This is open-minded detente?
Posted on Saturday, 09.18.10This is open-minded detente?BY JOE CARDONAjccigar@aol.com
The Obama administration has embarked on a path of cultural exchanges and lax immigration policies toward Cuba reminiscent of Jimmy Carter's administration and the brief detente that existed with the island's regime.
This year alone, we have seen the likes of artists such as Silvio Rodriguez, Los Van Van, La Orquesta Aragon, Omara Portuondo and Adalberto Alvarez perform in various cities in the United States, including Miami.
The latter was unimaginable during the Indian summer of good relations Cuban and American diplomats enjoyed in the late 1970s under President Carter.
Along with the performers, our city has seen an increase of former Castro security agents, assistants and ex daughters-in-law who have added a circus-like, paparazzi feel to local television talk shows on Spanish language stations that deal with the Cuban polemic on a nightly basis.
For the most part, I support the cultural exchanges if for nothing else than to demonstrate that freedom of speech is alive and well in Miami, where Cuban exile leadership has been so maligned by the media (and sometimes rightfully so) for being narrow-minded and obtuse.
Albeit, the exchange seems to be “one way.'' I have yet to see Albita play the Karl Marx Theater in Havana or Willy Chirino play an open air show in the very spot that Colombian singer Juanes serenaded a million Cubans several months ago.
I have come to believe that human contact goes a very long way in dispelling the wall of mythology and propaganda promulgated on both sides of the Florida Straits.
These cultural exchanges have brought Cubans in Miami closer to the present-day sights and sounds of the island, which undeniably helps bridge the gap that politicians in Miami and dictators in Cuba cannot negotiate.
Given this new era of openness with Cuba, I was surprised when a friend brought her father's hopeless status to my attention.
Timoteo Gonzalez, a 77-year-old native of the Cuban town of Bolondron, would like to come to the United States to live out the rest of his days with his children who are hard-working contributors of our society.
The snag? In 1964, Mr. Gonzalez burned a cane field in protest of and out of frustration with the Cuban regime, which was at the height of one of its most rigid periods of intolerance. For this, he was arrested and tried in Cuba.
He served seven of his 30-year sentence and was eventually released to live the rest of his life as a political leper in a country that does not celebrate divergence.
What is puzzling about Gonzalez' case is that, considering this new immigration philosophy adopted by the administration toward Cuba, it is the American government that is not permitting him entry into this country, likening him to “a terrorist threat.''
I contacted Congresswoman Ileana Ros Lehitnen's office for help on this matter, and she regrettably informed me of the government's posture. “I find the fact that this government can give Mr. Gonzalez such a hard time on his petition to enter the U.S. and has no problem granting declared enemies of this country the right to travel, perform, and in the case of some of the former Castro aides, the right to reside in the U.S. truly hypocritical,'' Ros-Lehtinen commented.
I concur with the congresswoman. The decision is hypocritical indeed, along with shameful and shortsighted.
Unfortunately Gonzalez is the victim of selective historic revision and partisan politics.
The fact that he doesn't play the guitar and rail against the United States every opportunity he gets seems to work against him. So much for open-mindedness and detente.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/18/1830429/this-is-open-minded-detente.html
Cuban blogger joints the list of World Press Freedom Heroes
Monday, September 6th 2010 – 04:33 UTCCuban blogger joints the list of World Press Freedom Heroes
Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez said this weekend that she feels "very responsible" following the International Press Institute's decision to choose her as one of its 60 World Press Freedom Heroes.
"The word that sums up how I feel now is responsibility. Very responsible for what this means, being on a list with people who are risking their lives and their reputations as well in many parts of the world," Sanchez, who received a text message telling her the news about the award announced in Vienna on Friday, said.
The blogger, who turned 35 on Saturday, joins the list of 60 journalists awarded prizes since 2000 by the Vienna-based IPI, which has described her as a "harsh critic of the reality in Cuba," while highlighting her work to remind "the world about the Caribbean island's restrictions on free speech."
Sanchez, author of the "Generacion Y" blog since 2007, said the IPI honour included an invitation and "in theory I should be in Vienna on Sept. 13 to take part in the ceremony."
"There's not much time but I'm going to apply to see if I can go," said the blogger, whom the Cuban government on several occasions has denied permission to leave the island when invited to receive prizes and take part in international events.
