{"id":289179,"date":"2011-03-04T12:21:15","date_gmt":"2011-03-04T12:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/03\/04\/us-aid-worker-in-cuba-spy-trial\/"},"modified":"2011-03-04T12:21:15","modified_gmt":"2011-03-04T12:21:15","slug":"us-aid-worker-in-cuba-spy-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/03\/04\/us-aid-worker-in-cuba-spy-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"US aid worker in Cuba ‘spy’ trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n 4 March 2011<\/span>
\nLast updated at <\/span>07:21 ET<\/span>
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An American aid contractor accused of subversive activities in Cuba will go on trial in Havana on Friday, possibly prompting a setback in US-Cuba relations. <\/p>\n

The charges against Alan Gross, 61, involve illegal distribution of imported satellite communications equipment on the communist island. <\/p>\n

Mr Gross has been imprisoned for 15 months and is reported to be ill.<\/p>\n

A three-judge panel will hear the case. It is only expected to last one day. <\/p>\n

Mr Gross, a longtime development worker with experience in numerous countries, was arrested in late 2009 while working for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). <\/p>\n

His project involved distributing mobile phones and laptops, and helping improve internet access for Jewish Cubans, reportedly so they could communicate with other Jewish communities around the world. <\/p>\n

Frosty relations<\/span><\/p>\n

Early this year, Mr Gross, who had been travelling on a tourist visa, was charged with “acts against the integrity and independence” of Cuba. <\/p>\n

A White House spokesman condemned the charges, saying that they had “compounded an injustice suffered by a man helping to increase the free flow of information to, from, and among the Cuban people”.<\/p>\n

The USAID project aims to foster political change in Cuba, and Cuban authorities view it as an extension of a decades-long attempt to undermine the Castro government. <\/p>\n

Mr Gross’s trial comes at a time when the tense US-Cuba relationship appeared to be slowly thawing. <\/p>\n

US President Barack Obama softened trade sanctions, but some Cubans have dismissed that as a singular, modest step rather than a serious effort to repair relations.<\/p>\n

If Mr Gross is convicted and receives the maximum sentence – 20 years – relations between the US and Cuba are likely to deteriorate further. But some Cuba experts predict that a deal for his release may have already been struck behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

Family struggles<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Gross’s wife, Judy, has pleaded with the Cuban government for her husband’s release on humanitarian grounds.<\/p>\n

The 6ft (1.83m) American suffers from gout, ulcers and has developed arthritis in prison.<\/p>\n

\n\tContinue reading the main story<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

Biography: Alan Gross<\/h2>\n

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