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    Who is Anti-Cuban Terrorist Luis Posada Carriles?



    By Tamara Hansen
    Responsible for organizing and carrying out many terrorist plots Luis Posada Carriles is a well-known anti- Cuban terrorist. Posada’s terrorist resume includes: spending time jailed in Panama for attempting to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro; boasting to a New York Times journalist that he was responsible for organizing a string of bombings at tourist locations throughout Cuba in 1997; and finally the most condemning evidence against Posada- the CIA documents that link Posada to the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner which killed 73 people.

    Posada was charged in Venezuela with the 1976 airliner bombing but escaped from prison in 1985 and became an international fugitive. On April 13th 2005 after entering the US on a shrimp boat, Posada filed a request for asylum in the US. Soon after, Venezuela filed an extradition request for Posada in order to charge him with planning the 1976 bombing. The US denied this request citing a lack of evidence against Posada, despite the fact that they have declassified CIA documents, which implicate him in the planning.

    On May 17th Posada was detained by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement for entering the United States illegally. Despite being arrested the US continues to refuse to extradite Posada to Venezuela. With their refusal, the US is proving what many already know, which is that the United-States supposed “war on terror” is a farce to be used only when it is in their own interests.

    Since Posada submitted his application for asylum in the US there have been rallies, press conferences, and petitions sent out across Canada, the United-States, Venezuela, Cuba and the world, demanding: ‘No Asylum for Luis Posada Carriles!’ and ‘Extradite Posada to Venezuela!’

    On May 14th 2005, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC) launched a petition campaign demanding that the US honour its extradition treaty with Venezuela and refuse Posada asylum. Since starting the campaign less than two months ago, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC) has collected over 320 signatures.

    The positive response to the campaign refl ects the understanding of people across the lower mainland of the importance of this campaign in standing up for justice, in defending Cuba against injustice, and in further exposing the lies and deceit of the US administration.

    It is together with the people of Venezuela, Cuba and across the globe that we continue to demand the extradition of Posada to Venezuela. We also call on the government of Canada to end its silence on this case and to put pressure on the United-States to uphold international law and extradite Posada.

    August 29th 2005 is Posada’s next trial date. We are aiming to send a strong message to the US administration for this day by collecting over 700 signatures for our petition campaign. Please join us in our call and get involved in this important emergency campaign. The petition is available at: www.vancubasolidarity.com





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