Yoani Sanchez, who also expressed her gratitude for the prize with an audio message on her Twitter account, won Spain's 2008 Ortega y Gasset Prize for Digital Journalism and in 2009 received an honourable mention for the Maria Moors Cabot Prize from Columbia University in New York.
In its announcement IPI said that Sanchez's blog, Generation Y, "is an acerbic critique of life in Cuba, and a telling reminder to the world of the restraints on free speech and expression on the Caribbean island".
Sanchez, a graduate of Havana University, left Cuba for Switzerland in 2002, but returned two years later. On her return, she set up, along with a group of other Cubans, the magazine "Consenso" as a forum for reflection and debate.
In 2007, spurred by what she saw as a growing repressive climate in her homeland, she launched her blog, Generation Y. Composed of reflections on daily life, politics and culture in Castro's Cuba, the blog today boasts a readership of more than a million.
In early 2008, Sanchez reported that the site may have been targeted by government censors. In April 2008, the site became unavailable in Cuba.
Since then, Sanchez has resorted to extreme and creative measures to keep her blog alive. In a country where internet access is severely restricted and prohibitively expensive, Sanchez often poses as a tourist to access the internet, emailing her entries to friends outside the country who then publish them online.
Sanchez has been refused permission to travel outside of Cuba at least six times in the past two years alone, despite international acclaim for her blog. In 2008, "TIME Magazine" named her one of the world's 100 most influential people, noting her "feisty dedication to the truth," and pointing out that "under the nose of a regime that has never tolerated dissent, Sánchez has practiced what paper-bound journalists in her country cannot: freedom of speech." She has also received the Ortega y Gasset Prize, Spain's highest award for digital journalism; the Maria Moors Cabot Prize from Columbia University; and in 2009, TIME Magazine named her blog among the 25 Best Blogs of 2009.
In her own country, however, Sanchez has repeatedly faced harassment by authorities. In November 2009, the Daily Telegraph reported that she was beaten by a group of unidentified men while on her way to a peaceful protest. According to the article, after the attack, she was dumped "again in the middle of the street, (…) leaving her bruised, scared and sobbing."
Sanchez says she has not been able to see her own blog since 2007. She reports on her blog that she is under continuous surveillance by state security agents. On 24 May, Sanchez's blog reported that her name had been announced on Cuba's state-run Roundtable program, "mixed with concepts such as "cyber-terrorism," "cyber-commandos" and "media war."
"To be mentioned in a negative way in the most official program on television is, for any Cuban, the confirmation of her social death," says Sanchez in her blog.However, Sanchez refuses to be silenced. "If you are insulted by the mediocre, the opportunists, if you are slandered by the employees of the powerful but dying machinery, take it as a compliment," she says on her blog.
http://en.mercopress.com/2010/09/06/cuban-blogger-joints-the-list-of-world-press-freedom-heroes
Cuban Blogger Yoani Sanchez is Named IPI’s 60th and Final World Press Freedom Hero
Thursday, 02 September 2010Cuban Blogger Yoani Sanchez is Named IPI's 60th and Final World Press Freedom HeroBlogger "provides a glimpse into what is otherwise a closed world": IPI Interim Director
Nayana Jayarajan, Press Freedom Adviser
The International Press Institute today declared Cuban blogger Yoani Maria Sanchez Cordero its 60th World Press Freedom Hero.
Sanchez's blog, Generation Y, is an acerbic critique of life in Cuba, and a telling reminder to the world of the restraints on free speech and expression on the Caribbean island.
Sanchez, a graduate of Havana University, left Cuba for Switzerland in 2002, but returned two years later. On her return, she set up, along with a group of other Cubans, the magazine "Consenso" as a forum for reflection and debate.
In 2007, spurred by what she saw as a growing repressive climate in her homeland, she launched her blog, Generation Y. Composed of reflections on daily life, politics and culture in Castro's Cuba, the blog today boasts a readership of more than a million.
In early 2008, Sanchez reported that the site may have been targeted by government censors. In April 2008, the site became unavailable in Cuba.
Since then, Sanchez has resorted to extreme and creative measures to keep her blog alive. In a country where internet access is severely restricted and prohibitively expensive, Sanchez often poses as a tourist to access the internet, emailing her entries to friends outside the country who then publish them online.
