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Cuba: Judges convict US aid worker Alan Gross

Mr Gross and his wife in Jerusalem Mr Gross's wife Judy has pleaded for his release on humanitarian grounds

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A US aid worker in Cuba, Alan Gross, has been found guilty of crimes against the state, Cuban television said.
Mr Gross, 61, was arrested in December 2009 accused of setting up illegal internet connections in Cuba under a programme funded by the US government.
Sentencing is not due to be announced for several days, but prosecutors have been seeking a 20-year jail term.
The US has warned that there can be no further easing of relations until he is released.
On Friday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again demanded his unconditional release.
"He's been unjustly jailed for far too long," Mrs Clinton said.
Additional blows Mr Gross was in Cuba working as a contractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on a programme aimed at promoting democracy in Cuba.
His work involved distributing internet and satellite communications equipment to Jewish communities in Havana.

Biography: Alan Gross

  • Born in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Married to Judy Gross
  • Has two daughters; his elder daughter is being treated for breast cancer
  • Has a Masters in Social Work
  • Began his career in development working with Jewish groups
  • His family lives in Maryland, just outside Washington DC
  • Has been detained in Cuba since December 2009
Such activity is outlawed and considered subversive by Cuba's communist authorities.
The trial in Havana lasted two days.
Mr Gross was found guilty of acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the state.
He can appeal against the sentence in Cuba's highest court.
Mr Gross was said to have looked gaunt in court on Saturday - his wife says he has lost 90lb (41 kg) in jail.
Judy Gross has pleaded with the Cuban government for her husband's release on humanitarian grounds.
Her 6ft (1.83m) American husband suffers from gout, ulcers and has developed arthritis in prison.
His family has suffered additional blows.
Mr Gross's 26-year-old daughter found out she had breast cancer after his arrest, and underwent a double mastectomy in February. That same month, his 88-year-old mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Mrs Gross has been allowed to visit her husband in prison once, amid protests from the Castro government that the families of five Cuban spies detained in the US for over a decade have not been extended the same courtesy.
Mr Gross had worked on development projects in places including the Palestinian territories, Kenya and Gambia. More recently, he helped US agencies and companies with satellite internet access in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But he had limited experience in Cuba and may have caught the attention of authorities after travelling there five times in nine months.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12657855
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