Inside Cuba
- March 2002 archives
First-hand reports from dissidents and human rights activists within Cuba
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They fire worker of a Project of
the
United Nations in Cuba.
( HAVANA, March 26th) - Lazaro Ricardo
Perez García, who worked as a veterinary technician in a project
sponsored by the International Organization of Atomic Energy of the United
Nations, experimenting to eradicate the screwworm in the area of the
Caribbean and Central America, was fired for political reasons, violating
agreement 111 of the International Workers Organization.
The Repression against Pérez García began by
the application of a
measurement of labor punishment, when he had to do forced labor planting marabú, whose wage reduction posed serious economic sanctions for him and his family. Followed by an arbitrary change of job and of pay reduction when he was forced to graze the fields, a work that consists of reviewing the traps placed on the fields that must capture the vector flies of the screwworm.
Lastly, in recent days he was called to the
office of the Director
of the Company Nueva Gerona, in the municipality Island of Youth, where he resides, there he was told that he was fired by orders of the National Director of the Project for he was no longer politically reliable.
Pérez García explains that he has never had
any labor problems,
nor has he ever committed any labor infraction other than not sharing the political ideas of the government.
He said that he was now left with no
economical means to subsist.
Perez García is the President of the Isla de
Pinos Human Rights Foundation.
Reporting from the city of Havana Reinaldo Cosano Alén, for The Independent Agency of Press and Information. Given to The Information Bridge Cuba Miami on this 25 day of March 2002.
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The Cuban education system
jeopardizes the
mental health of the children.
(GUANTÁNAMO, CUBA, March 24th) - I accuse
the staff at the elementary school "Josué País García" for the
unscrupulous measures teachers use that go against the normal development
of a child and his mental health. Specifically, against my son,
Pedro Santiago Castro Márquez, 11 years old and a six grade student
at the above mentioned school.
He is the victim of constant reproaches such as: "your father is a counter-revolutionary, because he is against Fidel" "your parents are 'gusanos' (word used by Castro to describe those against the system, more specifically to describe exiles, literal translation means worms) and scum". These expressions, in the presence of their classmates, who are turned into spokespeople for the Castro regime by early mental manipulation, use these words to verbally assault, and on occasion physically assault my son, who is completely rejecting school.
This situation started when the child's
school file was being prepared and he was asked where his parents worked.
He innocently responded that his father was a delegate of the Democratic
Party November 30th and his mother the Secretary and that he had the first
independent library for children, and that his parents also belonged to
Human Rights groups.
It should be noted that my stepson had to move to Havana because his privileges of obtaining pre-university studies were denied to him here for the same reasons.
My elder son was sent to a dense mountainous
area for his obligatory military service in a unit of the Juvenile Work
Army, a place where the troubled and dangerous youth are sent.
This unscrupulous measures are utilized by
Castro's communist regime
as a systematic way of turning children against their parents, teaching them that adults that do not profess communist ideology are reactionary enemies of the revolution, therefore inculcating in them that they cannot allow themselves to be guided by their parents, that they should spy and denounce the adults in their families, bringing as a result that the home, sanctuary of affection and reciprocated trust, is turned into a place where any criticism of the totalitarian regime could bring disastrous consequences.
Reporting from Guantánamo, Ferdinando
Castro de Lardiller, National
Delegate of the Democratic Party November 30th "Frank País" and Coordinator of COOCE. For the Information Bridge Cuba Miami. Given on March 2002. http://www.puenteinfocubamiami.org/guantanamo.html
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Hunger Strike Continues
for Democratic Party 30th of November Activists
By Mijaíl Bárzaga Lugo
March 23, 2002
(La Habana, Cuba) - The hunger strike continues for 5 of the 6 activists of the Democratic Party 30th of November "Frank País”, incarcerated since February 28 in the Technical Investigations Department, located at "100 y Aldabo", in the municipality of Boyeros in this capital. According to Caridad González López, Vice President of the aforementioned party, the members of the hunger strike are: José Enrique Santana Carreira, Juan Hernández Herrera, Fernando Sarría Fernández Frank García Llerena and Ricardo Ramos Pereira, the latter of these has been admitted to the military hospital Carlos J. Finlay. In addition, the source stated that García Llerena and Rafael Corrales Alonso are in critical condition and that Rafael Corrales Alonso is sharing another jail cell with an assassin. From the Cuban Center of Information, reported by
Mijail Bárzaga Lugo/Cuban News Agency. Given to Martha Tamargo on the
21st day of March, 2002.
