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RECAP/ J.FRANK
REUTERS quickly retracted its breaking news report late yesterday that Cuban television revealed U.S. contractor Alan Gross... was found guilty.
Oops! Poor translation, perhaps! Or more probably... Cuba's noticiero incompetente.
Anyway, at deadline - my dinnertime - this blog got burned!
The 3 hours daily it takes to read hundreds of RSS, write headlines and edit this blog... was up-- and I was hungry.
My apologies for misleading any readers.
Yet, after a closed 2-day trial, Gross, still stands accused of illegally supplying Internet gear to dissidents and awaiting the verdict of crimes against Cuba. It may come in a few days.
Normally, for domestic crimes in Cuba, the verdict is immediate.
But this is a high profile trial followed by the world and involves its important, powerful neighbor and "tormentor."
Gross, 61, was arrested in December 2009 for running a program promoting democracy in Cuba funded by the US government. Such activity is outlawed and considered subversive.
If convicted, he can still appeal his sentence to Cuba's highest court.
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Some Habanistas (Cuba watchers) speculate that the Castros may try to barter Gross' freedom for one or more of the infamous 5 spies languishing in U.S. jails (pictured below).
