Dear U.S. friends,

This letter is written with hope and confidence that we can establish a dialogue between Cuban university students and professionals and their U.S. counterparts, to spread news and ideas about the case of the Cuban Five. It has now been 10 years of unjust imprisonment that these young men have had to endure, for the crime of protecting their country by monitoring right-wing terrorist groups in Miami. As you all know, this case is of paramount importance to the entire Cuban people, since the values that the Five embody in their words and actions throughout this process are the same values that our country cherishes dearly and tries to cultivate in our youth. The Cuban Five need to be free, and building U.S. solidarity is essential to achieving their freedom.

Since February 2007, I’ve been coordinating the University Network of Solidarity with the Five Heroes in U.S. Prisons, an email network that connects students, professors and workers from over 90 institutions of higher learning in Cuba, as well as 105 universities outside of Cuba. We currently have over 1,240 subscribers, with a high level of member participation. Using the distribution list, subscribers send each other personal letters from the Five, important news items about the case—mostly those that are not reported by the media—and reports from members in reference to solidarity activities in their educational institutions. We also publish artwork, poems, political cartoons and other expressions of the creativity of the Five that have transcended the prison walls.

We consider it vital that the network expand into U.S. educational institutions and find people of conscience who want to participate in the political struggle to free the Five. We know that the vast majority of American people still don’t know about the case of the Cuban Five, which has been considered by Project Censored to be one of the most censured news stories of the last ten years. It is the hope and deeply held belief of the Cuban people that if our neighbors to the North were able to learn the truth of the case, the basic human desire for justice would create a popular rejection of their imprisonment, creating the necessary political pressure to compel the government to set them free. It was the U.S. people’s popular desire for Elian Gonzalez to be reunited with his family in Cuba in that created the conditions for his return—we trust that the same will be the case when a majority understands the injustice of this case.

The University Network of Solidarity uses two basic digital tools to conduct its work:

·   A distribution list that all subscribers belong to, which is used for exchanging ideas and for sharing information.

·   A website, http://5heroes.cujae.edu.cu , that shows the information shared through the distribution list, as well as other materials of interest.

We have just started a version of the University Network of Solidarity in English, for subscribers in English-speaking countries, to complement our distribution lists in Spanish and Portuguese. We believe this network will be a tool for activists across the United States, to spread the word about events or organizing efforts on their behalf. The chance for Cuban students and teachers to share ideas with our U.S. counterparts is a critical link in the chain of solidarity, and provides an opportunity for U.S. teachers to link their students with students of the world. For all of this to function we ask for your help. It is necessary to find people who wish to take part in this exchange, to move from the dream of solidarity to the reality of solidarity.

We ask all friends of the Cuban people to reach out to all contacts you may have in universities, student clubs, teacher’s unions, any and every contact that would be interested in joining the University Network of Solidarity with the Cuban Five. Show them our website and let them know they have the chance to participate in an email forum that shares ideas, letters, poems and artwork by the Five, as well as messages from various sectors of the Cuban population, all to support the cause of justice and the better world that we all know is possible.

We also ask that you, as the solidarity community within the United States, participate in the exchange in order to guide its development as a tool for activists. We think it can become a cultural exchange, a teaching aid, and a message board, but only if it is able to adapt to the context of the United States. Therefore we ask you to contribute some of the first letters, messages, articles, etc. to the network, to help U.S. subscribers feel comfortable with the format and style of the email forum. Please check out our website to get a sense of the spirit of our work. We look forward to an active and vibrant University Network of Solidarity in English, to develop ties of friendship and solidarity between peoples, and to fight together for justice in the case of the Cuban Five!

Best Wishes
Julián Gutiérrez Alonso
Cte de Solidaridad con los CINCO CUJAE
Red de Universidades en Solidaridad con los CINCO
“Casa de los CINCO”
http://5heroes.cujae.edu.cu

Founding Principles of the University Network of Solidarity with the Cuban Five

1. - The Cuban Five’s freedom is not going to be obtained only by the legal mechanisms of the judicial system of the U.S. This is a political process, which requires worldwide solidarity and, most essentially, the solidarity of the people living in the U.S.

2. – In order to achieve worldwide solidarity, it is necessary to be knowledgeable about the facts of the case, as well as being familiar with the personal characteristics of these five men and of their families.

3. – Universities have a vast potential to inform large numbers of people about the case, due to the progressive and revolutionary characteristics that are represented within this sector.
4. – It’s important to emphasize the example of the Five Heroes as a representation of our people, in order to incorporate it in the formation of our students’ and of our workers’ values, as well as referring to its history to lead the way of action for future generations.

5. - The necessity of highlighting the human side of the case, the injustice that is being committed against them and against their families who are members of the community.

6. – And, lastly, it’s necessary to ensure that, while in jail, they receive all the information regarding every effort realized by their people in the struggle for their freedom and it’s important for them to be aware of the fact that they are present throughout every minute of Cuban people’s lives, as well as in the lives of many honest people in the world.

06-11-2008