Court rules González can come to UK

An historic ruling by the Court of Appeal has opened the door for Rene González to visit Britain despite twice being denied a visa last year by the Home Office.

Gonzalez’s second invitation to visit Britain was issued by MPs in July 2014 in order to discuss the case of the Miami Five – a group of Cubans who suffered years of imprisonment are being falsely accused by the US government.

After the government denied him a visa a group of 28 MPs — including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell — appealed the decision by writing to judges, stating that the Home Office was violating the European Convention on Human Rights.

Breach of freedom

In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeal ruled this a breach of the freedom to receive and impart information under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The judges also refused to let the Home Office appeal against their decision at the Supreme Court.

Rob Miller, director of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign welcomed the news saying: “This is a great victory for all those who campaigned for freedom and justice for the Miami Five.

Welcome heroes

“We hope that this decision means we can now look forward to welcoming Mr González, the other four heroes — Gerardo Hernández, Ramon Labañino, Fernando González and Antonio Guerrero — and their families in Britain as soon as possible.”

Steve Turner, Unite Assistant General Secretary said: “This is a great victory for the legislature against an overbearing executive, led by Cameron and May.

No threat

“René González represents no threat to national security, as claimed by the Government. René is an example of a trade unionist who fell foul of a powerful government and as a result lost his freedom and missed out on his family life.

“It was right that we stood by René just as our union brothers and sisters around the globe stand up for UK workers in need. This case is completely different from invitations issued to racists and neo-fascists who clearly are a threat to public order.

Political game

“The political game-playing by the government who have tried to paint a decent man as a security threat has been appalling.”

 Responding to the decision Dave Anderson MP said: “This is great news. RenĂ© and his comrades have been treated disgracefully for far too long and, even now, it’s sad to see that some still can’t see the wood for the trees and still look to hand out some sort of retribution. Well done to all concerned in this victory.”

Mark Durkan MP, also named in the appeal said: “International democratic support was part of The Miami Five’s fight for their freedom. Having won release, it was a ridiculous travesty for RenĂ© González to then be denied freedom of entry here and freedom of expression to parliamentarians.”

The Cuba Solidarity Campaign is grateful to Barrister Mark McDonald at Mansfield Chambers and all the legal teams for their work and support on this case.