20 March 2003
U.S. Arrests Alleged Hijackers of Cuban Plane in Florida
(Accused face possible U.S. federal hijacking charges) (470)
Washington -- Six accused hijackers of a Cuban airliner that landed in
the United States have been arrested and are being held in a county
jail in Key West, Florida, says the U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI).
FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said March 20 from the agency's field
office in Miami that the FBI planned to meet with the U.S. Attorney's
Office to decide what charges to press against the alleged hijackers.
Orihuela said the six people could be prosecuted on federal hijacking
charges, meaning they could face prison sentences.
The Cuban plane, carrying 37 people, landed safely in Key West March
19 under the escort of U.S. fighter jets. The flight, originating from
Cuba's Isle of Youth with Havana as its destination, had been diverted
north toward Florida when it was spotted by U.S. air-traffic
controllers in Miami and escorted to a runway at Key West
International Airport. It was met on the runway by law enforcement
authorities from the U.S. government. The six crew members and 25
passengers on the plane were taken to a Miami-Dade County detention
center.
Orihuela said the accused Cuban hijackers surrendered peacefully to
U.S. authorities. It was not immediately known whether the alleged
hijackers had wanted to defect to the United States.
The hijacking follows U.S. condemnation of the Cuban government's
arrest March 18 of dozens of opposition leaders. The State Department
said the following day that the arrests were an "appalling act of
intimidation against those who seek freedom and democratic change in
Cuba." The Department called on the Cuban government to immediately
release the arrested opposition members and urged the international
community to join the United States in demanding their release.
Meanwhile, a human rights officer for the Organization of American
States (OAS) has condemned the detention of journalists in Cuba.
In a March 20 statement, Eduardo Bertoni said the detention of more
than 10 independent journalists March 18 and 19 in Havana violates
Article IV of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of
Man, which asserts that "every person has the right to freedom of
investigation, of opinion, and of the expression and dissemination of
ideas, by any medium whatsoever."
Bertoni, whose title is Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression,
urged the Cuban government to change its position regarding the
independent press and to allow "all inhabitants the right to freedom
of expression and information."
Bertoni reported that Cuban authorities accused the journalists of
carrying out "subversive activities." He said that police personnel
forcefully entered the journalists' homes, where they conducted
searches and confiscated such materials as books, a portable computer,
printer, and a fax machine.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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