Wife of Cuban Anti-terrorist in US Jail Denounces Violations

Elizabeth Palmeiro explains about the hard situation facing her husband Ramon Labañino

The Cuban five have been submitted to many violations of their own rights, even as prisoners; but we are now witnessing one of the cruelest acts ever, said Elizabeth Palmeiro, wife of one of the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters held in the U.S. since 1998.

Palmeiro explained about the hard situation facing her husband Ramon Labañino after his prison transfers, as she addressed a meeting in Havana attended by a visiting Uruguayan delegation, headed by foreign minister Luis Almagro.

However, before addressing her husband case, Palmeiro insisted in the sad situation facing Gerardo Hernandez, one of the five Cubans, who was given two life sentences.

“He would never leave the prison and he is being submitted to the additional punishment of being banned from receiving the visit by his wife Adriana Perez,” she said.

Referring to the case of her husband, she said that he has faced reiterated insults since last December, when he was suddenly ordered to get ready to be transferred to another prison, and he waited for a whole month with no access to his own belongings.

Later in January, he was transferred on an alleged mistake to a low-security prison in Miami, which was considered dangerous as admitted by prison authorities, who kept him in the hole to prevent him from running any risk.

Back to the prison in Georgia, thanks to actions by the Cuban government and after the mistake was corrected and even after achieving the visits by his father, his elder daughter and his brother, he faced a locked down upon his arrival at the penitentiary.

His relatives could only visit him three out of eight possible occasions because on top of that, Ramon was again transferred without previous notice again, Palmeiro said.

He does not know when he will be transferred again or what his final destination will be, and although he is expected to be taken to a low-security prison, this does not mean that he will be in better conditions, Palmeiro pointed out.

We should not forget that the Five are political prisoners held in jails full of common criminals, some of them are murderers, she said and recalled that Fernando Gonzalez, for instance, is currently in one of those prisons, where he shares his cell with another nine inmates, without any privacy or safety at all.