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Fast in
Solidarity
By Mijaíl Bárzaga Lugo March 23, 2002 (La Habana, Cuba) – A group of oppositionists to the Castro regime gathered March 20th, in the town of Regla, and commenced a fast parallel with the 58th reunion of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, and in continuation with the activity commenced 4 days ago by the Democratic Party 30th of November “Frank País” in reclamation of the sanctioning of the government of Cuba and for the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. The abstention from food continued on the 21st of March in the home of Olga Rita Ramírez Delgado, Director of the Cuban Information Center, located at Avenida 51 #10816 e/ 108 y 110, in the municipality of Marianao. From the Cuban Center of Information, reported by Mijail Bárzaga Lugo/Cuban News Agency. Given to Martha Tamargo on the 21st day of 2002.
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Fast being held in solidarity with
political prisoners
By Mijaíl Bárzaga Lugo
March 23, 2002 La Habana: In solidarity with political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, in addition to asking of democratic governments to petition before the Human Rights Commission in Geneva the sanctioning of the reigning dictatorship of the ruler Castro, a fast which commenced March 20, 2002, will be extended until March 25, 2002. The abstention from food is taking place in the city of Jacobino, municipality of San Miguel del Padrón, located at "calle Velásquez #3823 interior entre Pasaje Rico y Cantero". The participants in the fast are: Nelson Molines Pino Also, in addition to the aforementioned requests, the health and immediate release of Leonardo Miguel Bruzón Ávila, the President of the above Movement, is also being requested. From the Cuban Center of Information, reported
by Mijail Bárzaga Lugo/Agencia Noticiosa Cubana. Given to Martha Tamargo
on the 21st day of March, 2002.
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Leader of opposition denounces
unjust detention
By Léster González Pentón
March 23, 2002 (Villa Clara, Cuba) - Juan Pedro Esquidel, Vice Delegate of the Democracy Movement Pedro Luis Boitel, in the province of Matanzas, was summoned last March 21st by the chief of the police unit, Rafael Álvarez Pulido, in the town of San José de los Ramos, in the municipality of Colón, province of Matanzas. Pedro Esquidel was detained in the above mentioned police unit under the process of investigation, they want to charge him with robbing a bicycle. This leader of the opposition commenced a hunger strike at 12 p.m. on March 21st, because of this unjust detention. From Santa Clara, Léster González Pentón,
Democracy Movement activist.
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Blind
Christian Human Rights activist beaten and imprisoned in Cuba Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide: http://www.csw.org.uk A blind Christian human rights activist has been beaten and imprisoned in Cuba following a crackdown on pro-democracy and human rights workers.
He was severely beaten by government security agents and suffered a blow to the head, which required four stitches. Gonzalez and a number of other human rights activists had gathered at a local hospital in an attempt to draw attention to the plight of a journalist who had been admitted there after being attacked by Cuban police. The group was immediately surrounded by the rapid response unit of the local security forces, who beat them before taking them into custody. The group has been on hunger strike since their arrest. On March 10, security forces raided the Ignacio Agramonte Independent Evangelical Library, set up in Ciego de Avila by Gonzalez. They confiscated a number of books including materials written in Braille. Gonzalez was also attacked and beaten by police on Christmas Day, 2001, at the inauguration of the library. According to Gonzalez’s wife, Maritza, he is being charged with public disorder and is currently being held in a cell with a violent criminal – a common form of punishment in Cuba. She was able to visit him on March 12 and said his cellmate seemed extremely aggressive. She also said that Gonzalez had lost a great deal of weight due to his hunger strike. CSW met with the 27-year-old Gonzalez, who is also a lawyer and an active member of the Baptist Church, last February in Havana. At the time Gonzalez spoke of his hope for the future of human rights and democracy in Cuba. There has been a general crackdown on all human rights activists since a large number of Cubans sought asylum in the Mexican Embassy in Havana in late February. CSW is calling for the immediate release of Gonzalez and his fellow human rights activists as well as the return of all the materials taken from the library. Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said, “Juan Carlos has paid a high price for having the courage to stand up for the rights of others. His treatment at the hands of the authorities has been brutal and unjust. “We call upon Fidel Castro to release Juan Carlos immediately and to make full redress for the injuries he has suffered at the hands of the government. This kind of behaviour on the part of the Cuban Government should not be tolerated by the international community.”
