The Wellington-Cuba Friendship Association demanded on Monday the immediate release of five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters unfairly imprisoned in the United States since 1998 for trying to thwart terrorist actions against the island.

The demand is included in a release issued in this capital after concluding the re-sentence process against three of the five prisoners at a Florida court.

Rene Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Ramon Labañino were sentenced in a rigged trial in Miami to harsh sentence since 2001 by a Miami judge, in a politicized trial full of irregularities.

The defense team's challenging and international pressure obliged US top legal authorities to reconsider condemnations against three of the Five, as they are universally known.

As a result of the trial, the Florida court decided two weeks ago reduce Labañino's sentence of life term plus 18 years to 30 years, and that of Fernando of 19 years to 17 years and nine months.

The same court decided to change in October Antonio Guerrero's sentence of life imprisonment plus ten years to 22 years.

Gerardo Hernandez, sentenced to two life terms plus 15 years, and Rene Gonzalez, condemned to 15 years, were excluded from the re-sentence process.

After rejecting the reduction of those sentences for insufficient, the Wellington-Cuba Friendship Association requested the immediate release of the Five.

The New Zealand organization also recalls that terrorist groups settled in Florida are responsible for the death of at least 3,478 Cubans, as a result of attacks against the Caribbean nation during the last 50 years.