Hundreds hear Miami Five Lawyer
Campaign News | Friday, 12 July 2002
Paul McKenna, lawyer for the Miami Five visits UK
More than 100 people including Mps and members of the House of Lords crammed into a committee room of the House of Commons in London on the evening of July 9th to hear Paul McKenna, lawyer for the Miami Five, speak of the injustice suffered by these Cuban Heroes in the United States.
Paul, the Miami court appointed lawyer for Gerardo Hernández, was on a speaking tour of the UK organised by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign to raise public awareness of this issue.
In Manchester on July 10th, Paul spoke to a meeting of more than 50 activists and in Glasgow, Scotland, a day later, he met with more thirty members of the Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign including many members of the Scottish Parliament and Trade Unionists.
In addition, while in London, Paul gave a talk on the case to a meeting of twelve progressive UK lawyers who are going to take up the matter through their legal associations.
Said Paul: “I was delighted to be able to come and speak in a place where people are interested in this issue. I know the letters of support he has received has encouraged my client. In the US, there seems to be a desire to bury this case. The work of people like the CSC I think is very important if we are to succeed in getting these men justice.”
The Miami Five are currently serving sentences ranging form life to 15 years imprisonment after being convicted variously of 'conspiracy to commit espionage' and 'conspiracy to commit murder.'
Paul McKenna is convinced that they are innocent on these counts and is sure that the only reason why they were ocnvicted was because the trial was held in the poisoned atmosphere of Miami, where the jury was affected by the hysteria created around the case by the viciously anti-Castro Cuban-American community and media.
The CSC is collecting a national petition to present to both the White House and the Blair government calling for a retrial of the five heroes in a neutral state.
