Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Deeply disappointed and in grave concern we had to learn about your refusal of an entry visa for René González, one of the Cuban Five, originally having been unjustly convicted in an unfair trial in Miami 2001 to exorbitant sentences up to two life terms by an intimidated jury in Miami and this after having had to endure isolation confinement for 17 months, already.
"In its letter of refusal, the UK Immigration and Visa Office states that it is due to point 320 (2b) of UK immigration law, which says entry can be denied to a person who has been sentenced to more than four years in prison. Although, dispensation can be granted in exceptional circumstances, the UK government states that it does not consider Mr González’s attendance at the International Commission to be reason enough to justify this or ’outweighed by the public interest in maintaining a refusal’."

By this we want to join the statement of one of the organizers of the International Inquiry Commission, which is scheduled to be held in the Law Society in London on March7-8:
Tony Woodley said: "The decision to refuse René González a visa to enter the UK is deeply unsettling. I can’t see the public interest in refusing René entry into the UK. On the contrary it is in the public interest to lay bare the circumstances surrounding the arrest and imprisonment of the Miami Five. For the sake of openness and transparency we hope the UK government thinks again and allows René González to attend the commission."
"The Commission and events will still continue this weekend, and we are making every effort to get this decision overturned and enable Rene to come to Britain to participate. Thousands of people in the UK, including hundreds of MPs, have been campaigning for the freedom and justice for the Five for more than ten years and are waiting to welcome Rene to Britain," said Mr Rob Miller.

For more information concerning the "Chronology in the Case of the ’Cuban Five’", please see: http://www.miami5.de/informationen/chronology.pdf

Josie Michel-Brüning, Pedagogue HDip.ed. and psychological systemic family therapist i.r.
Dirk Brüning, Chemical Engineer, expert on nuclear and atmospheric chemistry, i.r

Members of the German committee to Free the Cuban Five, one of more than 350 committees around the world.