Freed Cuban spy seeks return for father's death

[Judi Lynn]

Freed Cuban spy seeks return for father's death
Updated 10:02 am, Monday, April 8, 2013

MIAMI (AP) — A convicted Cuban spy still serving probation in the U.S. is asking a federal judge to allow him to return to Cuba temporarily for his father's memorial service.

Rene Gonzalez says in court papers that his 82-year-old father Candido Gonzalez died April 1 following a stroke. Gonzalez is asking for permission to attend a family memorial service in Havana.

Gonzalez is one of the so-called Cuban Five convicted of spying on Cuban exiles in Florida and attempting to infiltrate military installations and political campaigns. They are celebrated as heroes in Cuba.

Gonzalez completed a 13-year prison term in October 2011 but is still on three years' probation. He has visited Cuba one time since.

More:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/article/Freed-Cuban-spy-seeks-return-for-father-s-death-4417754.php

[Judi Lynn]

1. AP sources: U.S. offered Cuba swap for American (Earlier article)

[center]

Rene Gonzalez, with daughter, Ivette, and father



Rene Gonzalez, with daughter, Irma[/center]
Previous article:

AP sources: U.S. offered Cuba swap for American
Updated 10-14-2011 2:22 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States offered to let a convicted Cuban spy return home in exchange for the release of an imprisoned American, but Cuba rebuffed the offer, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. also indicated it would be willing to address other Cuban grievances after Havana had released imprisoned contractor Alan Gross, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the sensitivity of the issue.

Cuba rejected the offer, noting that the Cuban, Rene Gonzalez, already had served most of his sentence. It wanted pardons for at least some of the four other Cubans convicted with Gonzalez. U.S. officials said they would not consider pardons.

The December 2009 arrest of Gross, a Maryland native, has aggravated relations between the United States and Cuba just as the Obama administration was making tentative movements to ease decades of tension.

More:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2011-10-14/cuba-imprisoned-american-swap/50767012/1

[Bacchus4.0]

2. interesting, I didn't know that the US had made that offer

or that Rene Gonzalez was a US citizen. Cuba's rejection just further proof that its all political with them.