U.S. Trial of Cuban Spies Questioned by Rights Group

Amnesty International, a London-based human rights group, has raised some questions about a recent U.S. trial in which five Cuban agents were convicted of espionage, conspiracy to commit murder and other related charges. The group did not express an opinion on the agents’ guilt, but instead highlighted issues surrounding their pre-trial detention, including access to attorneys and documents that may have undermined their right to defense.

Amnesty International appears to agree with the defendants’ counsel in saying that a fair trial is impossible in a city dominated by anti-Castro emotions. The defendant’s were denied an appeal when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their case. The rights group also asked for a closer examination of the circumstances of the men’s’ incarceration.

The Cuban government acknowledges that the men were sent to Miami, but says that they were not there to gather information on the United States. Instead, they were to infiltrate violent exile groups at a time when Cuban hotels were being bombed by anti-Castro mobs. The men themselves agree with this statement. They admit to acting as unregistered Cuban agents, but repeat that it was only to infiltrate hostile groups and not to breach U.S. security.