Judicial Watch - Because no one is above the law!

This month's Interview
Excerpts from an Interview with Jose Basulto, Founder, Brothers to the Rescue...

In 1996, Jose Basulto, the greatest of all Cuban patriots and a Judicial Watch client, was flying over the Florida straits saving people who were fleeing the hell of Fidel Castro's Cuba. Four Brothers to the Rescue pilots were murdered by the Cuban Air Force, shot down per the orders of Fidel Castro. Castro boasted about taking credit for it and, in addition, there was a trial in Miami last year where two Cuban agents were convicted of murder with regard to this plot. Judicial Watch is taking action against Castro himself because the government won't. We have brought a criminal action in Brussels, Belgium asking for Castro's indictment. That is now in front of an investigative judge, and Castro has had to hire a high-priced criminal lawyer to defend him. Judicial Watch has also filed, on behalf of Jose Basulto, a lawsuit under the anti-terrorism act against Fidel Castro for having assaulted and inflicted intentional emotional distress on Mr. Basulto. Judicial Watch hopes the Bush Administration will follow our lead and seek justice against the terrorist Fidel Castro.

Tom Fitton: We would like to now welcome our client, our friend, an American hero, a Cuban hero, Brothers to the Rescue President, Jose Basulto on the show to talk about his efforts to hold Castro accountable for his crimes against humanity. Jose, welcome back to the JW Report.

Jose Basulto: Hi, Tom and Hi, Larry. I'm very pleased to be with you on your program today and, of course, I'm very grateful to Judicial Watch for the effort they put together for us and the fact that we have the case in Belgium and we're going to go next Monday (May 20) on this new legal venture against the Government of Cuba. I think it signifies that the best we can do, aside from the U.S. Government taking action and doing what they should have done a long time ago which is indict Fidel Castro for murder.

Larry Klayman: Jose, give the listeners some insight into your background, because it's very interesting. You just didn't, all of a sudden, become a freedom fighter, but you've been fighting all your life, nearly all your adult life against Fidel Castro, so if you can tell them your background and then tell them a little bit about Fidel Castro, what he's really like, because that does not come across, particularly from people like Jimmy Carter.

Basulto: The Government of Cuba has put out a tremendous amount of public relations trying to erase the image, the real image of Castro all over the world. They spend their money and fortune the only way that they have in just trying to preserve the system in place and part of it is white-washing Castro and they can get the help from just about anybody, as they did from Jimmy Carter. Ever since Castro took power in 1959, I’ve been working to bring an end to his dictatorial, totalitarian regime to say it more precisely. In fact, I’ve dedicated my life to this.

Fitton: What were you doing when your colleagues were murdered by Castro and you were almost killed yourself?

Basulto: We were on a humanitarian mission, flying the straits of Florida, in the same area where we have close to 2,000 times before, looking for refugees to save their lives. People in rafts trying to find freedom in the United States. In doing so, we saved over 4,200 human beings which we found in innertubes and, and you name it, floating in the straits of Florida. But that date, 24th of February 1996, Castro sent his MIGS to shoot down the Brothers to the Rescue mission. They knew I was there because there was a spy that reported to the Castro government that I was aboard the mission and I was the main target. For some, you know, for God's reasons, I survived the attack. I was the target, and I was left with the responsibility to bring justice for those that didn't survive the attack. I'm only asking for a rule of law to take place and to ask the President of the United States to indict Castro for murder, for terrorism. It was an act of terrorism. It was an ambush in international air space.

Fitton: Jose, let people understand why Castro is a threat to the rest of the country, not just to Cubans and to Cuban-Americans living in Miami, but why he threatens the entire United States.

Basulto: Very simply because after what happened on September 11th there is no such thing as a small threat. All it takes is a person with the intention and desire. This man is capable of anything, and he would do anything to damage the United States.

Klayman: And last year, he was in Iran and Libya, and I think he told Khadafi that his goal, along with Khadafi and others was to bring the United States to its knees. Is that correct?

Basulto: That is correct. And that's the billboard that we're beginning to publish in the United States which shows Castro saying that he's only 90 miles away, and he pledged in Iran in 2001 that both Iran and Cuba would be able to bring the United States to its knees. So that is his intention, to eliminate this country, the best he can, and what better way than to take its money?

Fitton: Jose, let people understand how many people Castro has killed? What do you estimate?

Basulto: Thousands of people, thousands. More than 20,000 people.

Fitton: We have a client who was raped in front of her husband. She lives in Belgium, she's part of that Belgian complaint. We have another client, sadly he passed away Jimeo de Sosa who watched while his mother was disemboweled in front of him in a Cuban prison. They cooked people in vats. They smother people in boats. This guy's a barbarian.