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Carta de Cuba, la escritura de la libertad |
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MARCH 22, 2006 CUBA IN THE SIP AGENDA Quito – The Inter American Press Society (SIP, in Spanish) discussed, during its quarterly meeting in Quito, Ecuador, matters related to the press control in Venezuela and Cuba, countries criticized by their restrictions to the free exercise of journalism. Some 400 editors and journalists from the Americas attended the meeting, evaluating the problems facing the freedom of press in the world. The subject of Cuba took a very prominent place in the assembly, whose celebration coincided with the third anniversary of the incarceration of 75 Cuban independent journalists and opponents, on March, 2003. PROBLEMS WITH THE STEEL SUPPLY Havana – The Enterprises Union for the Recovery of Raw Materials (UERMP, in Spanish) has been able to satisfy the raw material needs of Antillana de Acero, but not of the ACINOX Company, in Las Tunas, on the western part of the island. During the past 2005, the factories contributed with 20 thousand tons of steel less than the figure anticipated to be processed as scrap iron, something which has provoked serious delays. In the UERMP’s directors opinion, ¨conscience and responsibility are missing¨ in the management of the organizations dealing with these matters. CUBA DONATES MEDICAL EQUIPMENT TO PAKISTAN Islamabad – A memo of understanding between Cuba and the Islamic International Medical Medical College Trust, in Pakistan, was signed in Islamabad, establishing that once concluded the Cuban medical brigade’s mission in that country, some 30 campaign hospitals, with all their equipment and other installations used by the Cuban personnel in order to assist the local population, shall be donated to the Pakistani government, in spite of the evident decline in health care in the island. FATHER OF CUBAN NEURO PEDIATRICS DIES Havana – Dr. Joaquín Pascual Gispert, considered the father of Cuban Neuropediatrics, passed away at 92 years of age. His main scientific contributions are related with the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, the congenital errors of metabolism, mental deficiency, defectology and autism. He also diagnosed for the first time in America, a case of Eosinophilic Meningitis produced by the angioastrongilus cantonensis, as well as the West Syndrome. In total, he published more than 40 scientific national and international works and three textbooks. HEPATITIS EPIDEMIC IN CAMAGUEY Camagüey – Every day, viral hepatitis is affecting a larger number of people in this province, without the proper authorities being able to stop its propagation. Patients of all ages are daily diagnosed with hepatitis in the public health centers of Camagüey, amidst a shortage of reactives to perform the complementary analysis, which are essential for diagnosis and treatment. Many people believe that the general unsanitary conditions prevailing in this province and in the whole country, favor the existence of plagues and vectors capable of spreading this infected contagious disease. PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW FANS Havana – After announcing with great fanfare the sale of modern fans, by means of surrendering the older machines in possession of the population, many persons are repenting and would like to recover the old ones, since it has been detected that the ventilating capacity of the new fans is not adequate for the Cuban tropical climate. Since the end of 2005 to date, more than 600,000 fans of high energetic consumption that were in the power of the Cuban people have been recollected and processed as scrap iron in different establishments in Pinar del Río, Havana City and Santiago de Cuba. PAYA ASKS FREEDOM FOR CUBAN PRISONERS Havana – Cuban opponent Oswaldo Payá asked to the international community to demand the freedom of the Cuban political prisoners, and said that in his opinion, ¨it is not to condemn Cuban, but to defend it¨. The United Nations, the governments and organizations of human rights ¨should demand directly and without any ambiguities the liberation of Cuban political prisoners¨, said Payá in a text issued on the occasion of the third anniversary of the wave of arrests of 75 dissidents condemned to long periods in jail, in the island. OPPONENT’S HOME SEARCHED Camagüey – The home of the Director of the Cuban Foundation of Human Rights, Eysy Marrero Marrero, was searched by combined forces of the National Revolutionary Police and the State Security of Florida Municipality, in this province. As informed by independent journalist Luis Esteban Espinosa, the search took place during the night and the agents took away a photographic camera, several family pictures, three audio cassettes, books and various documents on human rights. Eysy Marrero Marrero, who is 42 years old, lives on a labor neighborhood, in Florida Municipality. DISSIDENT FROM VILLA CLARA IN PRISON Santa Clara – Osvaldo Ricardo Díaz Sánchez, member of the ¨Democratic Independent Front¨ movement, will begin to serve a 5-year sentence in¨La Pendiente¨ prison in Santa Clara. Such sanction was imposed to the opponent by the Villa Clara Provincial Tribunal, on last October 14, 2005.
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