Convictions for Cuban Five upheld

The five men are considered national heroes in Cuba

A US appeals court has upheld the convictions of five Cubans found guilty of spying, but said the sentences of three of them should be reconsidered.

The five men were arrested in 1998 and convicted in 2001 of spying for Fidel Castro's government on Cuban exiles.

Three were given life terms, the other two 15 and 19 years in jail.

The men have appealed against their sentences three times, complaining they were victims of anti-Castro bias and saying they deserve new trials.

One of the sentences upheld by the court was against Gerardo Hernandez.

He was given a life term for giving information leading to the shooting down of two planes operated by Cuban exile groups based in Miami in 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four people.

The court also upheld the sentence of Rene Gonzalez, convicted of acting as an agent for a foreign government and conspiracy to defraud the US.

The cases of the other three men - Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez - were referred to a federal judge in Miami for resentencing. Two are serving life terms.

The Cuban government says the men were not in Miami to spy on the US but to prevent anti-Castro exile groups from launching what it calls terrorist attacks on Cuba.

The men are considered national heroes in Cuba, where they figure prominently on billboards all over the country and are the subject of regular rallies and demonstrations.

Exile groups say they were justly punished.