Ana Belén Montes, who spent 22 years in prison for spying for the Cuban regime, was honored on Friday, December 15th, during a gathering of Latin American troubadours organized to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Committee for Human Rights in Puerto Rico (CPDHPR).
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Spy Ana Belén Montes attends "political-cultural event" and receives tribute in Puerto Rico
Montes participated in event organized to honor the Committee for Human Rights in Puerto Rico
This would be Montes' first known public appearance since her arrival in Puerto Rico in January of this year, following her release from prison.
Montes received a copy of the work "Ala que cayó al mar" (Wing that Fell into the Sea), by mosaic artist Ivonne Rivera, which was given to her "to express the immense gratitude and love that Puerto Rico and Latin America have for her," as stated by one of the attendees on their Facebook account.
Upon hearing the news, former Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Peter J. Lapp, who pursued, arrested, and participated in the prosecution of Montes, said, "It's not surprising to see this kind of adulation for Ana now that she is free. You see her basking in this recognition, as a true narcissist does.
Ana should feel very lucky she’s free. Robert Hanssen died in prison, and without her fair plea, she would have had the same fate." Recently, Lapp published the book "Queen of Cuba" about the Ana Belén Montes case, which has already become a bestseller.
In 2002, Montes was found guilty of 25 counts of espionage, work she conducted for at least 17 years on behalf of the Cuban government against her own country, the United States, while holding a high position at the Department of Defense as an analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
The concert, held at the College of Engineers in Utuado, was sponsored by municipal mayor Jorge Pérez Heredia and featured troubadours from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Mexico, Panama, and Puerto Rico, including the cultural group Decimanía, vocalist Chabela Rodríguez, and the National Orchestra Mayepé.
The municipality of Utuado, with an area of only 115 square miles, is in the central mountain range of the island of Puerto Rico. The local unemployment rate is around 9%, according to November 2022 data.
Montes' surprising public appearance comes at a time when the United States government has filed charges against former U.S. Ambassador Manuel Rocha, who is currently detained in a Miami prison, accused of working as an undercover agent for the Havana regime for over forty years. Rocha is scheduled to appear before the federal court of the Southern District of Florida on January 12, 2024.
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