New International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity

For those journalists who closely followed the struggle for the liberation of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, and Rene Gonzalez, it was no surprise at all to receive the announcement that the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban 5 would be now called International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity for the Peoples, in order to continue defending noble causes around the world.

After having appraised the historic moment of Cuba-USA current relations, it’s evident that there’s been a rearrangement of the forces and objectives of that organization, born in 2002, without losing its humanistic and solidarity essence.

“In an exchange of letters between both Presidents, they indicated that they were guided by the intention to develop respectful relationships of cooperation between both peoples and governments, based on the principles and objectives of the Charter of the United Nations, International Law and the Vienna Convention on diplomatic and consular relations”, said the message of the solidarity committee.

“We salute the efforts made by both sides —adds the statement—. But we applaud socialist, revolutionary and sovereign Cuba much more for arriving at this point without giving up a single principle or an ounce of its sovereignty. Cuba has not had to compromise its international solidarity that has been at the fiber of its glorious history despite having to endure the longest genocidal blockade in history, more than 600 assassination attempts on the life of Fidel and a covert war that could not break the will of an entire nation nor defeat the firmness of its revolutionary leadership that never gave up”.

The International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity for the Peoples has made a call to demand from the U.S. Congress to put an end to the genocidal blockade against Cuba, and to return the illegally occupied territory of the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo.

The committee has also called for the dismantling of terrorist organizations based in Miami, Florida, to discontinue radio and TV transmissions, and to end the millionaire budgets that nourish and sustain subversive plans against Cuba in an attempt to promote internal destabilization and counterrevolution.

But the organization’s objectives go much further if we take into consideration that it will also demand the freedom of Oscar López Rivera, Puerto Rican political prisoner who has been in U.S. prison for more than three decades; will Support the just struggle for the independence of Puerto Rico; and will denounce the aggressive policy against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the rest of ALBA members.

Supporting the peace dialogue between the FARC-EP and the Colombian government; demanding the return of the Malvinas Island to Argentina; and expressing unconditional solidarity with the Palestinian and all Arab peoples under attack by imperialism and Zionism, are also part of the platform of action of the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity for the Peoples.

Clearly, the range of purposes is wide; therefore there should be an increase in the membership of this organization, which will articulate specific actions to mobilize voices all over the world in favour of these just causes.