ROME (SE).—The dining hall of the Italian Chamber of Deputies was the setting for a seminar on the Cuban Five, the five Cubans unjustly imprisoned in the United States: “A Case of Injustice ‘Made in the USA,’ Legal Aspects.”

The initiative took the form of a panel of lawyers: Fabio Marcelli, deputy secretary of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (who has taken part in all three hearings related to the case in Atlanta, in the U.S.; Mateo Carbonelli, professor of international law; and magistrates Luca Baiada and Domenico Gallo.

In his presentation, Marcelli explained the details of the case to those present, as well as the political nature of the trial and the many violations committed from the legal point of view.

In that context, he affirmed that the rights of the defense have been unjustifiably limited, while the right to due process as specified in the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been flagrantly violated.

For his part, Domenico Gallo noted that, from a legal standpoint, this is a case in which the principals of international law and the laws of the United States itself have been placed in crisis, in addition to the physical and moral humiliation suffered by the five heroes and their relatives from the beginning of their arbitrary detention.

Professor Mateo Carbonelli commented that the legal proceedings have been ambiguous and full of omissions by the justice system and the U.S. government, which has been unable to present any evidence at all to prove the guilt of those detained. In fact, he added, what has been clearly demonstrated is the political nature of the proceedings, as part of the hostile and aggressive attitude of the U.S. government toward Cuba.

Those present at the debate were Mario Lana, president of the Forensic Union for Human Rights Protection; lawyers Cesare Antetomaso and Giovanni Angelote, spokesperson of the Democratic Jurists in Rome and president of the Rome-Habana Province Committee, respectively; Franco Forconi, coordinator of the recently created Italian Committee for Justice for the Five; as well as Rodney López Clemente, the Cuban ambassador in Italy. Also present were representatives of Cuba solidarity movements.

In its September 27 edition, the Liberazione daily published an article by journalist Guiseppe Morrone highlighting the points made by the panel and affirming that the seminar will contribute to additional information on the legal aspects of the case.

That initiative in the Chamber of Deputies is one of a number of activities in Italy in the framework of the International Days of Solidarity with the Cuban Five.

Translated by Granma International

Granma 01-10-2007