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Carta de Cuba, la escritura de la libertad |
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August 16, 2006 ULISES ROSALES SUGGESTS THAT HE COULD BE RAUL’S SUCCESSOR AS ARMED FORCES MINISTER Havana – In a journey of agricultural mobilization organized by the Sugar Industry Ministry, celebrating Fidel Castro’s 80th birthday, the branch Minister, Division General Ulises Rosales del Toro, proceeded to inform his close associates that maybe soon he would have other responsibilities to attend. This statement has been understood as that Rosales del Toro, who is Raul Castro’s second in command, could be the next Armed Forces Chief, a key position in the succession of power scheme provided by the island’s regime. STRICT CONTROL OF THE INTERNAL DISSIDENCE Havana – Peaceful opponents and human rights fighters within the island, using all their contacts with different institutions abroad, are denouncing the strict control exerted by the Cuban regime against the dissidence, something which has increased in the last days. The Revolution’s Defense Committees, a repressive and vigilant organization operating in every neighborhood, have been placed in state of alert, in order to avoid any kind of dissident activity. The situation within the island is very uncertain and all the dissidents, as well as the prisoners of conscience’s relatives and the human rights defenders working in this Caribbean country, fear that the Cuban government may take advantage of the occasion to take more reprisals against them. CHAVEZ VISIT WAS NOT ONLY OUT OF COURTESY Havana – The visit of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to the Cuban leader Fidel Castro, on the occasion of his 80th birthday and to wish him a prompt recovery, may have had a hidden object: the delineation of a strategy to exploit the maritime oil field recently discovered on the northeastern part of Cuba. ¨I sent word to Fidel that it would be interesting to go back to the drilling in deep waters project. Brazil has the world’s most advanced drilling technology¨, said the Venezuelan President before making his trip to Cuba. ¨We could go together, Petrobrás and PVDSA. With Petrobras’ technology, we could support the search for oil in Cuba, not only for strengthening Cuba but also the Caribbean, and for the integration of all of us in a complementary project which in reality is one sole big project, the National Macroproject¨, said Chávez. At present, PVDSA has an office in Havana to take care of the Caribbean region, providing Cuba with 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day and working in the modernization of Cienfuegos’ refinery. REPRISALS FOR TALKING TO AN INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST Havana – Lázaro Alvarez Rodríguez, an employee in a sweetshop in Batabanó Municipality, was threatened with expulsion from his working place after having a conversation with an independent journalist. 25-year old Alvarez Rodríguez was summoned on two occasions, once to the Frontier guard unit and then to the local Police, where he was threatened to be expelled from his job, on account of some missing merchandise which was supposedly used for building his own living quarters. Alvarez Rodríguez had denounced to an independent journalist that his brother Francisco, a small farmer repressed and harassed by the police, has been imprisoned for several weeks at the Kilo 5.1/2 prison in Pinar del Río, accused of illegally leaving the country. MORE DIFFICULTIES FOR THE SELF EMPLOYED Havana – Every day gets more difficult the situation of private workers in Cuba. Besides having to pay higher taxes to the state, they have to endure inspectors and policemen confiscating their wares and imposing fines for any small thing. Some famous ¨paladares¨ (restaurants), pizza parlors and cafeterias which came up during the so called ¨special period¨, had to close for such reasons. Those that still remain is out of great sacrifice on the part of the owners, who cannot avoid the payment of such high taxes as well as the inspectors’ impertinences, who as a general rule eat brunch and lunch for free at such places. PERSECUTION AND SURVEILLANCE INCREASING IN HOLGUIN Holguín – Since the official media exposed the flawed health condition of the Cuban leader, there has been an increase in the persecution and vigilance against the internal opposition in this city, on the eastern part of the island. Several members of the ¨Claridad¨ human rights movement have been arrested and threatened, among them, Luis González Morales, who on August 4th was transferred to the headquarters of the provincial state security department, located in Pedernales, in the outskirts of Holguín, where he was interrogated during three days. Besides seeking information on the above mentioned movement, officers told González that if he continued with his attitude against the government and inciting the civilian population to disobedience, he would be indicted in court and sentenced to a long prison term.
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