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Measures applied against the
normal development of a child
By Ferdinando Castro de
Lardiller
March 21, 2002 (Guantánamo, Cuba) – I accuse the leadership of the elementary school “Josué País García” for the unscrupulous acts of 6th grade teachers against the normal development of a child and his mental health. Specifically, against my son, Pedro Santiago Castro Márquez, 11 years old, who is the victim of constant reproaches such as: "your father is a counter-revolutionary, because he is against Fidel" "your parents are 'gusanos' (word used by Castro to describe those against the system, more specifically to describe exiles, literal translation means worms) and scum". These expressions, in the presence of their classmates, who are turned into spokespeople for Castro-communists, and whose little minds are manipulated by the regime, use these words to verbally assault, and on occasion they physically assault my son, who is completely rejecting school. This situation started when the child's school file was being made up and he was asked where his parents worked. He innocently responded that his father was a delegate of the Democratic Party 30th of November and that his mother was the Secretary and that he had the first independent library for children, and that they belonged to Human Rights. It should be noted that my other son had to leave to Habana because his privileges of obtaining pre-university studies were denied to him here for the same reasons. My elder son was sent to a dense mountainous area for his obligatory military service in a unit of the Juvenile Work Army, a place where the troubled and dangerous youth are sent. This unscrupulous measure is utilized by Castro's communist regime as a systematic way of putting children against their parents, teaching them that adults that are not communists are reactionary enemies of the revolution, imbedding in them that they should not allow themselves to be guided by their parents, that they should spy and denounce the adults in their families, bringing as a result that the home, sanctuary of affection and reciprocated trust, is turned into a place where any criticism of the totalitarian regime could bring disastrous consequences. From Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de
Lardiller, National Delegate 30th of November “Frank País”. Given to
Martha Tamargo on the 20th of March, 2002. |
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Translated message from Cuban
prisoner of conscience
Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet Gonzalez:
Message from Dr. Biscet
"God bless you all."
DR.OSCAR ELIAS BISCET Message from Dr. Biscet from the maximum security prison "Cuba Si" in Holguin, Cuba, given to his wife Elsa Morejon who has read it in Havana over the telephone to the whole world on Tuesday, 19, March 2002 For more information: Email: Lawton1997@aol.com |
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Member of the peaceful opposition is
detained
By Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller
March 21, 2002 (Guantánamo, Cuba) – At 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 14th, a member of the peaceful opposition, Omar Ramírez Díaz, was arbitrarily detained. He is a member of the Democratic Party 30th of November “Frank País” in this City. The detention was made by an official of the Department of State Security by the name of Raúl, who took the oppositionist to the Immigration and Foreign Affairs Department. This official of the repressive system, at the service of the dictator Fidel Castro, told Ramírez Díaz that they had information regarding all of the activities in which he took part in the organization, and that they were watching them because the "Democratic Party 30th of November was a terrorist organization being that their actions are aimed at disturbing the social tranquility in the province." The oppositionist was also severely threatened with being imprisoned along with the leader of the "little counter-revolutionary group" and other members whose names were not mentioned by this Castro communist lackey. After 4 hours of interrogations and threats the oppositionist Omar Ramírez Díaz was released. From Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller,
National Delegate of the Democratic Party 30th of November “Frank País”.
Given to Martha Tamargo on the 20th day of March, 2002.
