Outrage in El Paso: Posada Acquitted !!

In El Paso today, following a 13-week trial in which the evidence against him was overwhelming, notorious terrorist Luis Posada Carriles was acquitted by a jury after a shockingly short three hours of deliberation.

The U.S. government has been at war against the Cuban people since they carried out a revolution in 1959. As a CIA employee and part of that war, Posada Carriles committed many acts of terrorism against the Cuban people and others.

Today Posada walks free in a mockery of justice, while the Cuban Five
anti-terrorists are still imprisoned for almost 13 years.

If the U.S. had really wanted a conviction of Luis Posada Carriles on his real crimes of terrorism, it would have been easily achieved. But the U.S. government chose to try Posada for the ridiculously minor charges of perjury and immigration fraud.

This is why the National Committee, along with the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and local activists in El Paso held a "Peoples Tribunal" and protest before the start of the federal trial, to expose Posada's crimes of terrorism to the world.

Today's acquittal, together with the continued incarceration of the Cuban Five heroes who risked their lives to prevent acts of terrorism by Posada's allies, is a clear indication that the U.S. war against the Cuban people and Cuban revolution continues.
The National Committee to Free the Cuban Five is outraged by this travesty of "justice," as are all supporters of Cuba and the Cuban Five.

The verdict of "not guilty" in Luis Posada Carriles's trial in El Paso does not absolve him of his terrorist crimes. And the struggle to bring Posada and his accomplices to justice does not end with today's verdict.

Demand Posada's Extradition!
Act today to demand justice for the 73 plane bombing victims,
for Fabio di Celmo, and for all the victims of U.S.-backed
anti-Cuba terrorism!




We urge everyone to contact the U.S. State Department and demand the immediate extradition of Posada to Venezuela, where he is wanted for the murder of 73 people in the mid-air bombing of Cubana Flight 455.

U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
202-647-4000



http://www.freethefive.org

Jimmy Carter: "Release the Cuban Five"

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is the highest-ranking official, former or current, who has just publicly called for the freedom of the Cuban Five.

He has just spent three days in Havana, where he gave an interview to Cuban journalist Arleen Rodríguez Derivet, and also a press conference to Cuban and international media earlier in the day. On both occasions, Carter took the opportunity to call for changes in U.S. policy -- an end to the blockade, normalization of relations, and freedom for the Cuban Five.

Some excerpts from Carter's comments:
"I believe that there is no reason to keep the Cuban Five imprisoned, there were doubts in the U.S. courts and also among human rights organizations in the world. Now, they have been in prison 12 years and I hope that in the near future they will be released to return home.

"I also have had a chance to meet with the parents of the so-called Cuban Five, with two of the mothers and also with three of the wives, and I expressed my feelings to them, and I hope that in the future they will be released, according to U.S. law.

"As you know I am not only a President. I am also a Nobel laureate. Well, in my private talks to President Bush and also with President Obama, I have urged the release of these prisoners.

"I recognize that there are restraints within the American judicial system. However, my hope is that the president would grant a pardon. You have to realize that this is a decision that can only be made by the president. It is presumptuous of me to try to tell another president what to do.

"But the Presidents, now and before this [Obama and Bush], have known that my own opinion is that the original trial of the Cuban Five was very doubtful, norms were violated, and also some of the restraints on their visitations have been overly restrictive. I know that all of the families have been able to visit them. My wish in the future, before a pardon might be granted, is that there would be more access of their families to these prisoners in the United States.

"I have been informed by officials, for instance, that the shooting down of the small plane over Havana that caused the death of two pilots was done after the president of the United States [Bill Clinton] informed the Cuban leaders that no more flights would take place. I was informed by Cuban officials that they expressed to the president very clearly that they could not permit a plane to fly over their capital city, dropping leaflets, that they would have to protect the sovereignty of Cuba. So even those more serious allegations, in my opinion, are very doubtful about their need or cause of the extensive sentences that have been granted to the prisoners."

"So in every way, in my private report with Obama when I return to the United States, in my public statements like today, in my previous conversations with American leaders, I've called for the release of the Cuban Five."

see press conference here

http://www.freethefive.org

CSC statement on the death of Leonard Weinglass

The Cuba Solidarity Campaign was saddened to learn of the passing of Leonard Weinglass, lead lawyer for the Miami Five, who died on Wednesday 23 March. Leonard was an inspirational defense attorney who represented political and civil rights cases throughout his career including the Chicago 7 in their 1968 trial, Angela Davis, and Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Len was much loved and admired and a good friend of CSC. In November 2007 he toured the UK as our guest to raise awareness of the case of the Miami Five with MPs, amongst the legal profession and members of the public. On behalf of all our members and supporters of the Five in Britain CSC sends its sincere condolences to the friends and family.

