Damas de Blanco anuncian marchas si el gobierno no libera a presos
Publicado el domingo, 03.13.11
Damas de Blanco anuncian marchas si el gobierno no libera a presosPor AFPLA HABANA
Las Damas de Blanco, esposas de los presos políticos cubanos, advirtieron el domingo al Gobierno que marcharán en el octavo aniversario del arresto de sus familiares, si no libera a los tres que faltan por excarcelar de los 52 que prometió a la Iglesia sacar de la cárcel.
"Esperamos que antes del 18 de marzo sean liberados todos (día en que conmemoran el aniversario de las detenciones), de no ser así, ellos (el gobierno) saben que será un día de marcha por cada uno'' que continúe preso, dijo a periodistas Laura Pollán, líder de las mujeres.
Tras realizar su habitual marcha dominical por la 5ta avenida de Miramar, en el oeste de La Habana, con unas 40 mujeres, Pollán las convocó a recordar la fecha del arresto y condena de 75 opositores en 2003, marchando por las calles de la capital -como sucedió en años anteriores-, pero sólo si los tres opositores no son excarcelados.
"Ese día (18 de marzo), por primera vez fueron reconocidos de golpe 75 personas como 'prisioneros de conciencia'. Eso nunca se había dado en la historia de Amnistía Internacional. Creo que es un día muy especial'', apuntó la líder.
No obstante, precisó que si los opositores son liberados, como espera, el grupo no saldrá a la calle y conmemorará el aniversario de los arrestos con una reunión en su casa, en el barrio de Centro Habana.
Tras un inédito diálogo iniciado en mayo de 2010 entre el presidente Raúl Castro y el cardenal Jaime Ortega, el gobierno comenzó en julio un proceso gradual de excarcelación de los 52 disidentes que quedaban en prisión del grupo de 75.
De los 52, 40 viajaron a España con sus familiares y doce no aceptaron salir a ese país, de los cuales nueve fueron excarcelados y se hallan en Cuba y tres –Félix Navarro, Librado Linares y José Ferrer–, aguardan su liberación.
El Gobierno considera a los opositores, incluidas las Damas de Blanco, ''mercenarios'' de Washington."
http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2011/03/13/902616/damas-de-blanco-anuncian-marchas.html
El Puerto de Mariel se moderniza con fondos brasileños
El Puerto de Mariel se moderniza con fondos brasileñosSucesos – Sucesos
LA HABANA, (VOANOTICIAS.COM).- El puerto de Mariel operará a partir del 2014, informó el emisario de la presidencia de Brasil Marco Aurelio García, cuyo gobierno financia la mitad de la obra.
El proyecto portuario es el más ambicioso de la cooperación que Cuba recibe de la nación sudamericana. Empresas brasileñas comenzaron hace algunos meses la construcción que convertirá a Mariel en uno de los complejos portuarios más importantes de Cuba con una inversión total de unos 800 millones de dólares, explicó García a periodistas, después de tener un encuentro con el presidente cubano Raúl Castro.
"El objetivo central de mi viaje era examinar el estado de la cooperación Brasil-Cuba. Estamos involucrados aquí en dos proyectos que quisiera destacar, el proyecto de soja y maíz en (la oriental provincia de) Ciego de Ávila y quizá el más importante que es el del puerto de Mariel", dijo el funcionario brasileño.
El financiamiento para el Mariel –una localidad ubicada a 50 kilómetros al oeste de la capital– se compone de un crédito dividido en cuatro "tramos" (o pagos), indicó García, dos de ellos ya fueron entregados y ejecutados y un tercero está aprobado aunque el dinero todavía no se hizo efectivo. No se especificó el monto de cada uno.
Se estudia un préstamo –el quinto tramo– adicional, indicó.
Para junio se comenzará el muelle y para septiembre estarán listas las carreteras, agregó el funcionario, quien ocupa el cargo de asesor internacional de la presidenta Dilma Rousseff.
"Estará en condiciones de operación en 2014" y su gestión estará a cargo de una empresa extranjera "no brasileña", indicó García.
García visitó la construcción acompañado de funcionarios cubanos.
