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Oscar Lopez Rivera

OSCAR LÓPEZ RIVERA’S SENTENCE COMMUTED

OSCAR LÓPEZ RIVERA’S SENTENCE COMMUTED

Justice served after 35 years
After serving 35 years in jail in the United States, Puerto Rican independence fighter Oscar López Rivera’s sentence is set to expire on May 13, 2017, after it was commuted by President Barack Obama, yesterday, January 17

Author: International news staff | informacion@granma.cu
january 18, 2017 12:01:51

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The prison sentence of Puerto Rican independence fighter, Oscar López Rivera, who has spent the last 35 years in prison in the United States, will expire on May 17, after it was commuted by President Barack Obama, on January 17, according to media outlets citing a Whitehouse source.

Photo: Granma

A commutation or offer of clemency is the reduction of a prison sentence, either totally or partially; while a pardon represents complete or partial remission of a sentence issued by a court of law.

According to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día, both commutations and pardons can be granted by the President or ruler of a country.

Obama also announced the commutation of another 208 sentences, including that of Chelsea (Bradley) Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst. Manning was convicted in 2010 of leaking thousands of documents related to U.S. military and diplomatic activities around the world, via WikiLeaks.

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End of “wet-foot/dry foot” policy

The end of the so-called “wet-foot/dry foot” policy

Obama announces an end to preferential treatment of Cuban migrants

This January 12, the White House issued a statement on the ending of the so-called “wet-foot/dry foot” policy and the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program
Author: Granma International news staff | informacion@granma.cu
january 12, 2017 20:01:37

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Photo: Jorge Luis González
This January 12, theWhite House published a statement by outgoing U.S President Barack Obama on the ending of the so-called “wet-foot/dry foot” policy and the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program, both of which offer preferential treatment to Cuban migrants, encouraging unsafe and disorderly migration.
The statement reads as follows:
Statement by the President on Cuban Immigration Policy
Today, the United States is taking important steps forward to normalize relations with Cuba and to bring greater consistency to our immigration policy. The Department of Homeland Security is ending the so-called “wet-foot/dry foot” policy, which was put in place more than twenty years ago and was designed for a different era. Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with U.S. law and enforcement priorities. By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries. The Cuban government has agreed to accept the return of Cuban nationals who have been ordered removed, just as it has been accepting the return of migrants interdicted at sea.
Today, the Department of Homeland Security is also ending the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program. The United States and Cuba are working together to combat diseases that endanger the health and lives of our people. By providing preferential treatment to Cuban medical personnel, the medical parole program contradicts those efforts, and risks harming the Cuban people. Cuban medical personnel will now be eligible to apply for asylum at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, consistent with the procedures for all foreign nationals.
The United States, a land of immigrants, has been enriched by the contributions of Cuban-Americans for more than a century. Since I took office, we have put the Cuban-American community at the center of our policies. With this change we will continue to welcome Cubans as we welcome immigrants from other nations, consistent with our laws. During my Administration, we worked to improve the lives of the Cuban people – inside of Cuba – by providing them with greater access to resources, information and connectivity to the wider world. Sustaining that approach is the best way to ensure that Cubans can enjoy prosperity, pursue reforms, and determine their own destiny. As I said in Havana, the future of Cuba should be in the hands of the Cuban people.

Cuba and US Normalization

Cuba and US the normalization of their migration relations

Joint Statement between the governments of Cuba and the United States

This January 12, the governments of the Republic of Cuba and the United States of America agreed to take a major step toward the normalization of their migration relations, in order to ensure a regular, safe and orderly migration

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Author: Granma | internet@granma.cu
january 13, 2017 10:01:46

MOTIVATED by an interest in the normalization of bilateral relations consistent with the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, including those related to the sovereign equality of States, settlement of international disputes by peaceful means, respect for the territorial integrity and political independence of States, respect for equal rights and self-determination of peoples, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, and promotion and encouragement of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all;
ENCOURAGED by the re-establishment of diplomatic relations on July 20, 2015 based on mutual respect and the political will to strengthen bilateral relations and establish new understandings in various areas of common interest;
AWARE of the necessity to facilitate regular migration to the benefit of both countries, and to discourage irregular migration;
COMMITTED to preventing irregular migration, impeding departures from the Republic of Cuba that risk loss of human life, combating acts of violence associated with irregular migration, such as trafficking in persons and alien smuggling; and beginning the regular return of Cuban nationals, as set forth in this Joint Statement.

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SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA

Solidarity with Cuba in 2017 and beyond ( ICAP )

 

Today, the movement is redefining its focus after a successful end to the long campaign to secure the release of the Cuban Five (Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, René González and Fernando González); an overwhelming victory for the island and its supporters

Author: Nuria Barbosa León | informacion@granma.cu
january 10, 2017 12:01:05

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Kenia Serrano Puig, President of ICAP noted that over 25,000 visited Cuba as part of solidarity brigades in 2016. Photo: Juvenal Balá

A year of intense work is how Kenia Serrano Puig, President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) described 2016, while speaking to the national press in Havana in honor of the institution’s 56th anniversary, and the lead up to the anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution,onJan.1

Also a deputy to the National Assembly, Kenia highlighted the multiple expressions of gratitude sent from around the world, praising Fidel Castro’s contribution to the struggle for just causes, and noted that actions in solidarity with Cuba undertaken at the end of the year were dedicated to the 90th birthday of the Comandante en Jefe, who founded ICAP and promoted efforts to help other Third World nations.
”Various tributes took place, expositions were organized, friends found different ways of reproducing Fidel through various mediums, taking him to the tops of mountains. Encounters were held, anecdotes collected, all underscoring Cuba’s position with regard to its principles, the main architect of which is Fidel,” added Serrano Puig.

She noted that the Cuba Solidarity Movement is composed of 2,045 unique organizations in 152 countries, featuring members of diverse ages and represents a vanguard that has supported the Caribbean island for almost 60 years.
Exemplifying this support are the over 25,000 visitors affiliated with different solidarity projects, from around 60 countries who visited Cuba over the last 12 months, Serrano noted.
Today, the movement is redefining its focus after a successful end to the long campaign to secure the release of the Cuban Five (Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, René González and Fernando González); an overwhelming victory for the island and its supporters. The Cuba Solidarity movement is now looking to strengthen unity among its ranks in order to create a united front against attacks by right wing political forces in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and the United States

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