Cuba denounces acquittal of airline bomber

The Cuban government has denounced the acquittal of the alleged bomber of a Cuban airliner off Barbados in 1976.

A 12-member jury in a US federal district court in Texas on Friday acquitted Luis Posada Carriles, an ex-CIA operative, of all eleven charges related to his alleged role in bombings in Cuba in 1997 and about how he sneaked into the United States in 2005.

The bombing of the Cuban airliner off Barbados killed 73 people.

Cuban Parliament Chief Ricardo Alarcon denounced as a “shameful farce” the three-month trial that exonerated Posada.

“The stupid and shameful farce is over.There were things the jury did not know, particularly since the judge prohibited them from being told,” Alarcon said.

The Venezuelan government of Hugo Chavez also denounced the verdict, describing the trial as “theater” staged by Washington “to continue protecting the terrorist.”

Venezuela claims that Posada was the mastermind behind the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner off Barbados. 

A Venezuela foreign ministry statement said it will on Monday summon the top US diplomat in Caracas in reiterating its request for Posada’s extradition. 

Over the years, Cuba and Venezuela have sought Posada’s extradition to face murder charges, but a US immigration judge has denied their request, stating that he would be tortured if sent back. 

[Source:CARICOM News Network]