Liverpool Lawyer Highlights Case of Five Cubans held in US prisons

A Liverpool trade union lawyer has travelled to Cuba to meet with other trade union solicitors in Havana, highlighting a high-profile human rights case.

Tom Doherty, a founding partner of EAD Solicitors, was part of a delegation to the Caribbean island to attend a conference of lawyers. High on the agenda was the case of the Miami 5 - five Cubans currently serving sentences in US prisons following their conviction in 1998 for gathering information about US-based terrorist groups targeting Cuba.

According to Unite, it is estimated that around 3,500 Cubans have been killed by terrorism and over 2,000 disabled for life over the last 45 years in acts of terrorism emanating from groups based in the United States. The Five Cubans infiltrated the US terror groups to uncover details of planned attacks against their Cuban homeland. But the US punished the Five and have held them ever since.

Said Tom: "The fairness of the Miami 5's trial has been in question from the start and the treatment of the prisoners is a cause for extreme concern. The United Nations and international human rights organisations including the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and Amnesty International have highlighted the unnecessary use of solitary confinement and the denial of visitors' visas to two of the prisoners' wives.

"Unite and other British and Irish trade unions are committed to pressurising the US government to review the case. In spite of the lack of international media coverage, the wider legal community worldwide is aware of violations that have occurred throughout the Miami 5's arrest, trial and imprisonment."

On a lighter note, Tom was able to round off the trip with a surprising Liverpool connection, when he was invited to the opening of Havana's new 'Submarino Amarillo' (Yellow Submarine) club along with local dignitaries.

Said Tom: "It was a great little club and cultural centre dedicated to everything to do with the Fab Four - it's located on the corner of John Lennon Park, which gives you an idea of The Beatles' popularity in Cuba!"

"It's amazing how The Beatles still have such universal appeal - the club's artistic director told me that all Cuban music is a mix of world cultures, with traditional Cuban music stemming from the same African rhythms as the Beatles' music".

Amnesty International's report on Miami 5, published last October, is available to read online at: www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR51/093/2010/en/9911673a-a171-49db-b757-581f2fbdfe11/amr510932010en.pdf .