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Alan Gross

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Alan Phillip Gross is an American social worker and international development professional.[1] In 2011 he was detained and prosecuted while in Cuba, where the state currently claims that he was acting on behalf of the US government as part of a destabilization campaign to "topple" the Cuban Revolution. The official story in the US, as reported by the Miami Herald, is that Gross was only on the island to provide "unfiltered" internet access to the Cuban Jewish community (as Cuban internet access is currently filtered for all island civilians), though it has also been reported that prominent members of the Jewish community of Cuba, when asked to testify at his trial, claimed to not know Gross[2].

He was born circa 1950. He went to the University of Maryland and Virginia Commonwealth University to study social work.[3] In 2001 he founded Joint Business Development Center to help connect the developing world to the Internet.[3] By 2011, he had 25 years of experience as an international humanitarian worker. He has a wife and two daughters.[1]

Around 2009, he made several trips to Cuba to help the Jewish community there connect to the Internet.[1] He was working for Development Alternatives Inc. a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development.[4][1]

He was arrested December 4, 2009 at the Havana Airport.[4][1] He was jailed at Villa Marista prison.[4] In January 2010, Ricardo Alarcón of the Cuban National Assembly claimed Gross was "work[ing] for intelligence services".[1] US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said his treatment was an attempt by Cuba to get a 'concession'.[3]

Many Jewish groups, including the Conference of Presidents of Major North American Organizations and the American Jewish Committee, protested his treatment.[5]

In March 2011 his trial was held.[6] He was charged with "Acts against the Independence and Territorial Integrity of the State" ("Actos Contra la Independencia o la Integridad Territorial del Estado").[7][6] On March 12, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.[4][8] The Cuban News Agency said he had been part of a "subversive project of the U.S. government that aimed to destroy the Revolution through the use of communication systems out of the control of authorities".[8] Gross’s case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Cuba which affirmed the sentence in August, 2011.[9]

The US Government, including Secretary of State Clinton, denounced the ruling.[4]

His US attorney is Peter J. Kahn. He also has a Cuban attorney.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Detainee was helping Cuban Jewish groups involved in U.S. democracy project, Mary Beth Sheridan and William Booth, with Julie Tate, Michelle Boorstein and Laura Blumenfeld. 2010 01 13, retrieved from www.washingtonpost.com on 2011 03 14
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ a b c Contractor Jailed in Cuba Was Aiding Religious Groups, U.S. Says, GINGER THOMPSON and MARC LACEY, 2010 1 12, retrieved 2011 3 14
  4. ^ a b c d e f U.S. contractor sentenced to 15 years in Cuban prison , CNN Wire Staff, retrieved from articles.cnn.com on 2011 03 14
  5. ^ Cuba sentence for Jewish aid worker draws US ire By GIL SHEFLER AND REUTERS, Jerusalem Post, 2011 3 13, retrieved from www.jpost.com on 2011 03 15
  6. ^ a b Trial for American jailed in Cuba set for March 4, Shasta Darlington, 2011 2 24, CNN.com, retrieved 2011 3 14
  7. ^ Cuban Authorities Set Date For Trial Of U.S. Contractor Alan Gross. 2011 2 25, retrieved 2011 3 14. Reference used only for spanish translation of the name of the charge against Gross. This article cites Nota informativa, Granma, Havana, 2011.2.5, Cuban Government, retrieved 2011 3 14, which also contains the Spanish name of the charge against Gross.
  8. ^ a b Cuba Sentences U.S. Contractor - WSJ, Nicholas Casey, 2011 3 12, retrieved from online.wsj.com on 2011 03 15
  9. ^ "Cuba upholds US contractor Alan Gross sentence". BBC. August 5, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
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