committed against them will be known throughout the world. Millions of books will carry the truth and Cuba’s message. Our comrades, sooner rather than later, will return! No matter the cost or where they may be.”
On December 17, 2014, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, addressed the Cuban people and stated: “As Fidel promised in June 2001, when he said: ‘They will return! [4]’, Gerardo, Ramón, and Antonio arrived today in our homeland.” René and Fernando had already returned to the country earlier.
“The immense joy of their families and of our entire people, who tirelessly mobilized toward that goal, extends to the hundreds of solidarity committees and groups; the governments, parliaments, organizations, institutions, and individuals who, over these 16 years, demanded and made tireless efforts for their release. To all of them, we express our deepest gratitude and commitment.”
I received them on Saturday, February 28, seventy-three days after they set foot on Cuban soil. Three of them had spent sixteen long years of their prime youth breathing the damp, foul, and repugnant air of the basement cells of a Yankee prison, after being sentenced by corrupt judges. The other two, who likewise sought to thwart the criminal plans of the empire against their homeland, were also condemned to several years of brutal imprisonment[5].
The investigative agencies themselves, completely devoid of the most basic sense of justice, took part in the inhumane hunt.
Cuban intelligence had absolutely no need to track the movements of a single U.S. military unit, because it could observe everything moving across our planet from space through the Lourdes Electronic Surveillance Base, south of Cuba’s capital. This center was capable of detecting any object moving thousands of miles from our country.
The Five Anti-Terrorist Heroes, who never caused any harm to the United States, were trying to prevent and stop terrorist acts against our people, organized by U.S. intelligence agencies, well known to global public opinion.
None of the Five Heroes carried out their tasks seeking applause, awards, or glory. They received their honorable titles because they never sought them. They, their wives, their parents, their children, their siblings, and their fellow citizens have every right to feel proud.
In July 1953, when we attacked the Moncada Barracks, I was 26 years old and had far less experience than they demonstrated. If they were in the United States, it was not to harm that country or to take revenge for the crimes being organized and supplied with explosives against our nation. Trying to stop them was absolutely legitimate.
The most important thing upon their arrival was to greet their families, friends, and the people, without neglecting their health and the rigorous medical check-up for even a minute.
I was happy for hours yesterday. I listened to wonderful stories of heroism from the group led by Gerardo and supported by all, including the painter and poet whom I met while he was creating one of his works at the Santiago de Cuba airfield. And the wives? The sons and daughters? The sisters and mothers? Shouldn’t they be welcomed too? Well, we must also celebrate the return and joy with the family!
(…) I wanted to exchange thoughts with the Five Heroes. For five hours, that was the topic. Fortunately, I have enough time to ask them to invest part of their immense prestige in something that will be extremely useful to our people.
[1] Book: "One Hundred Hours with Fidel" An extensive interview conducted by Ignacio Ramonet with Fidel Castro, offering insights into his thoughts, leadership, and reflections.
[2] Speech delivered by Fidel Castro at the Open Tribune of the Revolution, Municipality of Cotorro, Havana City, on June 23, 2001.
[3] Speech delivered by Fidel Castro Ruz, President of the Republic of Cuba, During the solemn ceremony honoring the mothers and wives of the Five Heroes of the Republic of Cuba, prisoners of the empire. Karl Marx Theater, March 8, 2002.
[4] Address by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz: "The Five Are Now in Cuba."
[5] Fidel’s Reflections: "Five Hours with the Five."
