South African priest Michael Lapsley has requested the release of the five Cuban antiterrorist fighters unfairly held in prison at the U.S., in a letter sent President Barack Obama.

In his letter, released in this capital today, Lapsley appealed to justice for the release of the five men who arrived in the U.S. in the 1990's to monitor the actions planned by terrorist groups in South Florida against Cuba .

The priest reiterated that Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, and Fernando Gonzalez are serving long sentences at U.S. prisons.

Rene Gonzalez, who already served his sentence in October 2011, is also forced to stay in the U.S. territory for another 3 years in supervised release.

In the letter, circulated by the International Committee the Release of the Five, Lapsley slammed the Washington government's refusal to grant humanitarian visas to Adriana Perez, and Olga Salanueva, wives of Gerardo Hernandez, and Rene Gonzalez, respectively, to visit them.

The South African priest said that he personally feels great love and affinity for the five Cubans because he is also a victim of terrorism due to a bomb letter that destroyed his hands, among other injuries, during the last days of the apartheid in 1990.

He recalled that Cuba always supported the South African people against the apartheid regime, and he decided to pay off his country's debt with Cuba visiting one of the Cuban five, Geralso Hernandez, who is serving two life sentences.