The United States called on Havana to release American Alan Gross Monday, as the State Department contractor marked his third year in a Cuban prison for distributing laptops and satellite phones.
Gross, 63, was arrested on December 3, 2009 and later sentenced to 15 years “for simply facilitating communications between Cuba’s Jewish community and the rest of the world,” said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.
Cuba “should release Alan Gross and return him to his family, where he belongs,” said Toner, decrying Gross’s “unjustified imprisonment.”
Washington wants Cuba to at least allow Gross to travel to the United States to visit his 90-year-old mother, Evelyn Gross, “who is gravely ill. This is a humanitarian issue,” Toner said.
Toner also said that Gross has lost more than 100 pounds since his arrest, and suffers “from severe degenerative arthritis that affects his mobility, and other health problems.”
Cuba said Wednesday that Gross is in “normal” health, and medical tests show he does not have cancer as his family feared. The weight loss was due to voluntary exercise and a balanced diet that “has allowed him to get rid of his formerly obese condition,” the Cuban report said.
Washington and Gross’s wife Judith, however, want a doctor of their choosing to examine the prisoner.
President Barack Obama “has followed Mr. Gross’s case with concern, and he urges Mr Gross’s release,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney.
“We continue to press the Cuban government to release him,” said Carney. “This is a humanitarian issue.”
Judith Gross has been critical of Washington’s efforts to win her husband’s release, calling it “totally negligent” in a phone interview Sunday with AFP.
At the same time, she said, “I’m very angry at the Cubans for arresting him and sending him to jail. It’s all about teaching the United States a lesson.”
Washington and Havana, former Cold War foes, have been at odds for over half a century and lack full diplomatic relations.
Cuba has made it clear that it is ready to negotiate Gross’s release in exchange for the release of five captured Cuban spies held in the United States.
The Cubans were arrested in 1998 and found guilty in 2001 of trying to infiltrate US military installations in South Florida. They received prison terms ranging from 15 years to life.
Cuba has acknowledged that the five were intelligence agents, but says they were gathering information on “terrorist” plots by Cuban expatriates in Florida — not spying on the US government.
Tired of complaints falling on deaf ears, Judith and her husband recently filed lawsuits against the US government and Gross’s employer for $60 million, claiming they failed to prepare him for the dangers of work in Cuba and did not protect him.
Washington renews call for Cuba to release US prisoner