Sanchez has been refused permission to travel outside of Cuba at least six times in the past two years alone, despite international acclaim for her blog. In 2008, "TIME Magazine" named her one of the world's 100 most influential people, noting her "feisty dedication to the truth," and pointing out that "under the nose of a regime that has never tolerated dissent, Sánchez has practiced what paper-bound journalists in her country cannot: freedom of speech." She has also received the Ortega y Gasset Prize, Spain's highest award for digital journalism; the Maria Moors Cabot Prize from Columbia University; and in 2009, TIME Magazine named her blog among the 25 Best Blogs of 2009.
In her own country, however, Sanchez has repeatedly faced harassment by authorities. In November 2009, the Daily Telegraph reported that she was beaten by a group of unidentified men while on her way to a peaceful protest. According to the article, after the attack, she was dumped "again in the middle of the street, (…) leaving her bruised, scared and sobbing."
Sanchez says she has not been able to see her own blog since 2007. She reports on her blog that she is under continuous surveillance by state security agents. On 24 May, Sanchez's blog reported that her name had been announced on Cuba's state-run Roundtable program, "mixed with concepts such as "cyber-terrorism," "cyber-commandos" and "media war."
"To be mentioned in a negative way in the most official program on television is, for any Cuban, the confirmation of her social death," says Sanchez in her blog.
However, Sanchez refuses to be silenced. "If you are insulted by the mediocre, the opportunists, if you are slandered by the employees of the powerful but dying machinery, take it as a compliment," she says on her blog.
"Sanchez's tremendously important work provides a glimpse into what is otherwise a closed world," said IPI Interim Director Alison Bethel McKenzie. "It is perhaps fitting that our 60th and final World Press Freedom Hero represents a future where the power of the internet can be harnessed to promote free speech. We are proud to know Yoani and to award this prestigious prize to her."
"Yoani's work has contributed tremendously toward a more wholesome understanding of the reality of life in Cuba. Her clear insights, beautiful use of language and tenacity have distinguished Yoani as an outstanding Caribbean journalist, blogger and citizen. We all look forward to the day conditions in her homeland change so that free expression can be more fully and abundantly facilitated, encouraged and exercised. Our congratulations on her achievement of this prestigious award," said Wesley Gibbings, President of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, reacting to the announcement of the award.
CUBAN GOVERNMENT DENIES WORKERS THEIR TRADE UNIONS RIGHTS
CUBAN GOVERNMENT DENIES WORKERS THEIR TRADE UNIONS RIGHTS
Despite Increased Repression Independent Unions Continue to Emerge Inside CubaBy Jack Otero
During the Clinton Administration Mr. Otero served as Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs, Assistant Secretary of Labor-Designate and was the U.S. Government Representative on the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization (ILO) 1993-1997.
Mr. Otero is a former Vice President of the U.S. National Labor Center AFL-CIO. He was also International Vice President of the National Federation of Railway and Airline Clerks, TCU; Vice President of the National Democratic Party; President of the 1.7 million member Hispanic labor organization, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. His international experience includes a combined 27 years of service as Member of the World Executive Board and Regional Director for Latin American Affairs of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF).
In recent weeks several new independent unions have emerged, despite increased repression by the Communist dictatorship – carpenters, seamstress, teachers and other groups of workers have taken steps to create new local unions identified with the major independent labor centers, such as CONIC, CTDC, CITC, CUTC. These are acts of courageous defiance since the Castro government explicitly prohibits independent unions and has taken extraordinary repressive measures to quash any such efforts. These developments point to the fact that opposition and resistance to the regime is gaining momentum.