Brasil es el segundo socio comercial de Cuba en América Latina, con un intercambio comercial de unos 624 millones de dólares en el 2009 y con una balanza favorable a la nación sudamericana, según cifras oficiales.
http://horacero.com.pa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39669:hora-cero&catid=195:sucesos
Consejo económico de ALBA concluye reunión en Quito
Publicado el domingo, 03.13.11
Consejo económico de ALBA concluye reunión en QuitoThe Associated Press
QUITO — La IV reunión del Consejo de Complementación Económica de la Alianza Bolivariana de las Américas (ALBA) concluyó el sábado en esta capital, con la evaluación de al menos seis temas en materia comercial y monetaria, informó la cancillería.
El informe elaborado por los delegados de los países miembros será presentado en una reunión presidencial del bloque, prevista para el 3 de abril, en Venezuela, señaló un comunicado oficial.
Los Mecanismos para optimizar el funcionamiento del consejo y las relaciones comerciales entre los países miembros, los avances y limitaciones del Sistema Único de Compensación Regional (SUCRE), así como adelantos en los Tratados de Comercio de los Pueblos, fueron parte de la agenda abordada en la cita, agregó.
Luis Alberto Lince, Ministro de Hacienda de Bolivia, destacó la decisión de avanzar en la constitución de empresas "Gran nacionales" especialmente en materias de alimentos, energía y medicamentos, añadió el comunicado.
El bloque está integrado por Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Dominica, Antigua y Barbuda, y San Vicente y las Granadinas.
http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2011/03/12/902391/consejo-economico-de-alba-concluye.html
Brasil pasa revista a sus negocios en Cuba
Brasil pasa revista a sus negocios en Cuba09:17:41 2011-03-13 / Xinhua
El gobierno brasileño pasó revista esta semana a los negocios conjuntos con Cuba durante una visita de trabajo a la isla del asesor especial de la Presidencia, Marco Aurelio García, quien se reunió con el mandatario cubano Raúl Castro.
García, quien llegó a La Habana el lunes para una visita de tres días, conversó con Castro acerca del "excelente estado" de las relaciones entre Cuba y Brasil y el desarrollo y perspectivas de los vínculos económicos y comerciales, así como otros temas de la actualidad internacional, indicó el reporte noticioso de la televisión.
"El objetivo central de mi viaje era examinar el estado de la cooperación Brasil-Cuba. Estamos involucrados aquí en dos proyectos que quisiera destacar, el proyecto de soja y maíz en (la oriental provincia de) Ciego de Avila y quizá el más importante que es el del puerto de Mariel", dijo el funcionario brasileño en un encuentro con la prensa.
El asesor internacional de la presidenta Dilma Rousseff explicó que varias empresas brasileñas comenzaron hace algunos meses la construcción que convertirá a Mariel, localidad a unos 50 kilómetros al oeste de La Habana, en uno de los complejos portuarios más importantes de Cuba con una inversión de 800 millones de dólares.
Ese financiamiento se compone de un crédito dividido en cuatro pagos, de los que dos ya fueron entregados y ejecutados y un tercero está aprobado, aunque el dinero todavía no se hace efectivo, señaló García sin especificar el monto de cada uno.
En junio debe comenzar la construcción del muelle y en septiembre estarán listas las carreteras, indicó el funcionario, quien aseguró que la rada estará en condiciones de operación en 2014 y su gestión "estará a cargo de una empresa extranjera no brasileña".
García también estuvo en Ciego de Avila, unos 400 kilómetros al este de La Habana, donde se aplica un programa técnico brasileño en la siembra de unas 6.000 hectáreas de soya en la empresa CUBASOY, que próximamente atenderá a unas 40.000 hectáreas.
Sobre la cooperación en el petróleo, campo en el que también había negocios conjuntos, García reveló que la empresa brasileña Petrobras abandonó la exploración en un bloque en aguas profundas de Cuba, cuyos derechos había adquirido en 2008.
"Sí, ya está definido hace más tiempo. Petrobras se retiró de ese bloque. Lo sentimos, pero la verdad es que uno tiene que trabajar con calidades tangibles y en ese bloque no había con seguridad", afirmó García.
"Hubo prospecciones que no resultaron, lo sentimos mucho", manifestó el asesor, quien indicó que su país se concentrará en la búsqueda en sus propios territorios con reservas probadas.
