Under the leadership of Fidel Castro, the momentum behind the case of the Cuban Five anti-terrorist fighters, who spent years unjustly imprisoned in the United States, crossed borders.

Hundreds of thousands of people of good will, across the entire political spectrum, joined the cause and placed their trust in a prophetic phrase spoken by Fidel that became both a compass and a promise in the battle to bring them home: "I'll just tell you one thing. They will return!"

As the centennial of the birth of the leader of the Cuban Revolution (1926-2026) is marked, René González Sehwerert recalled him in remarks to Prensa Latina. González Sehwerert, together with Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Ramón Labañino Salazar, Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez, and Fernando González Llort, was one of the protagonists of one of the most dignified chapters in the island's recent history.

"On Monday, September 14, 1998, for the first time since our arrests the previous Saturday, those of us who would later be charged in what became known as the Miami Five case were able to meet," he said.

That was the first appearance in federal court in what would become a lengthy legal process, and an even longer story, he added. But "setting aside the defendants who chose to distance themselves — a story that isn't relevant here — those of us who would ultimately become known as the Five recognized one another after our very first words."

In that conversation, which from its very beginning shaped their resolve in the face of the ordeal ahead, three historical precedents emerged that would underpin their decision at that moment, he noted.

First, he emphasized, was "history will absolve me," the commitment not to leave Che alone in the Miguel Schultz prison before the Granma's departure, and the decision not to abandon the yacht's helmsman, Roberto Roque, when he fell overboard just hours before the landing.

In each of those precedents, the figure of Fidel emerged as a central presence, because in those grim moments, when the only certainty about their future was uncertainty itself, the Five held absolute confidence that Fidel, true to his principles, would never abandon those who defended Cuba, its people, and the Revolution.

Of course, they knew from the very first day that the battle would be difficult, stressed González Sehwerert, who also holds the title of Hero of the Republic of Cuba.

Viewed through the lens of history, it was not the best moment to become entangled in a legal process like that one, González Sehwerert explained.

"The Soviet Union had disappeared, the Cuban nation no longer had, as in earlier times, political allies, the atmosphere between the Miami-based counterrevolution and within the U.S. political establishment could not have been more hostile, the horizon could not have looked darker, and the prospects for a political solution were nearly nil."

Moreover, he recalled, "it would still be a couple of years before the Latin American political balance began shifting leftward, driven by Hugo Chávez."

But the Five had the enormous confidence that Fidel inspired in them, he affirmed, noting that "the path toward public recognition of the Five's loyalties was long and fraught with difficulty."

Signals, and later messages, from Cuba came at first in very subtle ways, gradually becoming more evident, as the defense strategy and their acknowledgment of the purpose that had brought them to Miami took shape.

"Finally, once the trial phase concluded, both the Commander and the five of us were freed from secrecy. And that is when Fidel spoke out," he noted.

It was on "June 23, 2001, in the Havana municipality of Cotorro," when "the first public rally on the case took place; there, Fidel uttered a phrase that would become famous: 'I'll just tell you one thing: They will return!'" René recalled.

"For us, the Five, who listened to the speech from our cells, those words were an enormous source of encouragement and confirmed our trust in the Commander," he said.

He added that for the Five's family members and for the Cuban people, those words "amounted to a call to action, and marked the start of a campaign that would gradually mobilize the conscience of the world, drawing in people of every political, religious, and philosophical creed."

"For Fidel, beyond all of that, it represented something more: a new cause to which to dedicate all of his enormous will, energy, and time. Another battle against imperialism, another political challenge to overcome, an opportunity to pursue justice once again, as he had so many times before, and once more to defeat Yankee imperialism on moral ground," he emphasized.

And so Fidel devoted himself to the fight for the Five's liberation, driven by the idea and goal he had set for himself, he said, adding that "over time, the legal sham that the process had become weighed increasingly on the shoulders of the U.S. government, until the conditions proved untenable for Washington."

Thus, amid his immense responsibilities as head of state, Fidel became part of their families, mastering every detail of the case and becoming the strongest voice in the campaign for their release, confessed René, who served his arbitrary sentence in full.

Referring to the leader of the Cuban Revolution, he noted that "the immense weight of his moral standing and political stature exponentially multiplied the voices demanding justice across the planet, and mobilized organizations, public figures, parliaments, and legal experts around a single demand."

"On December 17, 2014, the last three of the Five returned, without having served out their sentences. Being able to enjoy that victory, with Fidel alive to witness it, was one of the sweetest feelings for us," he added.

"Being able to visit him some time later, and having spent a few hours with him, will remain for us one of our most treasured memories," he stated.

The return of the Five vindicated the almost blind faith they shared as early as just two days after their arrest, on September 12, 1998, the Cuban anti-terrorist fighter noted.

For René González, it "also represented validation of the trust Fidel placed in us, when he staked his word before the world from that platform in Cotorro, and gave us the pride of having provided him, in the twilight of his life, with that final, resounding victory. No one deserved it more than he did."