There is mounting evidence that the overwhelming majority of Cuban citizens are crying out for a change in the system that will bring an improvement in their daily lives. It is in fact, an absolute but tired majority. Almost all Cubans are convinced that the status quo is non-reforming and useless. Nobody believes any longer the propaganda and false promises of the regime. Nor do they believe the many plans often unveiled by the government, all of which are never implemented.There is a general lack of everything, most particularly basic necessities such as food– unless you have foreign currency to buy it in special government stores. And most Cubans are desperate for work, and vast amounts of arable land lie fallow. If allowed to plant food and sell it freely, people in the island could once again feed themselves. The regime, however, realizes that this would be a profound capitulation to history. Better to let a nation stay hunger, undernourished and laid waste than to compromise the Communist principle that the state must control everything.Nothing functions well in the island and everybody knows it. Although resistance to the regime is growing every day, the social anonymity and anemic willpower of the people generally are notable. This is still the style of normal life in Cuba. There is prevalent paralysis at all levels of society in the country. Only a few persons and a few groups have remained steady in the pursuit of securing a more promising future for the people. Those individuals and groups of individuals who advocate free and independent labor unions represent one of the prominent forces in the resistance. But they are paying a huge price for their aspirations to a better life.
On January 12th, 2010 the independent trade unionist Osvaldo Alvarez, from Perico, Matanzas province, was ambushed and severely beaten up by state security forces when he was walking to the railroad station to catch a train to travel to Havana.
The attack was conducted in the dead of night. Alvarez who lay wounded and unconscious until taken to the hospital, ended up with two broken ribs, contusions and lacerations but was unable to identify his assailants. Mr. Alvarez is also a reporter for the independent agency Trade Union Press based in Matanzas.
Another independent trade unionist, Isidro Manuel Pérez Cruz, resident of Las Tunas and General Secretary of the independent union "Vicente García" reported that on January 6th he was detained by agents of the State Security police who roughed him up and confiscated his video JVC camera. Next day he was summoned to the police station where he was interrogated, booked and placed under probation under threat of a future court trial. Pérez Cruz who is also a delegate to the independent central labor federation CONIC, reported that he was warned at the police station that he would be summarily arrested and sent to prison if he continued involved in independent labor activities.
On December 28th teacher Rafael Leyva Leyva, member of the Collegiate Independent Teachers of Cuba (CPIC) was also assaulted, beaten up and arrested by a group of members of the so-called Rapid Response Brigades headed by Rubinelsa Santana, along with the DSE official better known as "el polaco." The brutal beating has resulted in a tear of his rectum, causing him frequent hemorrhaging and the loss of sight from one of his eyes.
Under the Castro-Communist regime only one union is allowed to operate – the CTC – Confederation of Cuban Workers – which is an instrument of the dictatorship to control and subjugate workers. The CTC leadership is appointed by the government and they all must be members of the Communist Central Committee. The Cuban government thumbs its nose at international opinion and to the ILO, which has insisted that Cuba respect and apply the various ILO Conventions and Recommendations adopted and ratified by previous Cuban governments. Castro contents the government is undertaking a complete review of its Labor Code, except that it has been doing such review for the past 12 years. The Castro regime contends that workers' freedom of association rights protected by ILO Convention 87 was imposed by the imperialist power of capitalism and does not apply in Cuba.
The Cuban government controls the market of labor and sets wages and working conditions within the state sector, but such starvation wages have only resulted in abject poverty for state Cuban workers and the populace in general. The government also controls employment in the private sector. No foreign corporation in Cuba can directly employ Cuban workers – it must do so through employment agencies set up by the government for such purposes. But only those workers whom the Communist Party trusts are allowed to be hired by foreign corporations.And, shamefully, the Cuban government retains between 95% and 98% of what it receives in hard currency from the corporations for contracting out this labor force.
This dictatorial repression does not permit labor strikes or any other form of workers' peaceful protests. Any independent labor activity is nearly impossible and extremely risky, as the government does not hesitate to employ tactics of harassment, intimidation, arrests and long term prison terms against those who dare defy the ban on the creation of independent unions. There are several trade union prisoners still languishing in jail, some of them still service 25-year terms imposed on them during the massive trade union reprisals and arrests of 2003.
But those who ardently spouse the cause of free and democratic trade unionism in Cuba have not given up the fight, risking their freedom, their lives and the security of their own families. Despite the repression, there are several labor organizations in Cuba – conducting underground activities and with representation throughout the island. Existing labor groups such as CONIC, CUTC, CTDC, CITC, among others, advocate the principles of free trade unionism but are unable or capable of representing effectively the interests of the workers, as they are not recognized as legitimate entities by the government. Therefore, they lack the basic rights to form unions of their own choosing, rights to collective bargaining, right to strike or have freedom of speech. In addition, the government forbids peaceful marches or their demonstrations to display publicly their labor demands.