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IMPRISONED BLIND CUBAN HUMAN RIGHTS
ACTIVIST WILL ABSTAIN FROM FOOD AND LIQUIDS TO PROTEST ACCUSATIONS BY
CUBAN AUTHORITIES
March 20, 2002
Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leyva, a blind human rights activist, lawyer, and president of the Human Rights Foundation in Cuba, presently incarcerated in the site of the State Security in the city of Holguin, Cuba, told his wife he would deny any food or liquids as of Thursday, March 20 to protest accusations against him of committing common crimes. On her second scheduled visit to her husband, accused of "public disorder" this Tuesday, March 20, Maritza Calderin Columbie, accompanied by a lawyer, found him serene and determined to justify his condition as a human rights defender in Cuba. In order to visit her husband, Maritza must travel 5 hours each way from Ciego de Avila to Holguin where he was transferred. On March 4 in the city of Ciego de Avila, a group of ten human rights activists and independent journalists were savagely beaten by State Security Agents and paramilitary groups at the Antonio Luaces Iraola Hospital as they protested the beating of an independent journalist, Jesus Alvarez Castillo. Without their family's knowledge these activists were taken to jails in different provinces. Presently, the eight remaining imprisoned, accused of common crimes are: Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leyva, Delio Laureano Resquejo, Lazaro Iglesias, Virgilio Mantilla, Jose Carlos Morgado all members of the executive committee of the Human Rights Foundation of Cuba. Also Enrique Garcia Morejon, Antonio Garcia Morejon, and the independent journalists Lexter Tellez Castro. Source of Information: Testimony from Cuba given via telephone by Maritza Calderin Colombie, wife of Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva, a blind lawyer, president of the Cuban Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba. E-mail:
Lawton1997@aol.com
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Sick prisoners at A-500 in Combinado de
Guantánamo demand medical attention. http://www.puenteinfocubamiami.org/guantanamo.html ( GUANTÁNAMO, CUBA, March 19)- Prisoners who are sick in section A-500 at Combinado de Guantánamo, with ailments such as bronchial asthma, leptopirosis, tuberculosis, arterial hypertension, as well as psychiatric disorders, many in critical condition and who’s medicines have been suspended for the past 18 days without any reason whatsoever are all demanding medical assistance. The same situation goes for those who are wounded. In response to these demands, officers Captain Victor Reyes Cobas, re-educator of company no. 1 and Captain Reynaldo Soler Fernandez, Head of A-500, have answered that they are not doctors, to keep their mouths shut.
Reporting from the city of Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller, National Delegate of the Democratic Party November 30 “Frank País” and Coordinator of COOCE. For the Information Bridge Cuba Miami.
Given on March 2002.
“Yo quiero que la Ley primera de Nuestra Republica sea, el culto de los Cubanos a la dignidad plena del Hombre.” José Martí.
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Trial held in the town
of Caimanera to avoid confrontation
By Ferdinando Castro de
Lardiller
March 17, 2002 (Guantánamo, Cuba) – The Department of State Security, the repressive system's elite in this province, in order to avoid a confrontation with the internal opposition in this city, transferred the trail of Alexander Lobaina Jiménez and Alberto Martínez Martínez to the town of Caimanera, which took place on Tuesday, March 12th of this year. Lobaina Jiménez has been in a preventive prison since November and Alberto Martínez Martínez, was also in this same type of prison, both for the supposed crime of illegally exiting national territory, the trial concluded with a sentence at the petition of the prosecutor of 4 years of prison for Alexander Lobaina and 1 year and 6 months of limitation of freedom for Alberto Martínez, which means he can only go from his home to school. The trial took place in the town of Caimanera due to the characteristics of the location: First of all, it is less than 2 kilometers from the North American Naval Base; secondly, only Cubans that are from there have access to this town because to get there one has to pass through two rigorous control points; and thirdly, in order to go there one has to solicit a pass 72 hours in advance from the head of the Department of State Security, and upon said solicitation the solicitor is submitted to ferrous vigilance and monitoring. Because of this, the unscrupulous repressive Cuban system conducted the trial there, and made it very clear that the oppositionists that would attempt to go there would by detained and charged with attempted illegal exiting from the country. From Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller, National Delegate of the Democratic party 30th of November “Frank País”. Given to Martha Tamargo on the 13th day of March, 2002.