Cuba, que depende en gran medida del petróleo importado de Venezuela, sostiene que posee unos 20.000 millones de barriles de crudo en yacimientos en aguas profundas de las costas aún sin explorar, algo que se propone hacer la petrolera española Repsol YPF que espera traer un equipo de perforación a fines de año para abrir al menos un pozo de prueba.
Después de Venezuela, Brasil es el segundo socio comercial de la isla en América Latina, con un intercambio de unos 624 millones de dólares en 2009 y con una balanza favorable a la nación sudamericana, según cifras oficiales.
Además de conversar con Castro, durante sus tres días de visita a la isla, García también se reunió con el ministro de Cultura, Abel Prieto, según fuentes diplomáticas brasileñas acreditadas en La Habana. Marco Aurelio García mantiene con la actual presidenta brasileña, Dilma Rouseff, el cargo de asesor-jefe para asuntos internacionales que también desempeñó durante el mandato de Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, de 2003 a 2010.
http://spanish.china.org.cn/international/txt/2011-03/13/content_22123357.htm
Las Damas de Blanco anuncian que celebrarán el "Día prisionero de conciencia"
Las Damas de Blanco anuncian que celebrarán el "Día prisionero de conciencia"(CUBA) SOCIEDAD-SALUD,SOLIDARIDAD-DERECHOS | > AREA: Política13-03-2011 / 22:01 h
La Habana, 13 mar (EFE).- El grupo disidente cubano Damas de Blanco anunció hoy su propósito de celebrar el "Día del prisionero de conciencia" el próximo viernes 18, fecha en la que esperan ya estén excarcelados los tres integrantes del "Grupo de los 75" aún en prisión.
"Esperamos que antes del 18 de marzo sean liberados todos (los presos políticos), de no ser así, ellos (el Gobierno) saben que será un día de marcha por cada uno de los que quedan", dijo hoy la portavoz de las Damas de Blanco, Laura Pollán, tras realizar una misa a la salida de misa en una iglesia de La Habana.
"Creo que ese es un día muy especial y que nunca lo vamos a olvidar los cubanos", añadió Pollán, al tiempo que señaló "por primera vez fueron reconocidos de golpe 75 personas como prisioneros de conciencia. Eso nunca se había dado en la historia de Amnistía Internacional (AI)".
En la oleada represiva de la llamada "Primavera Negra" de 2003 fueron condenados 75 opositores cubanos a penas de entre 6 y 28 años de cárcel acusados de conspirar con Estados Unidos, atentar contra la independencia del Estado y "socavar los principios de la revolución".
El Gobierno de Cuba inició en julio del año pasado un proceso de excarcelaciones de presos políticos con la mediación de la Iglesia Católica y el apoyo de España que aún continúa.
De los 52 opositores del Grupo de los 75 que quedaban en aquel momento en prisión, cuarenta salieron de la cárcel tras aceptar irse a España pero otros doce rechazaron el exilio y sus excarcelaciones han sido las últimas en producirse.
De ese grupo que no acepta salir de la isla como condición para ser excarcelados todavía quedan en prisión José Daniel Ferrer, Librado Linares y Félix Navarro.
Diosdado González, miembro de ese colectivo que fue liberado hace dos semanas, dijo hoy que ahora su principal propósito es que sus compañeros de la disidencia se "unan sin colores políticos, en un solo color" para continuar la lucha por la democracia en Cuba.
También agradeció a las Damas de Blanco su contribución a la excarcelación de los presos políticos, elogió "su valor" y dijo que siente "un gran orgullo" por mujeres como ellas. EFE
http://www.abc.es/agencias/noticia.asp?noticia=731617
Cuba gives Jewish-American aid worker 15-years in jail
Cuba gives Jewish-American aid worker 15-years in jailBy GIL SHEFLER AND REUTERS03/13/2011 10:25
US State Department, Conf. of Presidents and AJC condemn ruling on Alan Gross after Cuba accuses him of engaging in "subversive" activities.
Cuba sentenced Jewish-American aid contractor Alan P. Gross to 15 years in prison on Saturday for engaging in "subversive" activities, a decision which was strongly condemned by Washington.
Gross had been arrested by Cuban authorities last year and charged with secretly delivering satellite phones to the Jewish community on the island and entering the country on the wrong visa.