The independent unions in existence were established by dissidents who oppose the Castro dictatorship, though they are often the victims of brutal repressions, physical attacks, banning of their children from school, banning of their relatives for any employment – either with the state or the private sector. And in many cases such independent leaders are arrested, brutally beaten and sentenced to long prison terms. There have been a few who had been lucky to get out of jail and/or leave the country for exile. But, not everyone is that fortunate.
There are several independent trade unionists languishing in prison. In 2004 nine members of the CUTC were condemned to long prison terms, many of them as long as 25-year sentences. Among them was Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos, General Secretary of CUTC who was freed after serving nearly five years in prison but forced into exile in Spain. Two others were also freed due to their dismal medical conditions, including Carmelo Diaz who has stubbornly remained in the island leading the CITC. Several others convicted in 2004 are still behind bars. See the CFTU webpage for more information on the trade union prisoners visit our website: www.freetradeunionism.org
The single union concept remains the angular stone of the Castro regime's labor policy. I do not foresee any significant changes in the near future that will permit Cuban workers to secure freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, so long as this Communist regime remains in power. We at the CFTU are determined to continue pressuring the ILO and the international community to take action to force the Cuban government to respect and apply the human and trade union rights conventions adopted by the ILO and ratified by the Cuban government.
But it is also our objective to hold responsible those foreign corporations and governments that have lent a blind eye and a deaf ear to the brutal repression of freedom and enslavement of the Cuban people by the Castro regime. Those foreign corporations and governments are in open complicity with the slave labor practices, imprisonment, torture and other human indignities levied by the Castro regime upon the Cuban people and Cuban workers for the past 50 years. When the time comes those corporations and governments that are now profiting at the expense, suffering and pain of the Cuban people will pay the price for their dastardly conspiracy with the Castro regime. They will not be exempt of punishment for the exploitation and abuses inflicted upon the Cuban people. For sure, they will have their comeuppance for their greedy and inhumane sins.
3.22.2010
Cuba’s freed dissidents vow to fight on
16 July 2010 Last updated at 12:19 GMTCuba's freed dissidents vow to fight onBy Sarah Rainsford BBC News, Madrid
They began by making the "L" sign for liberty and the "V" sign for victory with their fingers.
The six independent journalists from Cuba gathered at a news conference in Madrid were among the first to arrive in Spain this week after being freed by the Havana authorities.
In total, the Cuban government has agreed to release 52 dissidents from prison, in a deal brokered by the Roman Catholic Church.
Cuba might have hoped its move would improve its image abroad after the international outrage when political activist Orlando Zapata died on hunger strike in February.
But here in Spain, the former prisoners have been giving disturbing details of their years behind bars.
"I spent 18 months in solitary confinement," Lester Gonzalez told the BBC, showing a court paper which detailed his 20-year prison sentence.
"[I was] in the dark, with my hands tied; with rats and cockroaches and excrement everywhere. That was all I could smell."
The men were among 75 arrested in a 2003 round-up of Cuban dissidents, known as the Black Spring.
Now in Spain, which offered to receive them after their release, they've described crowded and filthy prison cells where they were denied drinking water for days; often, the only food was "giraffe soup" – so watery, the prisoner stretched his neck searching for some kind of nutritional content.
"I went into prison weighing 86kg, now I'm 48kg," said Jose Luis Garcia Paneque, one of several men now suffering serious medical complaints.
"That's the effect of my prison time: chronic illness for rest of my life," explained Mr Garcia Paneque, now a shrunken figure with hollow cheeks.
Cuba has always denied that it has political prisoners, describing them as criminals paid by the US to destabilise the country.
The men, who were held with ordinary Cuban criminals, recounted how prisoners routinely inflicted serious injuries upon themselves to get even basic medical attention from prison staff.
In one case, they said a man jabbed needles in his eyes but was left unattended for two days.Confinement
News that Church officials had secured dozens of political prisoners' release came on 7 July.Cuban dissidents Normando Hernandez, right and Omar Rodriguez hug on arrival at a hostel in Madrid, on 14 July 2010 It has been an emotional few days for the freed dissidents
The first men chosen were instructed to make a list of family members. Days later, they were whisked from their cells straight on to a plane and into exile.
