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HUMAN RIGHTS
The Right to Freedom of Movement
Cubans cannot freely enter or exit their own country. Among those who
are prohibited from leaving the country are the youths between the ages
of 16 to 27, well known athletes and individuals with high profiles in
science, art and culture, or who have obtained military ranks or
occupied influential political positions. Doctors particularly face
great obstacles to leaving the country permanently.
Relatives of individuals who have sought political asylum while
traveling abroad become hostages of the government and are denied the
right to leave the country to reunite with loved ones.
On the other hand, Cubans who obtain the permission slip to leave
commonly referred to as "the white card" must pay $500 (in US dollars)
per person for official transactions. Taking into account that the
average salary in Cuba is less than 200 Cuban pesos, which are the
equivalent of around $10.00 (U.S.), the imposition is clearly abusive.
In addition, the state confiscates all personal property (bank account,
home, furniture, durable goods) of those who are allowed to leave his
country permanently.
To enter the island, Cubans who reside or have obtained political asylum
abroad require a visa as if they were foreigners. The selection criteria
to grant the visa is based on the applicant's conduct abroad with
respect to the Castro government.
Inside the island there are also restrictions to freedom of movement.
Law Decree 217, dated April 26, 1997, prohibit inhabitants of rural
areas or other provinces from establishing residence in the capital.
In Cuba, no one can sell a house. Home swapping is the only transaction
tolerated, as long as prior clearance is obtained from authorities.
Internal regulations also require that authorities be informed of the
identity and other personal data of any individual who resides at the
home of another for a period of more than 30 days. In the case of
foreigner, information must be immediately provided.
In the main cities and towns of the country, there are upper class
residential areas referred to "frozen zones" where houses are assigned
only to Communist Party elite and high-ranking militaries. Access to
these zones is restricted or prohibited to nonresidents.
Meanwhile, the situation of the "Captive Towns" still persists. These
towns, located in isolated or inaccessible areas, were built with the
force labor of peasants of the Escambray mountain range, in the province
of Las Villas (today Sancti Spiritus.) Between 1960 and 1970, on four
different occasions, the army collected area farmers and peasants and,
after incarcerating the men, confined the women and children in
temporary shelters, later forcing the men to build makeshift dwellings
in remote areas of the island.
The families were later relocated in those towns. They were called
captive towns because its inhabitants could no leave them. Members of
the United Nations Commission that visited Cuba in 1988 interviewed
several inhabitants of those towns and were able to verify the injustice
that had been committed against them that stripped them of their lands
and personal property, aside from making them perpetual prisoners.
The United Nations Group on Internally Displaced Persons has documented
testimonies from these victims.
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