WASHINGTON – U.S. officials marked the fourth year of incarceration of an American man being held captive in Cuba.
According to the State Department, development worker Alan Gross began a fifth year of unjustified imprisonment in Cuba this week. Cuban authorities arrested Mr. Gross on December 3, 2009, and later sentenced him to 15 years in prison for facilitating uncensored internet contact between a small, religious community on the island and the rest of the world. It is gravely disappointing, especially in light of its professed goal of providing Cubans with internet access, that the Cuban Government has not allowed Mr. Gross to return to his family, where he belongs. Mr. Gross is a 64-year-old husband, father, and dedicated professional with a long history of providing aid to underserved communities in more than 50 countries. We reiterate our call on the Cuban Government, echoing foreign leaders and even Cuba’s allies, to release Alan Gross immediately and unconditionally.