The men were issued new Cuban passports at the airport; here in Spain, they have been given residency, with the right to live and work where they choose. But to the formers prisoners it still feels like a form of confinement.
"The Cuban government has been categorical: we have to get permission to return to the place we were born in," said Julio Cesar Galvez, who describes his arrival in Spain as deportation.
"We are not free. We are not immigrants here. Quite simply, we are refugees."
Cuban Church officials say 20 prisoners have agreed to come to Spain. As their criminal convictions have not been overturned, they say exile was the only option.
"If I leave prison, but I can't work to support my family, that's not freedom," explained Mr Galvez, who was sentenced to 15 years for his work as an independent journalist.
"If I'm still harassed, if they follow us, listen to our phone calls and want to know where we're going and what we're doing – we're not free," he said.
'Smoke-screen'
Spain hailed the decision to release the men as the start of a new era in Cuba.
Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who was in Cuba at the time, called on the EU to soften its stance and "normalise" relations with Cuba in response.
He made the same appeal when Spain held the EU presidency in the first half of 2010, but Orlando Zapata's death was a powerful counter-argument.
Now, the former prisoners say it would be "unacceptable" to see their release as proof that the Cuban government's approach to human rights has improved.
"Real improvement would mean new laws, no more repression or arrests of human rights activists," one said, adding that included his own right to return home without fear of prison again.
Another mentioned freedom of speech, and a third called the government's move a "smoke-screen" ahead of an EU review of its common position on Cuba this autumn.
That will make uncomfortable listening for the Spanish government.
The Spanish Red Cross and refugee agency (CEAR) are helping the men with accommodation, legal aid and finding work.
They will move to refugee centres outside Madrid soon, where they can start planning for the future.
For some, there has already been an emotional reunion with relatives. One man had not seen his mother in seven years; all say their imprisonment was as harsh a punishment for their families, as for them.
So as they adjust to life outside prison – and together again – the men have vowed to go on fighting for the freedom of all political prisoners in Cuba, from here in exile.
Cuban dissident: “Raul Castro can become the man who changes Cuba”
Cuban dissident: "Raul Castro can become the man who changes Cuba"15/07 07:17 CET
Among the first to have arrived in Spain with their families is the Cuban dissident journalist Pablo Pacheco. He was one of those jailed for 20 years in the 2003 crackdown.
Always maintaining his right to freedom of speech, the Castro regime eventually accused him of working for the US.
Pablo Pacheco has been talking to euronews:
"The proof of my guilt according to the Cuban Government was me owning a 1950s typewriter, a tape recorder, pens, denunciations, a fax, white sheets of paper, books – the majority of them about journalism – a short-wave radio. And all this I had and they thought there's the proof," he said.
Enrique Barrueco, euronews : "Do you give any particular importance to the change in presidency from Fidel to Raul Castro?"
"I think yes, if Fidel Castro had been in power at this moment, this interview would not have been possible," said Pacheco.
He continued: "I think Raul can become the man who changes things in Cuba, and takes steps to come out from under his brother's influence, because I think Raul has been living his entire life in Fidel Castro's shadow."
Brief biographies on 7 Cubans released to Spain
Posted on Tuesday, 07.13.10Brief biographies on 7 Cubans released to SpainThe Associated Press
A brief biography on the seven Cuban political prisoners released and then sent to Spain:
—
LESTER GONZALEZ – Independent journalist from Santa Clara, youngest of the 75 opposition members arrested in Cuba in March 2003. Member of Reason, Truth and Freedom Human Rights Movement. Sentenced to 20 years in prison. He reportedly has a number of health problems, including a hernia operation he underwent in 2008 and anxiety from being separated from his daughter.
Source: English Pen and Amnesty International.
—
OMAR RUIZ – Independent journalist from Santa Clara working for a group not recognized by Cuba's government. Over 60 years old. Sentenced to 18 years in prison. Reportedly has prostate problem and high blood pressure. Opposition websites say he is son of evangelical pastor.
Source: Amnesty International.
—
ANTONIO VILLARREAL – Signature collector from Santa Clara for the Varela Project democracy drive. Sentenced to 15 years in prison. He reportedly started a hunger strike along with five other inmates at Boniato prison. The Varela Project collected thousands of signatures from Cuban voters seeking a referendum on civil rights such as freedom of speech, assembly, press and business ownership. The signatures were delivered to Cuba's parliament, which shelved the proposal.
