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The introduction surprised the auditorium. An American woman sentenced to 40 years in prison, who received her pardon from President William Clinton after 16 years in jail, was present in the 9th International Colloquium for the Liberation of the Cuban Five and against Terrorism held in the Cuban eastern province of Holguin last week.
Linda Evans quickly walked to the podium at the rhythm of the claps, but she did not find the words; meanwhile, another representative in the event explained that the strength of solidarity made a deep impression in the President of the United States (U.S.), who in the last day of his mandate on “January 20, 2001”, freed some thousands of sentenced by the courts of his country, whose files were reviewed.
After those words, Linda Evens raised her arms and went back to her sit; since then, her anonymity ended: some of us wanted to interview her, others to look at her eyes; many simply wanted to give a hug to the woman who has been condemned with the highest sentence for the charges of conspiracy in the U.S.
“I love Cuba very much”
Since I was in prison, I heard about the Cuban Five, but I could do nothing. “In jail we are not free to organize ourselves, to found groups to carry out a transcendental job. We could just go ahead a little in the education of women about AIDS and other health problems, but the chief arrested us because it is not even allowed that three persons meet there.
“After my incarceration we organized the campaign Everybody or Nobody, which mobilizes people for the freedom of all those inside or outside my country who are serving unjust sentences. We are devoted to involve more people to carry out a revolution in the U.S. and grow in the movement for the human rights and peace.
“The success we have had inspires me. One of the greatest is that of eliminating form the application form of employment a square where to mark if you have been sentenced to prison. There are 10 states now and more than 50 cities and counties where they have eliminated that demand due to our campaign.
“The situation of the workers here is a lot different from the one we live in the U.S. In Cuba there is no discrimination, and if someone returns to the community after serving a sentence, that person has the possibility to re-establish as a productive citizen. There are many inmates in the U.S. One of every four people has a crime record due that many actions are considered crimes. They arrest young people and then, they have no opportunities.
“A week in Cuba has showed me the values of this people, exchanging with the people, with your culture. I have been with the children in schools, in the health areas and there is a very big contrast with the U.S. Children there just learn for a test. They are not educated on how to think critically. That is why I am worried about the future of my country, because the youngest have no dreams; they just see violence, drugs, discrimination. I am hopeful, but there are so many obstacles with the government’s system, with capitalism.
“I dreamt to visit Cuba, to support the Revolution and its people because I love you. I am delighted to be here and it is a privilege to share with people from more than 50 countries here in Cuba, to demonstrate the will to fight for the return of the Cuban Five.”
It is possible to choose
“I am, and used to be, an anti-imperialist revolutionary, so I join the people who fight for freedom in this world. I was sentenced for armed actions against the government; very little actions, symbolic ones. The evidence showed in trial was real. I was tried five times in different states. However, the sentence was out of proportion.
“I was responsible to place a bomb in the Capitol in solidarity with the Lebanese people and against imperialism worldwide, and for buying four rifles and two boxes of ammunitions too; the weapons were legal, the only illegal thing was me in secrecy using a name it was not mine. It was a crime of papers.
“The government does not represent the people in the U.S. Many people like me are against false and unjust sentences, like those applied to the Cuban Five; but the District Attorney Office does not want to do anything to solve those cases. They are not interested. There was a campaign for my release. Representatives from the government sent letters to the President and there was a link between my lawyer and the President’s team, so she could hand in letters and debate my situation.
“I spent my time in prison studying. The conditions in jail are terrible. I was in five of them, some were worse than others. In federal prisons there is a little supervision of the government and you have the opportunity to appeal. Those from the counties look like dungeons.
“The majority of the inmates are black, mixed, Latin people; there are more black people than white ones: it is a racist system. My relatives and my friends visited me, something very difficult for the Cuban Five. We know they are very limited that they do not grant visas to their beloved relatives, and even Gerardo’s wife have not seen him since he was arrested. This is a tremendous injustice and a violation of the most fundamental human rights.
In the prison of Louisiana county women have neither health care nor stomatology assistance, they cannot buy glasses. Most of them are mothers and they have to choose which of their children can visit them, just three of them, if they have more, they cannot go; and they can only see them for 15 minutes.
“After I was freed, I have devoted myself to fight for the release of the Cuban Five and all the political prisoners. That is why is Everybody or Nobody. As part of the campaign, we have sent letter to President Obama, we have signed petitions to free them now, we protest, meet in the communities to inform people and have them give their opinions, their problems and find solutions. The American people have no political conscience. They just want to consume, dress and change the car.
“It is difficult to survive in a rich country when the majority of the people are poor, they do not have enough to live, although they never say that news. It is a nightmare. We would like everybody have the right to choose, be revolutionaries, internationalists, without hiding. I am not peculiar, I am a common person, this is possible and the peoples are in need. So I would like to encourage the relatives of the Cuban Five; if I am here, they can also be free.”
