POSTED: Monday, January 10, 2011 - 6:56pm
UPDATED: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - 10:36am
It's a trial making national headlines. A man accused of being an international terrorist, but he's not on trial for that.
Protestors like Gloria LaRiva aren't happy about it.
"He's only facing charges of perjury and immigration fraud. In reality he's responsible for the bombing of a Cuban airliner in 1976 which killed 73 people," LaRiva said.
Posada, who was trained in explosives by the CIA, is accused of planning several bombings. Posada activists, mostly Cuban Americans like Delia Acasal have traveled to El Paso to show their support.
"He is an innocent Cuban American patriot that's being tried here in El Paso. He represents to us the democracy and the freedom that every individual should have," Acasal said.
They say Posada should not be tried for immigration charges.
He was seeking freedom just as they did.
Just like the tens of thousands who left the communist island, Posada is anti-Fidel Castro.
"Whoever was behind that probably was Castro, but now they want to make the world see that it's Posada Carriles," Acasal said.
But, other protestors say he should be sent back to Venezuela or Cuba to face the terrorism charges.
"There are mountains of evidence that Venezuela has presented to the U.S. Government to demand his extradition to this date. First the Bush administration and now the Obama administration is refusing to honor that extradition order," LaRiva said.
Jury selection began today and Posada's trial will continue tomorrow.