From Shasta Darlington, CNN
Alan Gross spent over a year in custody before Cuban authorities charged him with acts against the country’s independence.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Cuba says Alan Gross imported illegal satellite equipment
- He is charged with acts against Cuba’s independence
- The U.S. says Gross was helping the Jewish community improve communications
- He could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty
Havana, Cuba (CNN) — American aid worker Alan Gross is set to go on trial in Cuba on Friday in a case that plunged bilateral relations to a new low.
Cuba says Gross — a subcontractor for USAID — imported illegal satellite equipment to connect dissidents to the internet.
The United States says he was helping the Jewish community improve communications.
Gross was held for more than a year before Cuban authorities formally charged him with acts against the country’s independence last month.
He could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
His wife, Judy, appealed to Cuba to release him on humanitarian grounds. His mother has been diagnosed with lung cancer and one of his daughters is battling breast cancer.
“Alan is an incredibly loving father. We’ve been married 40 years. His daughters miss him terribly,” she said in a video released shortly after his arrest.
In a December 2009 speech, Cuban President Raul Castro said Gross was illegally distributing “satellite communications equipment” to dissidents.
“The U.S. government has not renounced its goal of destroying the revolution,” he said. “The enemy is as active as always. Proof of that is the detention, in the last few days, of an American citizen.”
The arrest put relations between the United States and Cuba back in the deep freeze despite initial signs of a thaw under President Barack Obama.
U.S. officials sharply criticized the charges against Gross after they were announced in February.
“We deplore the Cuban government’s announcement that Cuban prosecutors intend to seek a 20-year sentence for Mr. Gross,” said Gloria Berbena, public affairs officer for the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana.
The White House also chimed in, claiming that Gross “has been unjustly detained and deprived of his liberty.”
“Instead of releasing Mr. Gross, so he can come home to his wife and family, today’s decision by Cuban authorities compounds the injustice suffered by a man helping to increase the free flow of information to, from and among people,” then-White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.
The U.S. Interests Section in Havana and Cuban state-run media have said his trial will begin Friday.
U.S. officials and Gross’ family will be allowed to attend the proceedings.
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