New York, NY, December 1, 2011 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called on the Government of Cuba to release U.S. citizen Alan Gross, as the second anniversary of his arrest nears.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement: 

We call on the Cuban Government to release Mr. Gross immediately on humanitarian grounds and as a gesture of good will to the American people, as he has been in prison for two long years. We also ask those countries with strong diplomatic ties with Cuba to urge the regime to release him, and return him to his family and friends in the U.S.

Mr. Gross, an American subcontractor on a U.S. Agency for International Development program and an active member of the Jewish community in Maryland, was arrested on December 3, 2009 and found guilty of "subversion". Mr. Gross has denied all charges against him, and his health has deteriorated severely in recent months.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.