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Repressive Wave: Detentions across the Island of Cuba As it always happens when all of the
attention is centered on one case, the regime takes advantage and
represses even more.
We will continue to pass along information
as soon as we receive the denouncements.
These denouncements were received from the
island, by telephone, by Oswaldo Herrera, Martha Tamargo and Pablo
Rodríguez.
March 2002 |
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Prisoner with heart condition is
denied medical attention
By Ferdinando Castro
de Lardiller
March 12, 2002 (Guantánamo, Cuba) - Penitentiary authorities of the provincial prison Combinado Guantánamo, experts in Human Rights violations, deny medical attention to prisoner Reynaldo de la Cruz Tito, who suffers from a serious heart condition, according to Dr. Karina Claro Almeida. As of this time he has not been given any kind of medication, and even after repeated requests by the prisoner due to strong pains which he suffers with, he has not been taken to the prison medical ward. Officials Andrés Terrero Olivares and Gerardo are the ones in charge of taking him to the physician and are denying this humanitarian gesture, alleging that nothing is hurting him. Actions such as these demonstrate the cynicism with which Castro's communist henchmen operate in the provincial prison of Guantánamo. From Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller, National Delegate of the Democratic Party 30th of November "Frank País". Given to Martha Tamargo on the 13th day of March, 2002.
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Political prisoner not allowed to be
outdoors By
Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller
March 12, 2002
(Guantánamo, Cuba) – Political prisoner
Ernesto Lucas Corral Cabrera, 28 years old, who suffers from arterial
hypertension, again became the victim of the repressive criminal
incarcerating system of Guantánamo, when Captain Víctor Reyes Cobas, Chief
of Company 1, Ward A-500 in the prison Combinado Guantánamo, prohibited
him from the time established by penitentiary regulations to be outdoors
in the sunlight. In addition, Corral Cabrera has been more than 18 days
without the medication he needs for the treatment of his condition.
The harassment, physical and psychological
tortures to which Cuban prisoners are submitted to are criminal - and even
more so if they are political prisoners.
From Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de
Lardiller, National Delegate of the Democratic party 30th of November
“Frank País”. Given to Martha Tamargo on the 13th day of March, 2002.
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Political prisoner's minimum severity regimen is
revoked
by Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller
March, 12, 2002 Political prisoner Pedro Roca Araño, 32 years old, whose home is in La Habana, is a victim of exile from his hometown, being that he is serving his sentence in Combinado Guantánamo. Roca Araño, confined in Ward A-500, without having committed any kind of provocation, was taking a nap when Captain Reinaldo Soler Fernández, accompanied by Lieutenant Bouli, woke him up and immediately handcuffed him and took him to the maximum severity buildings, where he is completely incommunicado. The prisoners who witnessed this violation ask themselves why Castro's henchmen acted this way being that Pedro had not done anything. From Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller, National Delegate of the Democratic party 30th of November “Frank País”. Given to Martha Tamargo on the 13th day of March, 2002. |
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19 year old prisoner brutally beaten
By Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller
March 12, 2002 (Guantánamo, Cuba) – Prisoner Yolennis Noel Ruiz, 19 years old, was the victim of a brutal beating, at the hands of Captain Reinaldo Soler Fernández, Chief of prison ward A-500 in Combinando Guantánamo. The Captain, in a criminal act, took out his anger on this young man who was only asking for his medications. This young man, faced with the abuse of power by his aggressor, decided to hurt himself, cutting himself in several places with a piece of glass. They were able to give him 8 stitches for the cut in his abdomen and 5 stitches on his arm, while the cut on his neck and forearm were not sutured. Captain Víctor Reyes Cobas, the re-educator of Company No. 1, took away this young man's sheets and he had nothing to cover himself with. What Human Rights can the terrorist dictator Fidel Castro speak of while violations such as this one are committed daily in Cuban prisons? From Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller, National Delegate of the Democratic Party 30th of November “Frank País”. Given to Martha Tamargo on the 13th day of March, 2002.