Source: Amnesty International.
—
JULIO CESAR GALVEZ RODRIGUEZ – Journalist from Havana. Sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was allegedly fired in 2001 from two official radio stations for collaborating with Cuba Free Press.
Source: Amnesty International.
—
JOSE LUIS GARCIA PANEQUE – Plastic surgeon from Las Tunas who received a 24-year sentence. He was a member of the unofficial Cuban Independent Medical Association. He was also involved in independent journalism.
Source: Amnesty International.
—
PABLO PACHECO AVILA – Independent journalist from Ciego de Avila, sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Source: Amnesty International.
—
RICARDO GONZALEZ ALFONSO – Independent journalist from Havana who did work for Reporters Without Borders. Sentenced to 20 years in prison. Maintained a private library at his home. Family members concerned about his health.
Source: Amnesty International.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/13/1728104/brief-biographies-on-7-cubans.html
The Human Rights Council is a tragic joke
Posted on Friday, 06.25.10UNITED NATIONSThe Human Rights Council is a tragic jokeBY FRIDA GHITISFJGhitis@gmail.com
We should honor BP for protecting the environment. While we're at it, we can name Jack the Ripper to the Commission for the Protection of Women, and make Philip Morris a special advisor on pulmonary health. This would all make perfect sense if we followed the example of United Nations Human Rights Council, one of the most astonishing organizations the world has devised under the UN umbrella.
The Council operates as a parody of itself, as if it had been designed by a team of comedians writing theater of the absurd. The reality, however, is that the UNHRC is a disaster that requires some decisive action by countries that truly value human rights, especially the US.
Today's UNHRC stands as one of the greatest obstacles impeding the protection of human rights by the international community. The organization makes a mockery of the suffering of the victims of human-rights abuses, glorifying their tormentors and depriving victims of a desperately needed protective voice. The obscenely dysfunctional UNHRC has removed from the arsenal of civilization a critically needed tool against regimes that brutalize their people. And now, adding to its dazzling performance in the field of human rights, the Council is working its magic against freedom of the press.
The question now is what does the Obama administration — and the world's democratic nations — plan to do about this suppurating sore on the body of the world's foremost international organization?
Where to begin to explain the outrages? Let's look at the Council's Advisory Committee: The group is chaired by Halima Warzazi of Morocco, whose history-making contribution to human rights came when Saddam Hussein used poison gas against Iraq's Kurds in 1988. Warzazi proudly blocked the U.N.'s move to condemn the massacre. The vice-chair of the Committee is the always impressive Swiss diplomat Jean Ziegler, who helped Libya's despot Moammar Qaddafi create the charmingly named “al-Qaddafi International Prize for Human Rights,'' and became its first winner.
Ziegler who, like the rest of the Council, is obsessed with Israel's sins to the exclusion of any other problem on Earth, has shared the Qaddafi prize honor with Fidel Castro, Louis Farrakhan, Hugo Chávez and other luminaries of freedom. The latest “expert adviser'' is Nicaragua's Miguel D'Escoto Brockman, admirer of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and defender of Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
The Council succeeded the disgraceful U.N. Commission on Human Rights in 2006. CHR was such an embarrassment that it had to be disbanded and replaced. But the new effort is even more of a disaster.
The Council, where the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) effectively dominates the proceedings, now threatens freedom of speech under the guise of protecting religion from defamation. The OIC pushed through a resolution creating a watchdog to prevent perceived slights in the media against religion, such as the cartoons of Mohammed printed in Danish newspapers. U.N. Watch, which keeps an eye on the United Nations to make sure it abides by its own principles, calls this an attempt “to turn an international shield for religious freedom into a sword for state censorship.''
The Obama administration ended a Bush-era boycott of the UNHRC, promising to use its presence on the Council to pressure the organization to do its job. But that has not happened. According to U.N. Watch's Hillel Neuer, since returning to the Council, the United States has been a disappointment. U.S. participation is not wrong, Neuer argues, “if it fights vigorously and uses the council to put a spotlight on abusers.'' But it has not done that. Instead, Washington has used the Council as another venue for diplomatic engagement, a policy that has yielded minimal benefits.
