There is a long list of U.S. state-sponsored and CIA-led terrorist acts against Cuba. This is a big time for celebration in Cuba. Three of the five men known in Cuba as heroes fighting United States terrorism were released from prison and returned to their families. To understand the true significance of their release means exploring the history of U.S.-backed terrorism against Cuba, a history widely unknown within the United States.

President Obama and mainstream media have not only failed to mention this history, but have perpetuated the narrative of the Cuban five as spies, a necessary narrative for undermining the five men’s work in combatting U.S.-sponsored terrorism both in Cuba and within the U.S. This narrative frames Cuba as responsible for the 50-plus years of failed relations between the island and the U.S., serving to justify the United States’ aggressive and inhumane policies against Cuba (e.g. the economic blockade).