US rainbow solidarity for the Cuban Five

An extraordinary mobilisation of Rainbow Solidarity for the Cuban Five is extending around the world.

The five political prisoners — Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Ramon Labanino, Fernando Gonzalez, and Rene Gonzalez — are serving long sentences in US penitentiaries for the "crime" of infiltrating CIA-backed fascist commando groups in order to halt terror attacks against Cuba from US soil.

The Rainbow Solidarity for the Cuban Five call demands a new trial and freedom for these political prisoners, defence of Cuban sovereignty and self-determination and a halt to the illegal US acts of war against Cuba — including the economic blockade and CIA-trained, funded and armed attacks by mercenary "contra" armies operating from the US.

The solidarity initiative has inspired self-motivated grassroots organising by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual (LGBT) and other activists who fight oppression based on sexuality, gender expression and sex.

Individuals and organisations from more than 32 countries and 43 states in the US have signed on.

Volunteers have translated the call so that it is now available in Spanish, English, Chinese, Farsi, Turkish, Greek, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, French and German.

ASWAT — the Palestinian lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights organisation — is translating the introduction and call into Arabic. LGBT and feminist activists in Croatia are translating and circulating the call.

To read and sign on to the call, visit and look for the rainbow. Individuals and organisations are urged to help circulate the call far and wide. More information about the Cuban Five is also available at .

[Abridged from Workers World newspaper. .]

From GLW issue 701