Fidel Castro to live on in Cuba, says Cuban Five's Rene Gonzalez

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has passed away, but his spirit and ideals will live on in Cuba, Rene Gonzalez, one of the Cuban Five, said on Monday.

In an interview aired on state TV in the wake of the legendary leader's death late Friday, Gonzalez compared Castro to national independence hero Jose Marti, whose legacy endures more than 120 years after his death.

"Men of the stature of Jose Marti and Fidel will always live on on this island," said Gonzalez.

Amid a more than weeklong period of mourning, thousands on Monday lined up around Havana's Revolution Square to pay tribute to the revolutionary and visionary Castro.

"We must always return to Fidel, an inexhaustible source of wisdom," said Gonzalez. "We have the duty and obligation to ensure our children study his legacy."

In 2001, Rene Gonzalez, along with Ramon Labanino, Fernando Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez and Antonio Guerrero, known as the Cuban Five, were convicted by a U.S. court on charges of espionage and given long prison terms.

Rene Gonzalez and Fernando Gonzalez were freed in 2011 and 2014 after serving about 13 years and more than 15 years behind bars, respectively.

The remaining three were released in late 2014 after Havana and Washington agreed to restore diplomatic relations.

Castro had always campaigned for their release. Endi