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Cuba’s imprisonment of political dissidents has long been a point of contention between the island nation and Miami’s exile community. So it comes as a surprise that Raul Castro is willing to let them go.
“These prisoners you talk about — they want us to let them go? They should tell us tomorrow. We’ll send them with their families and everything,” Castro said today while visiting Brazil.
Oh, there’s just one catch: “Give us back our five heroes. That is a gesture on both parts.”
He’s talking about the Cuban 5, the group of men who were convicted of, among other things, spying on exile groups and trying to infiltrate Southern Command. Controversy arose when some said their trial was unfairly influenced by the exiles.
President-elect Obama is apparently ready to talk with Castro, but don’t expect anti-Castro Cuban-Americans to let him bring the Cuban 5 to the table.
