Dozens of people have gathered outside the White house in protest against what they call the illegal imprisonment of five Cuban citizens. Accused of espionage, the “Cuban five” are serving four life sentences and 75 years in U.S. prisons.
They claim they were monitoring the actions of CIA-backed terrorist groups in Miami in order to prevent attacks on Cuba. A petition is to be presented to President Bush marking the tenth anniversary of their arrest. It contains one hundred thousand signatures from 78 countries. “I'm here today because of the 'Cuban five', five young men who came to the US to fight terrorism which was waging attacks against the country and people of Cuba, but also waging attacks against people inside the US. They have been in jail for ten years and they need to be freed,” said the 'Free Cuban Five' campaign coordinator Banbose Shango.