Cuba Charges U.S. Thwarting Jailed Spies Appeal

reuters.com Sun March 9, 2003 04:23 PM ET By Marc Frank

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba charged on Sunday that the United States was holding five Cubans convicted of spying incommunicado to thwart an April 7 appeal of their sentences, and demanded they be allowed to see lawyers.

Cuban lawmakers said the agents, who are being held in five different federal prisons, were all placed in solitary confinement Feb. 28, and had since been denied contact with lawyers, family and Cuban officials.

"This measure was adopted by Washington with the deliberate purpose of obstructing a just appeals process," the statement by Cuba's National Assembly said, pointing out the lawyers for the five prisoners had planned to consult and visit with them this week to prepare the appeal.

"We demand the five patriotic Cubans be immediately permitted to communicate and meet with their lawyers," the statement said.

The agents were convicted by a Miami court in June 2001 of conspiracy and espionage. Three were sentenced to life in prison, one received a 15-year term and the other 19 years.

The five spies were part of a ring that infiltrated U.S. military bases and Cuban exile groups and fed information to Havana. They said at the trial that they caused no harm to the United States and gathered information solely to defend their homeland from terrorist attacks by Cuban exiles.

Western diplomats said tensions between the two countries, bitter enemies for more than 40 years, had increased in recent weeks due to the Bush administration's more aggressive support for President Fidel Castro's domestic opponents, and perhaps due to the five agent's upcoming appeal.

Cuba and the United States have not had diplomatic relations for four decades and the American mission operates as the U.S. Interests Section of the Swiss embassy in Havana.

Sunday's protest came just three days after Castro threatened to close the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana for supporting dissidents, whom Havana charges are paid by the United States to subvert the one party socialist state.

The five are seeking a new trial outside of Miami and insist that their conviction was influenced by the hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles who live there and are hostile to the Castro government.

The spies also claim new information obtained after their conviction will prove their innocence

Havana insists the five were sent to the United States only to spy on Cuban exile groups that have launched repeated attacks against the Communist-run Caribbean island.

Since their arrest in 1998, Cuba has heaped its highest honors on the agents and launched an international campaign to free them.