Before their arrest, the five were gathering information on right-wing Cuban-American groups that have staged violent attacks against Cuba with Washington’s complicity. They were kept in solitary confinement for 17 months before being convicted and given sentences ranging from 15 years to a double life sentence.

The injustice against the five men is part of the broader pattern of U.S. government assaults on basic rights, including mandatory federal prison sentences, reduced protections against arbitrary search and seizure, “preventive detention” without bail on the basis of “secret  evidence,” limits on the right of appeal & expanded the use of the death penalty.

Through their resistance in face of harsh prison conditions, the Cuban Five have been in the front ranks of those fighting these assaults.