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Comment by FixOurWorld on April 22, 2014 at 11:51am

The Hamilton Friendship Association with Cuba (HFAC) invites you to join us in welcoming the Cuban Ambassador to Canada on his first official visit to Hamilton. His Excellency, Mr. Julio Garmendía Peña will be in Hamilton for an afternoon of information and conversation dedicated to the five Cuban heroes, unjustly imprisoned for defending their country against terrorism. The afternoon’s keynote address will be given by Prof. Stephen Kimber of University of Kings College, Halifax and author of What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five. Prof. Kimber will outline the case of the Cuban 5 and update on recent developments, including the celebrated return of two of the five heroes, Fernando and René, to Cuba! Copies of his acclaimed non-fiction book on the Cuban 5 will available for sale.
About the Cuban 5: In September 1998, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and René Gonzalez were arrested in Miami and accused of the crime of conspiracy to commit espionage. Their case is an extreme example of how the criminal justice system is used for political ends. The Five came to the U.S. in the 1990’s, armed only with courage and determination, to prevent further terrorist attacks against their homeland by anti-Cuba groups operating in Miami. Since 1959 as many as 3,478 people have lost their lives because of such attacks, the vast majority of which are linked to groups tolerated and financed by the U.S. government. Refused a fair trial, the Five were sentenced to a total of four life sentences plus 77 years. Despite international condemnation and numerous legal appeals, three of the Five heroes remain behind bars in the U.S. Join us as we honour the five Cuban heroes unjustly imprisoned for their principled defence of freedom, justice and the right of people to self-determination, no matter the cost. Further info at: http://www.freethefive.org /http://www.thecuban5.org. 

Comment by FixOurWorld on April 22, 2014 at 11:51am

About Julio Garmendía Peña: Mr. Garmendía’s political and diplomatic service to Cuba, which spans almost four decades, has been quite varied. He joined the Foreign Service in 1975 and soon became head of the department of state’s committee on economic cooperation. In 1982 he was deputy economic counselor in the Soviet Union. On returning to the foreign ministry, he became deputy chief of the bureau for co-operation with the USSR. From 1994 to 1999, he was minister-counselor and deputy head of mission in Russia. In 1999, he was head of section at the central committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and then, in 2004, became ambassador to Ukraine. In 2008, he returned to his previous job with the Communist Party.  He became the Ambassador to Canada in 2012.  He is married and has two daughters.

Comment by FixOurWorld on April 22, 2014 at 11:51am

About Stephen Kimber: Prof. Kimber is the Interim Director of the School of Journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax, and is an award-winning writer, editor and broadcaster. He is the author of nine award winning books. His most recent book—What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five—is an acclaimed narrative nonfiction book. Intensely researched and accessible, What lies Across the Water has been hailed by Ricardo Alarcón, former President of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power, as “so far the most complete book available in English on the subject…” “It is the work of a master journalist, a great writer, and, above all, an honest intellectual committed only to what he could verify on his own.”

His writing has appeared in almost all major Canadian publications. He is currently the Senior Feature Writer for The Coast, a Halifax alternative weekly, a weekly columnist for Halifax Metro and a Contributing Editor for Atlantic Business Magazine. As a broadcaster, he has been an Ottawa-based current affairs producer for the CTV Television Network and a producer, writer, story editor and host for numerous CBC television and radio programs.

Since 1983, he has taught journalism full-time at the University of King’s College, where he is the co-founder of the university’s new Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction program. From 1996 to 2003, in 2007-08 and again in 2013-14, he served as Director of the School of Journalism. In 1998-99, he was selected as a Research Fellow with the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida.