A Triumph for the Revolution

The re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, as well as the return to the island of three Cuban heroes who were unjustly imprisoned over false crimes of espionage, without a doubt are triumphs of the Cuban revolution. What happiness must fill Commander Fidel Castro with joy; approximately 16 years ago, he said after the sentencing of the five Cuban anti-terrorists, “They will return!”

Fidel’s steadfastness and certainty regarding his statement was based on two things; on the one hand, the innocence of the five Cuban antiterrorists, and on the other, the political and diplomatic struggle of the Cuban government and people, in a clear and systematic way.

The joy of Cubans over the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States, as well as the return of the heroes to their native Cuba, is also the joy of Latin America, which joined the Caribbean nation in public actions in favor of the five individuals, and of those which, of course, mediated between the two nations, as is the case of Pope Francis and the Canadian government, among others, as revealed by president Raúl Castro and President Barack Obama.

Cuba keeps giving the world lessons in patriotism and revolutionary conviction, since it doesn’t abandon its people or its ideas. It has taken Cubans much time and sacrifice to make the U.S. understand that Cuba is a sovereign nation, that it is not a threat to anyone, much less to the American empire, and that on the contrary, there is much solidarity to be found in Cuba, which can be corroborated through many examples. A recent one should suffice: the contingent of physicians sent to Africa to fight Ebola.

Beyond the internal or transitory circumstances in the United States, which may also have contributed to Barack Obama’s acceptance of the prisoner exchange and the normalization of relations with Cuba, the fact is that it was also a very positive action in geopolitics and, above all, the respect that nations deserve.

It is because of this that Latin America celebrates the normalization of relations, especially the freeing of the five: René González and Fernando González, freed after serving their sentences in 2013; while Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Antonio Guerrero are the three who returned to Cuba on Wednesday. All were unjustly accused and tried for espionage in 2001, but arrested in 1998.

The five discovered the terrorist network led by Luis Posada Carriles, who is responsible for several dynamite attacks in Cuba, which is why we insist that their capture and sentencing was unfair.

Now all that remains is for the anachronistic economic boycott against Cuba to end; this has been requested by the world’s nations represented at the United Nations for 23 consecutive years, therefore, it would be just for this to also be done immediately.

Cuba is not alone; it has the world’s support, which Obama must not forget.