Attorneys for five Cubans imprisoned in the United States on espionage charges will make a final appeal to the Supreme Court this week, seeking their release, but they have not ruled out ''political negotiations'' in the case.
The appeal of the spies, known as the ''Cuban Five,'' follows recent statements by Cuban leader Raul Castro that he would be willing to free dissidents and political prisoners in Cuba in exchange for the release of the five.
Paul McKenna, attorney for Gerardo Hernandez, a Cuban agent sentenced to two consecutive life terms, believes the exchange proposal should not be dismissed.
''I'm not a politician nor do I want to get involved in political affairs, but it would be naive to say [the exchange] is not a possible option,'' McKenna said. "It wouldn't be the first time that prisoner exchanges have occurred. There are precedents during the Cold War era.''
Already, three of the imprisoned spies, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labanino and Fernando Gonzalez, may receive a new sentence from the Miami court, according to a ruling last June by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The other convicted spies are Hernandez and Luis Medina.
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