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Exonerate the Cuban Five, Says Chilean Judge

CUBA, 21 August, 2007.- The five Cubans imprisoned in the United States for preventing terrorist attacks should be freed, said Chilean judge Juan Guzman after attending the Monday hearing at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals of Atlanta.

Guzman, who gained notoriety as the nemesis of ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet, spoke by telephone with Cuba’s The Round Table television program to give his impressions of the hearing, also attended by a host of prestigious legal experts from around the world.

"It was made evident that Miami was not a proper venue for the [2001] trial because the jury was highly pressured and even frightened," said the Chilean judge.

Guzman said the defense attorneys for the Cuban Five emphasized the improper conduct of the US government prosecutors during the trial, "There was neither impartiality nor objectivity on the part of the jury," biased by the pressure of the prosecution for a guilty verdict, he added.

A press release from the defense said the conduct of the government was a flagrant violation throughout the legal proceedings, including the trumped up charges, the creation of a hostile environment and the manipulation of evidence and the jury.

The statement underlines the main points argued at the hearing that demonstrated the arbitrary nature of a trial with a lack of evidence to justify the main charges that led to irrational and unjustifiable sentences.

The defense team also emphasized the US government protection given to anti-Cuban terrorist groups that operate with total impunity out of Miami.

"After this hearing, a ruling should be made that immediately releases these young men from prison. If these judges want to sleep with a clean conscience, they should exonerate the Cuban Five and call for their release," said Guzman.

Meanwhile, Alicia Jrapko, representative of the International Committee to Free the Cuban Five, said the presence of legal experts from several countries at the hearing was a great showing of support for the cause of the Cuban Five. (Cubaminrex-Granma)

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