Next year, the Cuban family farmers, together with the people of Cuba, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the promulgation and application of Agrarian Reform, based on the principles of food sovereignty and independence.
From the first years of the revolutionary triumph, the government of the United States imposed a hard and genocidal economic, trade and financial blockade against the Cuban people, with the goal of defeating Cuba by hunger, disease and other unfulfilled needs. As part of this policy, the U.S. government by means of the CIA and various terrorist groups, executed sabotage and attacks for almost 50 years, that has cost the lives of more than 2000 people. For this reason, women and men of this sister people have utilized as a defensive measure the infiltration of terrorist groups financed by the government of the US, located in Florida. The objective of these infiltrations has been to know and prevent planned acts of terrorism against Cuba.
This is the reason the 5 young Cubans, anti-terrorist fighters René González, Gerardo Hernández, Fernando González, Ramón Labañino and Antonio Guerrero, have been doing long jail terms in North American prisons for the last 10 years. During the course of this long detention the most elemental rights of the family members have been repeatedly violated. Family members have been prevented from visiting in the jail, and two of the wives of the five have been denied visas repeatedly for the entire 10 years.
For these reasons, the Caribbean delegation proposed to this V Conference of the Via Campesina the following proposals:
1. Condemn the blockade imposed on Cuba by the government of the United States.
2. That we join together for an international campaign for the liberation of the five anti-terrorist fighters held as prisoners in the United States.
Likewise, we can on our sisters and brothers of the Via Campesina to celebrate January 1, 2008 the 50th Anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, which marked the point of departure for independence and sovereignty, and today thousands of men and women providing their cooperation and international solidarity in all the continents of the world.
Long live the Revolution and the People of Cuba!
Long live the family farmers of Cuba and the world!
Much thanks
