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Cuba demands "real freedom" for released national in U.S.

08 October 2011 03:13 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Cuba on Friday demanded that the United States offer "real freedom" to Rene Gonzales, a Cuban national released in Florida earlier on Friday after serving 13 years in prison, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Gonzalez, one of the group of five Cubans imprisoned on charges of espionage in the United States, known as "The Cuban Five", has been demanded to stay in the U.S. territory for another three years in supervised freedom.

The Cuban government said the United States and President Barack Obama should bear full responsibility for any consequence in prohibiting Gonzalez’ immediate return to Cuba, as he is forced to stay longer in a hostile territory.

"Forcing him to live with terrorist elements in Miami and veritable unpunished murderers is exposing him to threats to his life," said Mercedes Lopez, a member of the Politburo of the ruling Communist Party.

Gonzalez, 55, and four other Cubans were arrested in Florida in September 1998 on charges of being members of the so-called espionage team "Wasp Network," and were sentenced to prison terms from 15 years to up to two life terms.

Legal analysts said demanding Gonzalez’ further stay in the United States would effectively add another year to his 15-year sentence, of which 13 full years had been served.

The Cuban Five are considered heroes in Cuba. According to local authorities, they were only monitoring anti-Castro groups based in Florida to prevent any terrorist attacks against the island country.