"We deplore this ruling," Philip J. Crowley, the State Department spokesman was quoted by media as saying. "Alan Gross is a dedicated international development worker who has devoted his life to helping people in more than 50 countries. He was in Cuba to help the Cuban people connect with the rest of the world."
The Obama administration also condemned the ruling. "Today's sentencing adds another injustice to Alan Gross's ordeal," Tommy Vietor, the US National Security Council spokesman said in a statement. "He has already spent too many days in detention and should not spend one more. We urge the immediate release of Mr. Gross so that he can return home to his wife and family."
Several Jewish groups including the Conference of Presidents of Major North American Organizations and the American Jewish Committee have petitioned Havana since his arrest calling for his immediate release.
"We are disappointed that the prosecution presented Mr. Gross as attempting to destabilize the Cuban government when the project he was working on in Cuba was aimed at helping communication in the local Jewish community. As we mentioned in the appeal we sent to President of Cuba Raul Castro prior to the trial, Mr. Gross has managed multiple humanitarian projects around the world and believed he was advancing his humanitarian work in Cuba, Conference of Presidents Chairman Alan Solow and Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein said last week.
Gross, 61, was convicted of "acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the state" for working to set up clandestine Internet networks for Cuba dissidents using "sophisticated" communications technology.
Prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence for the longtime development worker, who has been jailed since his arrest in Havana on Dec. 3, 2009. U.S. officials had contended from the beginning that Gross was only setting up Internet access for the island's small Jewish community.
Few details of the trial have been released, but the television report said Gross told the court he had been "used and manipulated" by DAI, the Maryland-based company that had contracted him to work in Cuba.
DAI had a contract from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to conduct projects aimed at promoting political change on the Caribbean island.
Since Gross was arrested speculation has been rife that he is being used as a bargaining card by Havana in return for several Cuban spies in US custody."
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=211920&R=R4
White House urges Cuba to release US contractor
Posted on Saturday, 03.12.11
White House urges Cuba to release US contractorThe Associated Press
WASHINGTON — An outraged White House said Saturday it wants the Cuban government to immediately release an American international development worker sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against the state.
National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said the prison term "adds another injustice" to Alan Gross's ordeal.
Vietor said Gross, a Maryland native arrested in December 2009 while on a U.S.-backed democracy-building project, has already spent too many days in detention and "should not spend one more."
Gross was found guilty by a Cuban court on Saturday. The court said the program Gross worked on showed that the U.S. still seeks to overthrow the Cuban government.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley echoed that sentiment.
"We deplore this ruling. Alan Gross is a dedicated international development worker who has devoted his life to helping people in more than 50 countries," Crowley said in a statement. "He was in Cuba to help the Cuban people connect with the rest of the world."
The Obama administration and Gross' family say he was working to improve Internet access for Cuba's Jewish community. Havana accused Gross of working on a "subversive" program.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/12/2112057/white-house-urges-cuba-to-release.html
U.S. rejects conviction of contractor by Cuba, demands his release
Posted on Sunday, 03.13.11ALAN GROSS CASE
U.S. rejects conviction of contractor by Cuba, demands his release
Washington called on Cuba to release U.S. contractor Alan Gross after he was sentenced to 15 years for crimes against the state.By LESLEY [email protected]
WASHINGTON — A U.S. contractor accused by Cuba of plotting to "destroy the revolution" was convicted of crimes against the state Saturday and sentenced to 15 years in prison, prompting protests from the White House and fury in Miami.
The Associated Press reported from Havana that a Cuban court said that prosecutors had proven that Alan Gross was working on a "subversive" program paid for by the United States that aimed to bring down the Cuban government. Prosecutors had sought a 20-year jail term during the two-day trial that ended last Saturday.
The White House, which has called on Cuba to release Gross since he was arrested in December 2009, called Saturday for his "immediate release," saying the sentence "adds another injustice to Alan Gross' ordeal.
"He has already spent too many days in detention and should not spend one more," said Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council. "We urge the immediate release of Mr. Gross so that he can return home to his wife and family.
Gross was arrested and jailed in Havana after he delivered at least one satellite telephone and other communications equipment as part of a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) effort to assist Jewish and other nongovernment groups in Cuba. A string of recent Cuban television reports alleged that the satellite phones for Internet connections were just the latest tactic in Washington's long campaign to overthrow the communist government in Havana.
