Documentary about Fidel Castro and the Five Cuban Heroes premieres

Havana, March 14. - The premiere of the documentary Five hours with the 5 that witnesses the meeting 10 years ago between the historical leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, and five anti-terrorist fighters from Cuba, took place in Havana.

The audiovisual work by filmmaker Yunet Pérez was presented at the Fidel Castro Center in the capital with the presence of René González, Ramón Labañino and Gerardo Hernández, three of the five Cubans falsely accused of espionage against the United States government.

Antonio Guerrero and Fernando González complete that group of patriots who were arrested on September 12, 1998, and sentenced to long prison terms after a rigged legal process that sparked worldwide protests and solidarity for their release.

The documentary work relates impressions of those recognized here as Heroes of the Republic of Cuba about the five-hour meeting with the maximum Cuban leader, on February 28, 2015, 73 days after the group was fully returned to the island following an agreement between both governments.

During the dialogue with those attending the presentation, González, Labañino and Hernández shared impressions about the reception given by the commander in chief, who treated them "like a father who loves his children and longed for the moment of their return home."

They also highlighted the exceptional human qualities of the revolutionary leader, who took a special interest in the battle for the return of the Cuban Five to the island and gave them the strength to resist injustice during their unjust and prolonged imprisonment.

"Listening to him, feeling his closeness, his extraordinary lucidity despite his advanced age and health problems, together with the paternity with which he welcomed us, was truly a privilege that we preserve as the most transcendental moment of our lives," said René González.

The Cuban anti-terrorist heroes told anecdotes about the manipulated and media-driven judicial process against them, the harsh confinement in US federal prisons and the pressure to give up defending their cause.

In that context, the moral strength of Fidel Castro's leadership and the values ??instilled by the Revolution prevailed, affirmed the protagonists of that event, captured in images and testimonies in the documentary by López, also a journalist and historian.

The Five had infiltrated terrorist organizations based mainly in the city of Miami (Florida) from where attacks against Cuba were planned that, between 1959 and 1999, caused 3,478 deaths and 2,099 incapacitated, as well as a high material cost. (Text and Photo: Cubasí)