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| * | A family
with small children was evicted in Guantánamo By Luis Torres Cardosa
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| * | PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Wednesday, March 6, 2002 Ninoska Perez (305) 632-9457 CUBAN LIBERTY COUNCIL MIAMI RELATIVES OF CUBAN ASYLUM SEEKERS MEET WITH MEXICAN CONSUL GENERAL In Miami this morning, relatives of Michel Iroy Rodriguez Ruiz - one of the 21 Cuban nationals who sought political asylum at the Embassy of Mexico in Havana last week, and whose efforts were thwarted after being forcibly removed in a pre-dawn raid - delivered a personal petition to the Mexican Consulate in South Miami to ascertain the fate and condition of the group. Accompanied by members of the Cuban Liberty Council Board of Directors, Mr. Alberto Ruiz, the young man's uncle, met with Consul General Manuel Rodríguez Arriaga, who was presented a formal letter addressed to Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda. The text of the letter, signed by Mr. Ruiz and by Michel's grandparents, Nereida Garcia and Alberto Ruiz, is as follows (English language translation from the original Spanish): Miami, March 5, 2002 His Excellency Jorge Castañeda Minister of Foreign Affairs Mexico Your Excellency: Last Thursday, February 28th, a group of 21 young persons sought protection and political asylum at the Embassy of Mexico in Havana, Cuba. Among those was Michel Iroy Rodriguez Ruiz, grandson and nephew, respectively, of we the undersigned. We have attentively followed your statements to television [news media] and newspapers, but we are unable to give your words any credibility. It is inconceivable that these young persons entered the embassy by knocking over the perimeter with a bus and that officials of your government should say that they had not sought political asylum. Their action is in itself the most explicit of languages. However, how can it be that no one from the embassy would interview them and, at the very least, ask them why they had entered the building in that manner? Your statement, Mr. Castañeda, that this [affair] had to do with "unemployed persons", as well as the statement by other Mexican diplomats who said that it had to do with "delinquents", are grossly irresponsible given that your government never even conducted an investigation regarding the identity and social background of these young individuals. No one from the Mexican embassy or from the Cuban government contacted Michel's mother. You [instead] simply accepted all that the Cuban authorities told you about these persons. Our relative is not an unemployed individual, but a former political prisoner with a clear and defined position against the dictatorship that for 43 years has trampled over all of the fundamental rights of the Cuban people. I would suppose that at the very least you would know that such a citizen faces harassment, intimidation and frequent arrests in Cuba. You and your government have the prerogative to accept or deny anyone seeking protection through your embassy. It is, however, very ironic [to witness] your rejection of Cuban citizens in comparison to the widespread acceptance that you have provided, for example, to those from Chile. We believe that you owe us an explanation and a commitment to keep vigil so that those young individuals are not beaten or tortured as so often occurs with political detainees in Cuba. The principal injustice has already materialized. We expect that at the very least it can be prevented that these young people should have to spend the rest of their lives in prison or that any one of them might commit "suicide", and [we ask] that you have the courtesy of informing us where our family member is being detained. We await your response. Sincerely, Nereida Garcia and Alberto Ruiz (grandparents)
Alberto Ruiz (uncle) Honorable
Manuel Rodriguez Arriaga, Mexican Consul General in Miami, Florida
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Juan
Carlos Gonzalez Leiva, President of both the Cuban Human Rights
Foundation and the Brotherhood of the Independent Blind People of Cuba, was
arrested along with several other human rights activists on March 5 in Ciego
de Avila. |
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION
Today Monday, March 4, 2002 at midday,
independent journalists and peaceful human rights activists, members of
the Cuban Foundation for Human Rights suffered physical and psychological
mistreatment by Cuban State Security forces in the city of Ciego de Avila
as they were on their way to a meeting.
