HAVANA, Cuba.- Members of the “Ismaelillo” Association of Cubans Living in the Bahamas joined the worldwide demand for the return to the island of The Five, compatriots that were unfairly condemned in the United States for fighting terrorism.

A letter addressed to US President Barack Obama was sent from Nassau, in which its signatories define these five fighters as part of a people that it’s the victim of terrorism and of the illegal economic, commercial and financial siege imposed by Washington for almost 50 years now, the Prensa Latina news agency reported.

The letter recalls the process riddled with arbitrariness and animosity held against The Five, in which journalists paid by the US government played a decisive role.

Rene, who finished serving his sentence on October 7, received an additional punishment, and he’s now under a three-year “supervised release” in US territory, adds the text.

The Five, insist the activists, are real representatives of the thinking of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti, when he said that Homeland is Humanity, and personify dignity, sovereignty, bravery and independence.

The letter was read during a ceremony to mark the 159th anniversary of the birth of the Apostle of the island’s independence. The text also reminds Obama that freeing these patriots would be the most honorable and humanitarian gesture that a US president has ever had towards Cuba.

As part of activities to mark the date carried out in the Bahamas, the feature film “José Marti: the eye of the canary,” by renowned filmmaker Fernando Perez, was screened.

Likewise, a debate on the validity of the intellectual and political work of the notable revolutionary was carried out.