Len’s death is a great loss for the five, for all who knew him and for justice in the world, but we are sure he would support us in quoting Che Guevara in his honour as a rallying call in the ongoing campaign for the Miami Five: “I don’t care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting.”

In his memory we will continue to fight for justice for the Miami Five and ensure thousands more pick up this cause."

Rob Miller, Director, Cuba Solidarity Campaign

http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/news.asp?ItemID=2002

Alberto Granado Passes Away in Havana

Alberto Granado passed away at age 88 on Saturday in Havana. Granado was a great friend of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and travelled with him throughout South America as retold in the movie Motorcycle Diaries.

Granado’s relationship with Che from an early age was an example of simple and sincere friendship. A loyal friend of Cuba, Granado left his mark in Cuba in his work to develop schools and teachers in the fields of Medicine and Genetics.

Floral wreaths from the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and from Cuban President Raul Castro, were placed beside his coffin displayed at the Funeral Home in Calzada and K.

Alberto Granado was creamated and as per his wishes his ashes will be scattered in Cuba, his country of birth, Argentina, and in Venezuela.

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/

More than 1.5 Million Cubans Are Teenagers

Sancti Spiritus, Cuba Feb 25 (Prensa Latina) With more than 1.5 million people in the 10-19 age group, teenagers make up almost 14 percent of the Cuban population.

The largest number of young people in that age group lives in the provinces of Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Granma and Holguin, it was reported at a workshop to kick off activities for the 20th anniversary of the Guidance Center for Youth, Adolescents and Family in Sancti Spiritus province, according to the National News Agency (AIN).

Speaking at the workshop, Dr. Francisca Cruz Sanchez, a member of the board of directors of the Ibero-American Federation on Adolescence and Youth, said the 10-19 age group needs to be taken more into account for an adequate education.

Cruz, who is also president of the Adolescence Department of the Cuban Pediatrics Society, said the principal causes of death for that age group are related to accidents and malignant tumors.

Rafael Wert, director of the Sancti Spritus guidance center, said that families, schools, and society all have a responsibility and the capacity for helping children and young people overcome problems and conflicts.

There was a consensus at the workshop that in adolescence, fundamental activities are related to teensâ�Ö relationships with friends, which is why it is important to have an influence on the group as a whole for good habits in dressing, speaking, tastes, preferences and behaviour

http://www.plenglish.com/

Seven Filmmakers Shooting a Portrait of Havana 2011

Havana, Mar 7 (Prensa Latina) Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro started the first traces of a film portrait of the Cuban capital, whose design will complete another six directors, each with different histories and a common focus.

According to sources from the Cuban Film Institute, the film, a Franco-Spanish co-production made up of seven short, aims to offer an image of an eclectic city that looks towards future, 2011's Havana captured in the passing of a week.

The shooting, which is up to May 6, will be in charge of Del Toro, who made his debut as producer, Laurent Cantet, Gaspar Noe, Elia Suleiman, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, and Juan Carlos Tabio.

The idea that unites them is the intention of capturing "from their sensibilities, backgrounds and styles", the energy and vitality that makes the Cuban capital a unique city, the heart that beats in it from the beating of its different neighborhoods, atmospheres, generations and cultures.

The cast involves enviable names such as Emir Kusturica, Josh Hutcherson, Daniel Brühl, Jorge Perugorria, Mirta Ibarra, Vladimir Cruz, Daisy Granados, and Elia Suleiman among others, who will provide more details of the project in an upcoming meeting with the press.

With different arguments Siete dias en la Habana (Seven days in Havana) is grounded in a solid dramatic unity and common locations, linked to the body and spirit of the city as the Hotel Nacional de Cuba and the seawall-drive, one of the sites that nests the intimate pulses of the people, the breath and life of the capital.

Cuban writer Leonardo Padura assume the general coordination of the scripts of the film produced by Alvaro Longoria, Gael Nouaille, Didar Domehri, Laurent Baudens and Fabian Pisani and the executive producing of Pilar Benito and Cristina Zumarraga


http://www.plenglish.com/

International Education Conference Begins in Havana

Pedagogy 2011 - Education Conference, devoted to the unity of educators worldwide, opens its doors on Monday at Havana’s Karl Marx Theater with a special conference by Cuban Minister of Education Ena Elsa Velázquez Cobiella.

The Cuban minister of education will address aspects of the Cuban education system along with the Cuban international cooperation efforts such as its Yes, I Can literacy program.

More than 2,800 papers have been submitted to this year’s conference that will have the participation of 3,000 delegates from 20 countries.