The political police surrounded the house of
Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva, president of the Cuban Foundation for Human
Rights, located at: Honorato del Castillo #134, Entre República y Cuba
Ciego de Avila. Around 14 members of said organization were physically
attacked, and taken to the Technical Department of the State Security in
Ciego de Avila. Jesus Alvarez Castillo, an independent journalist and
director of the Free Press Agency of Ciego de Avila fainted from the blows
he received at the hands of the State Security forces and had to be taken
to the Provincial Hospital by other activists were
physicians there screamed insults at them.
Others were taken to the outskirts of the
city and left abandoned kilometres away form their homes. Arquímides
Quintana Aguiar, a blind activist, was strangled to silence his screams
of, "long live human rights!"
The Cuban government is held responsible for the physical and mental well being of all human rights activists involved in this incident. Dignitaries of democratic nations, human rights organizations, the international press and all men and women of good are asked to denounce the unjust incarceration, the physical and mental torture of these human rights activists who struggle to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in their own country. Please send telegrams/ telexes/ faxes/ express/ airmail letters in Spanish or in your own language to Cuban officials inside Cuba, and representatives of Cuba accredited in your country. Source of Information: Testimony from Cuba given via telephone by Maritza Calderin Colombie, wife of Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva, a blind lawyer, president of the Cuban Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba. E-mail: Lawton1997@aol.com
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Bruzón Ávila in "100 y Aldabó" Prison
March 3, 2002 Since Friday, February 22nd, Leonardo Miguel Bruzón Ávila, President of the 24th of February Movement and Director of the Independent Library “24 de Febrero”, has been in prison. According to his wife, Mercedes Lin, he was detained on the 22nd, released on the morning of the 23rd, and on that same day at 5:00 PM, he was taken to the prison known as "100 y Aldabó", where he is presently. “When I asked what he was being charged with I was told 'contempt' and 'public disturbance', and the attorney was told 'contempt' and 'enemy propaganda', which is something I don't understand because they came to pick him up at home", his wife reported. The conditions of the covered cells of the Technical Department of Investigations, better known as "100 y Aldabó", according to the testimonies of so many that have been in them, are not even appropriate for someone in perfect health, much less for Bruzón, which is something that his family is worried about. His next visit should be on Friday, but Mercedes says she has faith that he will be released before then. We pray that that will be the case, but we should also let the world know that these types of arbitrary prisons are taking place in our land while the attention is centered on the show which the tyranny prepares. Pablo Rodríguez Carvajal
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| * | Combined forces
of the National Revolutionary Police and State Security detain Luis Torres
Cardosa By Ferdinando Castro de Lardiller March 1, 2002 (Guantánamo, Cuba) – Peaceful oppositionist, independent journalist and unionist, Luis Torres Cardosa, was the object of an unjust and arbitrary detention by the combined forces of the National Revolutionary Police and the Department of State Security, this morning while visiting at the home of his colleague, Jorge Dante Abab Herrera. Two patrol cars and a Suzuki motorcycle arrived carrying officials Bartolo and Orelvis Frómeta Velásquez, both of which belong to the Confrontations Unit of the Department of State Security, who in despotic tones yelled out to Dante Abad to tell Torres Cardosa to come out, as if this brave man of impeccable conduct, well-known for his high morals and honesty, were some kind of vulgar delinquent. As of this date, it is unknown where Torres Cardosa has been taken. Characterized by his boldness, and alone, he impeded an unjust eviction last February 5th, and the people upon witnessing his heroic attitude joined him, little by little, until there were 60 people supporting the cause of this defender of Human Rights. The detention took place at 10:35AM and upon the neighbors witnessing such a strong military presence, they became curious and heard when Torres Cardosa yelled that he was a Human Rights activist and not a delinquent. Upon seeing the multitude of people and police the young Jorge Javier Abad Barcelay, 4 years old, who lives at calle Bernabé Varona No 956 e/ 1 y 2 oeste, began to cry uncontrollably asking why they were taking his Torres to jail. From Guantánamo, Ferdinando Castro de
Lardiller, National Delegate of the Democratic Party 30th of November “Frank
País”. Given to Martha Tamargo on the 1st day of March, 2002. |