Articles of Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: Cherry Blossoms

This is the part twelfth in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: Attracting foreign tourism was at that time – mid and late nineties – one of the few possibilities to earn much needed hard currency. Knowing that, Washington reinforced its sanctions and threats against foreign companies investing in Cuba or having any transaction with the island. Coincidentally the so-called Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) and other anti-Cuba terrorist groups openly declared such visitors “enemies” and justified violent attacks against them.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: Mission Impossible

This is the eleventh part in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: When the Supreme Court decided not to hear the Cuban Five petition, the Justices acted exactly as requested by President Obama’s Solicitor General, showing that on this issue, there has been no change, certainly not a change we can believe in. The Supreme Court last June 14 simply joined the other two branches of Government in demonstrating their hostility towards the Cuban people.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: An Insult to Humanity

This is the tenth part in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: On March 6, 2009 twelve separate amicus briefs were presented in support of the Cuban Five’s petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court, the largest number of amicus filings ever to have urged Supreme Court to review a criminal conviction. Eight briefs were submitted by institutions or persons based on the United States.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: Pryor’s Judgment

This is the eighth part in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: When the historic unanimous decision was reversed at the urging of George W. Bush’s Attorney General (Remember Elian? CounterPunch, August 11, 2009), the same 3-judge panel was to hear the remaining issues other than venue, which had been the one upon which they had expressed their landmark opinion. However, in the meantime, one jurist, the oldest and most liberal, had retired and somebody else was designated to substitute for him.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: It Happened in Miami

This is the seventh part in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: The Court of the Southern District of Florida is not an international tribunal, neither is it a UN body having jurisdiction on matters affecting relations between countries. It has a very specific duty, which is to determine if a particular defendant is guilty or not of a concrete charge. In instructing the jury in the case of Gerardo Hernandez, the Court recalled the language of the Government’s indictment.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: Indictment À La Carte

This is the fifth part in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: More than seven months after the Cuban Five were arrested and indicted a new charge was presented by the US Government. Again, the charge was one of “conspiracy”, but this time to commit murder in the first degree and was brought specifically against one of the Five, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: Spies Without Espionage

This is the quarter part in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: The first indictment in September 1998 charged the Cuban Five of being unregistered Cuban agents and of other minor violations. The government also charged three of them–Gerardo, Ramón and Antonio–with “conspiracy to commit espionage” (Count Two of the indictment). Prosecutors didn’t accuse any of them of actual espionage for a very simple reason: there was not such a thing and thus it could never be proven.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: The Face of Impunity

This is the third part in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: As they recognized during voir dire, the kidnapping of Elian González and its consequences for the community was very much in the minds of those chosen to be jurors at the trial of the Cuban Five a few months after the six year old boy was rescued by the federals. Like everybody else they had followed the events related to Elian which saturated the news.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: Justice in Wonderland

This is the second part in Ricardo Alarcón’s series on the Cuban Five: Having been defeated on the issue of venue the outcome of the Cuban Five’s trial was predetermined. It will go strictly in accordance with the Queen’s prophecy. The local media not only intensively covered the case, but intervened actively in it, as if they were part of the prosecution. The Five were condemned by the media even before they were indicted.

The Untold Story of the Cuban Five: Forbidden Heroes

The case of Elian González, a six year-old boy forcefully retained by his unknown great-uncles against the will of his father and in clear defiance of US law and decency was widely reported by media around the world. Miami, the place of the kidnapping, became a kind of secessionist city in North America when the Mayor, the chief of police, the politicians, every newspaper and local radio and TV broadcasters, together with religious and business institutions, joined with some of the most notorious terrorist and violent groups in opposing the courts’ and government’s orders to free the boy.