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Carta de Cuba, la escritura de la libertad |
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January 18, 2006 OPPONENT’S HOUSE ATTACKED Ciego de Avila – The house of the blind opponent lawyer Juan Carlos González Leiva was stoned and harassed, during two full days, by tenths of members of government organizations, directed by elements of the Communist Party, a fact that irritated the local neighbors. González was inside the house with his family and several friends. As indicated by independent journalist Abel Escobar, the attackers retired after the population began to protest for the aggression. González Leiva is president of the Cuban Foundation of Human Rights in the central region of the island. CIVIL RIGHTS SITUATION WORSENS Havana – The Cuban Civil Rights and National Reconciliation Commission has warned, in a recent report, that the civil, political and economic rights situation in the island has worsened. The document indicates that in the past year, 53 persons were condemned or processed for political reasons -13 in the first quarterly and 40 in the second- which situates the total number of political detainees in 333, opposite to 294, at the closing of 2004. The Commission pointed out that in 2005, it became more evident the tendency to incarcerate dissidents under the charge of ¨pre-criminal tendency¨, and that in the year’s second quarterly, took place the systematic renewal of the so called ¨repudiation acts¨. PRIVILEGES GRANTED TO SOCIAL WORKERS Ciego de Avila – The food diet of the youngsters which Fidel Castro is using as shock force to carry out his most recent strategy for eradicating all illegal behavior, as a new ¨cultural revolution¨ of sorts, with Caribbean flavor, is generating conflicts in the facilities housing it. The teaching and administrative staff of the provincial behavioral school ¨Roberto Zamora Machado¨, located in the Moron municipality, Ciego de Avila province, expressed their concern in face of the ¨privileges¨ granted to 86 social workers from Holguín staying at the institution. The main issue is the food, since after some days upon the guests’ arrival, in which everybody enjoyed an improvement in the food rations, segregation took place and since last January 6th, the school pupils and professors eat in different sites from the social workers, without getting the advantage of the reinforced diet. SUPPORT FOR SAUL SANCHEZ Havana – Thanks to Florida’s radio stations heard in the Cuban capital, the population has known of the hunger strike kept by activist Ramón Saúl Sánchez, leader of the Movement for Democracy, located in Miami, for a just and humane treatment to the boat people intercepted on high seas. Residents in Havana who asked to remain anonymous, interviewed by the independent press, said they felt touched by Sánchez’ gesture, who by his activism advocates for the agencies overseeing the immigration policies to be more respectful of the international agreements on refugees, thus carrying out their duties in accordance with the best traditions of the American nation, in terms of respect for the civil rights of people running away of their country due to political reasons. MORE EXPENSIVE LICENSES Ciego de Avila – Aside of not expediting new licenses for self-employed workers and denying to renovate much of the existing ones, now the Cuban government increases in 50 per cent the costs of such permits, for those still enjoying them. The price of licenses for self-employed photographers was raised from 100 to 150 pesos, in the city of Morón, Ciego de Avila province. It was explained that the decision for such increase has been taken by the Popular Power’s Administrative Council, and it also included those who exercised their functions as drivers and carpenters, among other activities. CONFISCATED TOYS Havana – It seems that the Cuban government also considers toys as subversive material. Several small play wagons, a ¨Soldier Toy¨ game, a ¨Barbie¨ doll and other toys, which were going to be distributed among children on January 6th, a date in which Cubans traditionally celebrate the ¨Three Wise Men Day¨, were confiscated during a search carried out by Cuban State Security officers at the home of María Elena Mir Marrero, living in Guanabo, East Havana Municipality. Likewise, as a result of a repressive action taken against Helen Martínez, Director of the Independent Library, Secretary of the Free Union of Cuban Workers, and delegate, in East Havana, of the José Martí Undercurrent Movement, several lists of signatures were occupied, which were part of the legal process in favor of an amnesty for Cuban political and conscience prisoners. With this action, the agents violated the possibility that a person may be able to ¨address complaints and petitions to the authorities¨, something which is accepted by the legal civil code in force in the island. SUPPORT FOR INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST Nueva Gerona – Opponent Elena ValervnaVaselova, President of the civilist organization Democratic Pine Island Action, told to Carta de Cuba news service, that the Pine Island population has demonstrated their solidarity with the jailed journalist Fabio Prieto Llorente, by signing 89 local residents a petition to be sent to the Cuban Communist Party’s Central Committee, demanding the liberation or extra penal license for said reporter. Valervna Veselova indicates: ¨Fabio is suffering from a chronic lung disease and his relatives and friends are very much concerned by his health condition and the inadequate treatment he is receiving¨. Fabio Prieto Llorente was sentenced to 20 years in prison, during the repressive wave of the spring of 2003, and he is actually confined at the ¨Kilo 8¨ prison, in Camagüey, more than 500 Kms. away from his place of residence. SENATOR MENENDEZ DENOUNCES REFUGEE ABUSE Washington.- Bob Menéndez, a Democratic New Jersey congressman who has assumed the Senate seat vacated by new governor John Corzine, joined his Cuban American colleagues Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in protesting the current administration's treatment of Cuban nationals attempting to flee the Castro regime. Over the past five years, the Bush administration has repatriated over 7,740 Cuban nationals using the "wet foot-dry foot" policy instituted by the Clinton Administration. Most recently, a group of 15 refugees who reached the foundations of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys was returned to Cuba, after the INS determined that they had not reached American soil. Follow this link to read the Menendez letter to President Bush.
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