- Conference
- 2011 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 7 September 2010
- Decision
- Carried
UNISON Black Members deplore the continued illegal imprisonment of the Miami Five in the USA and notes the 2008 Amnesty International Report’s condemnation of the appeal process and the denial of the human right of visitation rights to the families of the Miami Five.
The Miami Five are Cuban men who are in a US prison, serving four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly convicted in a US federal court in Miami on 8 June 2001. The Five were involved in monitoring the actions of Miami based terrorist groups, in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their homeland, Cuba, They never directed action at the US government. For over 40 years, anti-Cuba terrorist organisations based in Miami have engaged in terrorist activities against Cuba, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths of Cubans, with the knowledge and support of the FBI and CIA. We had all hoped that with a Black President in the US there would be a change!
UNISON Black Members acknowledge the work of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC) in its defence of the Miami Five.
Conference asks that the National Black Members Committee (NBMC) work with the relevant national and regional structures in our union to call for:
1.a prompt retrial of the Five in any venue other than Miami;
2.full visiting rights for all of the families in the meanwhile; and
3. work with US based unions to bring further pressure on the US
administration to end their imprisonment.
Conference also requests that the NBMC pledge to visibly support:
4. CSC annual vigil outside the US Embassy to mark the anniversary of their arrests;
5. Work with all Regional Black Members and branch Black Members Committee’s/Groups to ensure that they also affiliate to CSC annually;
6. Work with the relevant structures, to ensure all branch’s annually support the ‘Friend of Cuba Solidarity’ through an annual payment of £200.