Packed with representatives of dictatorships, the UNHRC, says Neuer, is little more than a “mutual praise society.'' It has stopped monitoring abuses in places like the Congo and Cuba. And, while Iran hangs people in the street, Libya imprisons and tortures dissidents and massacres continue unpunished in other corners of the world, the UNHRC spends almost all of its time condemning Israel.
The U.N. Human Rights Council's behavior is so offensive that it might qualify for that Qaddafi human-rights prize. It's time for the United States to make its presence useful there or else lead democratic countries out of the organization.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/25/1699494/the-human-rights-council-is-a.html
A prisoner no more
A prisoner no moreBy ANDREA SLIVKASTAFF WRITER
When Cuban native Lisset Diez was 13, her father came to the United States after years of imprisonment and torture as a political prisoner of Fidel Castro.
"I didn't see him for 23 years, and I actually never thought we would see each other again before he passed away. But it happened. I'm extremely happy," Diez told Fostoria High School students Thursday.
The United States negotiated her father's freedom in 1987, and Manuel Diez became a U.S. citizen in 2007. After working for years to save enough money to bring his daughter to the U.S., he recently secured her emigration to the U.S. through a family reunification program.
She arrived in the U.S. with her husband and two children less than three weeks ago and now resides with him in Findlay, where he built a house so her family could live with him.
"I felt joy — immense joy that the voice on the phone was now the person I was holding and hugging," Lisset said afterward of being reunited with her father.
Manuel said the physical pain from torture didn't compare to the feeling of separation from his daughter.
"I live for her, and my whole life is surrounding her, and now I'm not alone anymore," he said. His wife died three years ago, and he has no other children.
Speaking through a translator, the family answered students' questions ranging from what it's like for them to come to the U.S. to the children's future goals.
After being accustomed to restrictions on food, work and speech under the communist government, the family members said they are adjusting to a life of abundance and opportunity in the U.S.
"It's like being born again," one family member commented.
Lisset's husband, Dusvani Martinez, said part of him is sad to leave some family behind in Cuba, but he feels very fortunate to be here and is eager to start his new life.
Students were surprised to hear someone could be imprisoned for 10 to 15 years for having more than the rationed amount of meat.
Students also learned many people in Cuba don't have the option to choose what type of work to do, but rather are assigned by the government.
Manuel spoke about the restrictions on freedom of speech and told students, "I feel saddened when I see some of you … don't realize how lucky we are to be in this country."
Manuel didn't want to answer questions from students or the media about why he was arrested in Cuba or how he was treated in prison. Spanish teacher Esther Garcia-Tio had warned students beforehand that he may not speak about it because his 11- and six-year-old grandchildren there did not yet know the full story.
However, Manuel previously spoke to FHS students and spoke more openly then, Garcia-Tio said afterward.
"He endured a lot of torture and hunger," she said. "He was put in isolation. They were trying to break his spirit, you know, but they were unable to do that."
At one time, Castro stood before him, and he was told to kneel. When he refused, they broke his legs, she said.
Lisset said after the assembly it was very unfair how her father was treated because he hadn't committed any crimes.
"He had just spoken up against the leader, and he didn't deserve the abuse he got," she said.
Manuel said when he was in Cuba, there was repression and a lack of food. "I felt there was no future."
"The only thing you can say about (Fidel) in Cuba is that he is good. Otherwise you will be arrested," Manuel told students.
When asked what their plans are now that they are in the U.S., the family said they want to learn English and find jobs.
"She just wants to work and work really diligently so she can have things for her children that she was not able to have as a child," the family's translator said as Lisset spoke.
Afterward, Junior Chris Jackson said he learned not to take things for granted.
"They get in trouble for saying things we have the right to say in America. It's just a lot different," he said.
Garcia-Tio said she hopes the program will motivate students to see the opportunities they have here in the U.S. and to take advantage of them.
"The sky's the limit," she said. "We set our own limitations, not a government setting them."
Mayor John Davoli presented the key to the city to Manuel before the family answered questions from the students.
He said afterward that while Americans face problems economically on a local, state and national level, listening to the family speak puts everything in perspective.
"I think (the students) will appreciate more of what they have," he said.
Chandra Niklewski contributed to this report.
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