Rene Gonzalez, one of the five Cuban antiterrorist fighters unjustly held in the United States, sent a message of condolences and solidarity with those close to the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez.

Our fear of losing this great Bolivarian has not tempered the grief we feel at his loss. We always carried the hope that with his indomitable spirit he would return to us to say firmly, "por ahora" [for now] and that later, rising above his wounded body, the soldier would become whole in order to continue guiding an entire continent toward a just future, Gonzalez said in the text released here.

On behalf of his fellow countrymen Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez, Rene conveyed a hug to the loved ones of the Bolivarian leader, and the Venezuelan people.

In the manly tears that accompany these words my commitment pour to justice that our brother Hugo Chavez sought; commitment that will not cease as long as I have a breath of life (or) commitment I know multiplied by five, the antiterrorist fighter said.

Rene and his companions were detained in 1998, for monitoring Miami-based violent groups that organized and executed actions against Cuba like those which have left over 3,400 victims.

The antiterrorist fighter completed his prison term in October 2011, but was forced to stay three years in the United States under supervised release. Jurists and human rights organizations consider it an additional punishment.