U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
December 3, 2010
STATEMENT BY PHILLIP J. CROWLEY, SPOKESMAN
One Year Continued Incarceration of Alan Gross
Today marks one year since Cuban authorities detained Alan Gross. Mr.
Gross is an international development worker who traveled to Cuba to
help connect members of the Jewish community in Havana with other Jewish
communities throughout the world. We have repeatedly called on the
Government of Cuba to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Gross,
who has been held all this time without charges.
Leaders and human rights organizations from the United States and other
countries have appealed to the Government of Cuba to release Mr. Gross
on humanitarian grounds, but to no avail. In June, Secretary Clinton met
with Mrs. Gross and family to express her sympathy and concern for Mr.
Gross' arrest and detention and stated publicly that the United States
would view favorably the release of Alan Gross so that he can return to
his family.
It is long overdue for Cuban authorities to release Mr. Gross. He has
languished in a Cuban jail for a full year and the Cuban Government has
yet to explain reasons for his detention or file charges. His arrest and
continued detention without charge violate international standards of
due process and judicial procedure. Mr. Gross is a husband, a father,
and a dedicated professional with a long history of development
assistance and support to communities in more than 50 countries. We are
deeply concerned about his welfare, as well as that of his family
members who are eager for his return.
Officials of the Department of State often meet with members of the
Gross family to discuss Mr. Gross' continued incarceration and to
express our concern for the family's plight. We will continue to use
every available channel to urge the Cuban Government to put an end to
Mr. Gross' long and unjustifiable ordeal. We have made it very clear to
the Cuban Government that the continued detention of Alan Gross is a
major impediment to advancing the dialogue between our two countries.
http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2010/December/20101203130423su0.9582287.html?CP.rss=true
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