Cuban law makes it illegal for its citizens to receive assistance provided by campaigns run by USAID or other U.S. government agencies. Havana officials brand recipients as ''mercenaries."
The case of Gross, a 61-year-old from Potomac, Md., has become a major stumbling block in the Obama administration's efforts to improve relations with Raúl Castro's government, with U.S. officials claiming that he did not violate any Cuban laws.
His lawyer, Peter J. Kahn, said Saturday that Gross' family was "devastated by the verdict and harsh sentence." Noting that Gross has already served 15 months in prison, Kahn said: "Alan his family have paid an enormous personal price in the long-standing political feud between Cuba and the United States."
Kahn said he would continue to work with Gross' Cuban lawyer to explore "any and all options," including the possibility of an appeal. "During this most difficult time for Alan and his family, we again call on the Cuban government to release him immediately on humanitarian grounds," he said.
Possible release
Some Cuba analysts have said that they expected Gross would be convicted and sentenced, but could be freed within months as a "humanitarian gesture."
The Obama administration has said repeatedly over the past 15 months that any significant effort to improve relations with Havana must wait until Gross is freed, and any prison sentence is sure to further complicate frosty relations between the United States and its Cold War antagonist.
Critics of the administration's policy Saturday called on the United States to get tough with Cuba and repeal recent moves to ease travel restrictions.
The administration this week approved travel to Cuba from nine U.S. airports as part of an effort to make it easier for Cuban-Americans and licensed school and church groups to travel there. The administration said its aim was to help civil society in Cuba. Critics said the move would only help the Castro government.
"With Mr. Gross' sentencing, the Castro regime has effectively demonstrated the hopeless and dangerous naiveté of this administration's policy toward the regime," said Sen. Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida. "Mr. Gross is simply a humanitarian who was seeking to help the Jewish community in Cuba access the Internet, and he deserves to be freed and reunited with his family at once."
Miami Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the United States and "all responsible nations" to "demand not only the release of Mr. Gross, but of all those wrongly imprisoned in Castro's dungeons.
"We must increase pressure on the regime until the basic rights, freedoms, and dignities of the Cuban people are respected," she said.
The Havana court found the evidence presented at the trial "demonstrated the participation of the North American contractor in a subversive project of the U.S. government that aimed to destroy the Revolution through the use of communications systems out of the control of authorities," according to a statement read out on the afternoon news.
'Being manipulated'
It said that during testimony in the two-day trial, Gross "recognized having been used and manipulated" by his company — Bethesda, Md.-based Development Alternatives, Inc. — as well as by USAID and the State Department. It said he has the right to appeal the sentence to the Supreme People's Tribunal, Cuba's equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Development Alternatives was awarded a multimillion-dollar contract for the program in which Gross was involved, and Gross received more than a half million dollars through his company, despite speaking little Spanish and had no history of working in Cuba. Gross traveled to the island several times over a short period on a tourist visa, apparently raising Cuban suspicions.
The USAID programs have been criticized repeatedly in congressional reports as being wasteful and ineffective, and funding was held up briefly in 2010 over concerns after Gross' arrest. The money has begun flowing again, though U.S. officials say Development Alternatives is no longer part of the program.
Now that Gross has been convicted, his backers will try to get him released through a court action or executive pardon, possibly on humanitarian grounds. His wife, Judy, says Gross has lost more than 90 pounds since his arrest, and that his 26-year-old daughter and 88-year-old mother are both suffering from cancer, the AP said. Supporters, from the Rev. Jesse Jackson to U.S. Jewish groups, have already made impassioned pleas to Cuban President Raúl Castro to free Gross.
At least 14 witnesses testified at Gross' trial, including Cuban intelligence agents and members of the island's Jewish community, the State Department's top man on Cuba told lawmakers last week in a telephone briefing on the trial.
After the briefing, Miami Republican Rep. David Rivera complained in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that State Department official Peter Brennan had said that there is no planned U.S. government response "to the all but certain conviction and sentencing of Mr. Gross."
