The Hero of the Republic of Cuba, Gerardo Hernández, thanked Cuba’s friends in Italy for their support of his people’s struggle to defend their revolutionary process in the face of imperialist pressures, which are stronger than ever.
The Aula Magna of Roma Tre University in the Italian capital was the setting for a meeting with the current national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), and one of the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters unjustly imprisoned in the United States, where he was locked up for 16 years in prison.
The event was chaired by the Cuban ambassador to Italy, Mirta Granda, and was attended by officials from the diplomatic corps, members of friendship associations with the island, members of political parties and progressive forces, as well as representatives of the Cuban community residing in this country.
Introducing Gerardo Hernández, who is also a congressman and member of the Cuban Council of State, the diplomat recalled that the trial of the Five was one of the most politicized in history, in which they were sentenced to irrational sentences, but “they never gave up, they never wavered.”
A campaign demanding their release was launched worldwide, a cause that in Italy “was embraced with great passion and conviction,” around which “friends mobilized constantly until the cruel injustice was defeated,” the ambassador stated.
Marco Papacci, president of the National Association of Italy-Cuba Friendship (ANAIC), highlighted the importance of this long-awaited visit, which was organized by the group and includes an extensive program in several cities, extending until July 9.
During his speech, Hernández began by thanking those in this country who “without a second thought deployed all their initiatives to fight for our liberation,” a “miracle that was the fruit of the efforts of comrades, many of whom are sitting here today,” to whom “we owe profound admiration.”
The hero referred to the global campaign to end the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba imposed by the United States, which, to aggravate these pressures, also included the island on a list of alleged sponsors of terrorism.
