Cuba to be debated for first time in Scottish parliament
Campaign News | Friday, 4 May 2012
MSPs set to support campaign for justice for Miami Five
Next Wednesday 9th May, will see the first ever debate within the Scottish Parliament on Cuba.
Elaine Smith, Labour MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, and Convener of the Cross Party Group on Cuba will be moving motion S4M-02573.
This motion not only welcomes the Cuban Art Exhibition, Beyond the Frame to Glasgow, but draws attention to the ongoing Campaign for Justice for the Miami Five, and draws attention to the ongoing 50 year old illegal US Blockade of the island.
In attendance at this debate will be the Cuban Ambassador, Esther Armenteros Cardenas, in her first official visit to the Parliament.
Miami Five Family members, Antonio Guerrero Cabrera and Rosa Aurora Freijanes Coca, along with Cuban Artists Lesbia Vent Dumois and Gustavo Diaz Sosa will also be in the Parliament, prior to a Cross Party Group on Cuba meeting.
Artworks by two of the Miami Five are currently on display at the Scottish Parliament and are being viewed by MSPs as well as visitors. Photo shows Elaine Smith MSP with Scottish exhibition coordinator Jan Pietrasik at the exhibition in parliament.
The Beyond the Frame exhibition is free to enter and will ba at the The Lighthouse gallery, Mitchell Lane Glasgow G1 3NU between May 7-13 2012.
Scottish Parliament Motion S4M-02573 Text:
Elaine Smith, Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 04/04/2012 Beyond the Frame
That the Parliament welcomes the Cuban art exhibition, Beyond the Frame, which is scheduled to be held at The Lighthouse in Glasgow from 7 to13 May 2012; understands that this will be the first time that such a large exhibition of contemporary Cuban art will be shown in Scotland and that some of the exhibits are also expected to displayed in the Parliament; understands that all of the exhibition's proceeds will go to the campaign for justice for the so-called Miami Five, a group of Cuban citizens that have been imprisoned in the United States since 1998 and for whom Amnesty International has raised serious doubts about the fairness of the proceedings that led to their convictions; recognises that the city of Glasgow is twinned with Havana and notes that a number of bars in Coatbridge have achieved "Cuban-friendly" status by offering their customers the opportunity to buy Havana Club rum, which, it understands, helps boost Cuba's economy; believes that, given the 50-year economic blockade of Cuba by the United States, this is particularly important; understands that there is almost universal opposition to the blockade by the international community and that it is considered to have a severe impact on the living standards of the people of Cuba; wishes the organisers of the exhibition every success, and hopes that it will lead to more cultural, economic and political cooperation between Scotland and Cuba.
- read preview of beyond the frame exhibition here
- Details about Glasgow exhibition and associated events
- More information about the Miami Five