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/12/v-fullstory/2112694/us-rejects-conviction-of-contractor.html
US contractor convicted in Cuba; 15-year sentence
Posted on Saturday, 03.12.11
US contractor convicted in Cuba; 15-year sentenceBH PAUL HAVENAssociated Press
HAVANA — A Cuban court on Saturday found U.S. contractor Alan Gross guilty of crimes against the state and sentenced him to 15 years in prison, a verdict that brought a swift and strongly worded condemnation from Washington.
The court said prosecutors had proved that Gross, 61, was working on a "subversive" program paid for by the United States that aimed to bring down Cuba's revolutionary system. Prosecutors had sought a 20-year jail term.
Gloria Berbena, a spokeswoman for the U.S. diplomatic mission on the island, termed the decision "appalling" and called on Cuba to release Gross immediately.
"We reject and deplore this ruling," she told The Associated Press. "It is appalling that the Cuban government seeks to criminalize what most of the world deems normal, in this case access to information and technology."
Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said the ruling "adds another injustice to Alan Gross' ordeal."
"He has already spent too many days in detention and should not spend one more," he said. "We urge the immediate release of Mr. Gross so that he can return home to his wife and family."
Gross was arrested in December 2009 while on a USAID-backed democracy-building project. The U.S. government and Gross's family say he was working to improve Internet access for the island's Jewish community, did nothing wrong, and should be released.
Cuban officials have called him a mercenary and maintained his motives were more nefarious. The court said the program that Gross worked on – part of a $20 million Washington-effort to support democracy on the island – showed that the U.S. government continues to seek the overthrow of a Cuban government ruled since 1959 by brothers Fidel and Raul Castro.
The Havana court found the evidence presented at the trial "demonstrated the participation of the North American contractor in a subversive project of the U.S. government that aimed to destroy the Revolution through the use of communications systems out of the control of authorities," according to a statement read out on the afternoon news.
It said that during testimony in the two-day trial, Gross "recognized having been used and manipulated" by his company – Bethesda, Maryland-based Development Alternatives, Inc. – as well as by USAID and the State Department. It said he has the right to appeal the sentence to the Supreme People's Tribunal, Cuba's equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Since the trial began, Cuba has stepped up its denunciation of such programs. Last week, state television aired a program detailing the history of the USAID effort, with officials saying it showed Washington was waging a cyberwar. Cuban media have promised to air a second installment on Monday, possibly including footage of Gross's testimony at the trial, which was closed to the foreign press.
Development Alternatives was awarded a multimillion-dollar contract for the program in which Gross was involved, and Gross received more than a half million dollars through his company, despite the fact he spoke little Spanish and had no history of working in Cuba. Gross traveled to the island several times over a short period on a tourist visa, apparently raising Cuban suspicions.
The USAID programs have been criticized repeatedly in congressional reports as being wasteful and ineffective, and funding was held up briefly in 2010 over concerns following Gross' arrest. The money has begun flowing again, though U.S. officials say Development Alternatives is no longer part of the program.
While the verdict was not unexpected, it is sure to have a chilling impact on relations. U.S. officials have said repeatedly that no rapprochement is possible while Gross remains jailed.
Now that Gross has been convicted, his backers will try to get him released through a court action or executive pardon, possibly on humanitarian grounds. His wife Judy says Gross has lost more than 90 pounds since his arrest, and that his 26-year-old daughter and 88-year-old mother are both suffering from cancer.
Supporters, from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, to U.S. Jewish groups, have already made impassioned pleas to Cuban President Raul Castro to free Gross. Jackson offered to fly to Havana personally to mediate, reprising a role he has played previously in Cuba and elsewhere.
Several Cuba experts have said Havana hoped to use Gross's case to shine a light on the democracy-building programs. Now that he has been convicted, they argue, Cuba has no strategic reason to keep him in prison much longer.
However, such a process could take weeks or months to play out, if it happens at all.
Gross's American lawyer, Peter J. Kahn, said his client's family was "devastated by the verdict and harsh sentence."
He said he would work with Gross's Cuban lawyer to seek his release through appeal or other avenue."
The court is made up of a five-judge panel, including three professional judges and two citizens trained to hear cases and empaneled for a month. A simple majority is enough to convict. The newscast did not say whether the decision was unanimous.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/12/2111892/american-contractor-found-guilty.html
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