Cuba’s parliament leader, Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada, has declared that normal relations between Cuba and the US are “unthinkable” until Washington releases The Cuban Five. Also known as The Miami Five, The Cuban Five is a group that was arrested in 1998 and convicted for conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, and other charges.

Now, Havana has renewed its call for their release. As the Xinhua News Agency reports:

Alarcon said that Cuba considers the five people as “heroes” and that “they were only monitoring the anti-Castro exile groups based in Florida, without any intention of harming the U.S. security.”

Alarcon also criticized the decision of a U.S. judge impeding Rene Gonzalez to return home after his sentence expires on Oct. 7. The judge ordered him to live in the United States under supervision for another three years.

Alarcon called on U.S. President Barack Obama to “end this injustice by releasing the five.”

What’s odd is the timing of this. The US doesn’t have any immediate interest in Cuba, and Cuba’s economy can use a cash injection of American tourist dollars more than the US market needs another supply of cheap rum and good cigars.

But I guess when you’re a Cold War hold-out right in Uncle Sam’s backyard, it doesn’t hurt to remind the world every now and then that you still exists and Uncle Sam still hasn’t been able to do away with you.