Ten years after the world was shocked, astounded, blown away, and all that stuff to learn that Fidel Castro had sent spies to check on Miami's exiles, we may finally stop hearing about em. The United States Court of Appeals in Atlanta today denied a defense request for a hearing to reconsider the latest decision in the case of the Cuban Five. Lawyers for los cinco argued it was impossible for them receive a fair trial in Miami. (Duh.)
The saga began in September of 1998 when Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, and René González, were arrested on suspicion of espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, and other crimes committed on behalf of the Cuban government.
Hernández had infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based anti-Castro activist group, while the four others tried to infiltrate the US Southern Command headquarters in West Miami-Dade and sent government documents back to Cuba over a short range radio frequency. The defense petitioned to move the trial out of here. The judge denied the motion, and they were nailed by a jury without any Cuban-Americans.
A three member panel of 11th circuit court of appeals overturned the convictions in 2005, but the full panel of same body reversed the ecision a few months later. On June 11th of this year the court again upheld the decision, but vacated three of the men's sentences. The defense plans to make an appeal to the Supreme Court, but it seems unlikely that they will hear the case.
Guess whos's gonna decide on the new sentences for the three men... Judges in Miami.
And if anyone claims we aren't impartial down here, we'll pound their friggin freighter with a bazooka.