Havana, October 7 (RHC)– Thousands of Cubans participated this Sunday in a pilgrimage in Havana to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the event known as the Barbados crime, when counterrevolutionaries encouraged by the United States (U.S.) government blew up a commercial plane of the largest of the Antilles in mid-flight, near the coasts of the Caribbean island, and caused the death of its 73 travelers.

The pilgrimage took place at the Colon Cemetery in Havana.  It was attended by representatives of Cuban political and social organizations, relatives of the victims of the attack and diplomats from Caribbean nations.

Cuban sportswoman Yarisleidis Cirilo, a multiple Olympic and world champion in canoeing, recalled details of the episode, considered one of the most brutal expressions of State terrorism promoted by the White House against revolutionary Cuba.

Cirilo stressed that the entire world recognizes the role played by Cuba in confronting terrorism and emphasized that the Caribbean nation does not give in to U.S. aggressions against its territorial integrity.

Also  in the Barbadian capital, Bridgetown, the official ceremony to commemorate the events of October 6, 1976 took place Sunday morning.  Government personalities, members of the diplomatic corps, members of the Cuba-Barbados Friendship Association and others gathered in front of the monument erected to remember the victims of the crime. The second anniversary of the Caricom-Cuba Day against Terrorism was also commemorated.

The Cuban ambassador in Bridgetown, Yanet Stable Cárdenas, said that the hatred, intolerance and fanaticism that fueled that act are still rampant and are embodied in the genocide perpetrated by Isral against nations in the Middle East.

Stable Cárdenas also denounced the threats to the Cuban Revolution, the acts of aggression under the economic, commercial and financial blockade against the largest of the Antilles and the inclusion of Cuba, without arguments or evidence, in the list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.

The Consul General of Guyana in Barbados, Geneva Ross-Tyndall, the Deputy Secretary General of Caricom, Wayne McCookel and the Ambassador of Barbados to this organization, David Comissiong, also took part in the event.

They called for an end to the blockade against Cuba and the exclusion of the Caribbean nation from the list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.

Freddy Lugo and Hernán Ricardo Lozano carried out the attack – in which 57 Cubans, 11 Guyanese and five North Koreans died – after placing two explosive devices in the cockpit of the Cuban plane, which was flying between Barbados and Havana.

The terrorist attack was planned by Cuban counterrevolutionaries Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch Avila. Both died in the U.S. without being prosecuted for the crime by the U.S. justice system, despite abundant evidence.

Oct 7 (Radio Havana Cuba) Forty-eight years after the crime in Barbados, when a Cubana de Aviación plane was blown up by a sabotage bombing  that killed all 73 people on board, Cuba reiterates its firm rejection of all acts of terrorism, a stance it has maintained in all international forums.

The painful events in Barbados are a reminder of the havoc that this scourge has wreaked on the nation. That barbaric act still goes unpunished today. Cuba does not forget and demands justice for the victims and their families, who continue to wait for answers.

It is paradoxical that, while the United States keeps Cuba on its unjust list of countries that support terrorism, it was precisely that country that offered refuge to those responsible for that crime. Luis Posada Carriles, one of the main perpetrators, lived in freedom until his death in U.S. territory, without facing the consequences of his actions.

This fact shows the double standards of the United States in its supposed fight against terrorism and demonstrates the close links of these terrorists with the hate industry based in Miami, where figures such as Posada Carriles are presented as heroes.

Cuba, on the contrary, has been a constant victim of terrorist acts orchestrated from abroad, which gives it full legitimacy to vehemently condemn any form of terrorism.

The country has maintained a firm commitment to solidarity, peace and international collaboration, values that it defends in all global scenarios and which are the pillar of its foreign policy.

On this anniversary of the events in Barbados, this unwavering commitment to justice and the right of peoples to live in peace is ratified. The fight against terrorism will only be effective if manipulation and double talk are eliminated, and if true international justice prevails.

Radio Habana Cuba Translation Staff

Havana, October 5 (RHC)– Bolivian activists assured that at the National Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba that begins this Saturday in Valle Grande, department of Santa Cruz, they will demand an end to the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade of the Caribbean nation.

“Under the thought and light of Commander Ernesto Che Guevara, in one voice, we will declare: enough to the criminal blockade against the Cuban people,” said the president of the Bolivian Movement of Solidarity with Cuba-La Paz, Alidson Gómez.

An ophthalmology specialist graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, Gómez told Prensa Latina news agency that another important demand of that forum will be the elimination of Cuba’s name from the list drawn up unilaterally by Washington of alleged countries sponsoring terrorism.

“The whole world recognizes that the Cuban Revolution only sends solidarity, health and life to the world,” he emphasized.

Referring to the meeting that will be closed on Sunday, the activist said that it will be attended by dozens of delegates from all departments, in whom there are many expectations to present their ideas in the debates.

“We are sure that this meeting will be a space for reflection where solidarity towards the courageous people of Cuba will prevail, and in which we will ratify our ideals of revolutionaries of heart and conviction”, concluded Gómez. (Source: Prensa Latina)