With more than 53,000 totalling the number of participants in previous years, the conference has become an influential event not only for Latin America, but also for other regions.

From January 24 to 28, the Havana Convention Center will be the venue to special lectures by Cuban officials, including Minister of Higher Education Miguel Diaz-Canel, Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, and President of the Cuban Parliament Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada.
Also presenting during the conference will be education ministers from Venezuela, Bolivia and Guinea Bissau.
“For Cuban education professionals, this gathering represents the peak of a movement organized throughout the country from the school level to the top. This time, the Cuban delegation will be made up of 600 delegates, including 20 outstanding students selected based on their results at the National Education Sciences Fair. More than 149,880 teachers took part at base level meetings and more than 3,000 at the municipal and provincial levels. This movement is essential for the promotion of research and debates,” said Cuban Vice Minister of Education Rolando Forneiro.
Forneiro also noted that the reforms currently underway in Cuba’s education system aimed at training more efficient professionals and making better use of the available resources will be the subject of some of the lectures scheduled.
Among the examples he mentioned are reducing boarding schools while increasing the number of high schools in urban areas, and the incorporation of more than 7,000 retired professors into the education system.
Forneiro also announced that an exhibition would be inaugurated in the lobby of the Havana Convention Center, reflecting some of the achievements of Cuban education, especially Cuba’s support of literacy campaigns in other countries and the success of the Yes, I can teaching method.
“The Pedagogy 2011 Conference coincides with the 50th anniversary of the literacy campaign carried out in our country following the 1959 revolution. One of the symposiums to be held parallel to the conference will deal with the history of this important campaign,” he added.
Some of the issues to be discussed are the instillation of human values; teacher’s training; culture and education; physical education, sports and recreation; education quality control; comprehensive education programs for children 6 years and under; environmental education; family, women and education from a gender perspective; health and sex promotion and education programs; scientific education programs; communication and publishing; and education sciences and scientific research.
Special forums will be held to analyze the works of important figures, such as Jose Marti, Simon Bolivar, Ernesto Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, and other Latin American and Caribbean heroes.
Participants will have the opportunity to visits different education facilities in Havana, and other places of cultural and scientific interest. In addition, there will be 79 courses offered for delegates on relevant issues, which will be delivered by prestigious Cuban and foreign teachers and researchers.
This year’s conference is dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Literacy Campaign and the last day, January 28, will be dedicated to Cuban National Hero Jose Marti.
The Cuban Literacy Campaign was a year-long effort to abolish illiteracy in Cuba after the 1959 triumph of the Cuban Revolution. It began on January 1, 1960 and ended on December 22, 1961. The period of the Literacy Campaign is referred to as the “Year of Education” in Cuba. During 1961, the literacy rate of Cuba increased from 76% to 96% and continued until it was completely wiped out in Cuba.
The literacy campaign was part of the revolutionary reforms immediately implemented by Fidel Castro that included agrarian reform, healthcare reform, and educational reform, all of which dramatically improved the quality of life among the lowest sectors of Cuban society.
The Literacy Campaign also aimed to create a collective identity of unity, an attitude of combat, courage, intelligence, and a sense of history.
It is estimated that 1,000,000 Cubans were directly involved (as teachers or students) in the Literacy Campaign). There were four categories of workers:
“Conrado Benitez” Brigade (Conrado Benetiz Brigadistas)—100,000 young volunteers (ages 10–19) who left school to live and work along with their students in the countryside. The number of students leaving schools to volunteer was so great that an alternative education was put in place for 8 months of the 1961 school year.
Popular Alphabetizers (Alfabetizadores populares)—Adults who volunteered to teach in cities or towns. Some13,000 factory workers held classes for their illiterate co-workers after hours. This group also includes the numerous individuals who taught friends, neighbors, or family members out of their own homes.
The Patria o Muerte Brigade—A group of 15,000 adult workers who were paid to teach in remote rural locations through an arrangement that their co-workers would fill in for them, so that the workforce of Cuba remained strong.
Schoolteacher Brigades—A group of 15,000 professional teachers who oversaw the technical and organizational aspects of the campaign. As 1961 progressed, their involvement grew to the extent that most teachers participated full-time for a majority of the campaign.
The government provided teaching supplies to volunteers, and workers that traveled to rural locations to teach received: clothes, books, blankets, lamps, and hammocks.
Many of the Literacy Campaign’s volunteers went on to pursue teaching careers, and the rate of teachers is more than 10 times higher than it was before the revolution. Before the revolutionary government nationalized schools, private institutions often excluded large segments of society; wealthy Cubans often received exemplary instruction in private schools, while children of the working class received low-quality education, or did not attend school at all. Education became accessible to all after 1959 triumph of the Revolution.

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/