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NEWS
Cubans retained in
Bahamas sent an urgent call in the last few hours to the International
Community.
Cuban Exiles, respond.
(MIAMI/FLORIDA/November 25, 2004/netforcuba.org) -
In a telephone conversation from the Carmichael Detention Center in
Nassau, Bahamas, David Martínez Pérez, member of the Democratic Party
November 30 "Frank País", denounced to Net for Cuba International, their
critical situation at the above mentioned detention center:
"There are tremendous problems here, yesterday at 6 in evening (November
23) officials sent us inside the barrack and locked us inside and barred
the door from the outside. At midnight they began hitting the door with
chains to make us come outside but none of us could go outside. They
cleared the obstacles from the door and officers entered the barracks
carrying large buckets filled with water and threw the water at us, in
their hands they has billy clubs to beat us up, incident that lead to
verbal protest on the part of the Cubans. This action was taken
arbitrarily only on the barracks occupied by the Cubans."
"On today's date (November 24) they threatened us with beatings, we
don't provoke anyone, they have a permanent grudge against the Cubans.
If they beat us up with the aid of the Marine as they promised, we will
set the barrack on fire with all of us inside."
"We need you to request that this denouncement be heard over the radio,
and be published by the press because you are our hope our hope, for you
are the only ones that can help us as the large and strong community
that you are. What is happening with all of us Cubans inside this
detention center, that we are constantly victimized, and abused in such
manner by the authorities of this Country? Could the Bahamas be a
totalitarian regime and as a consequence is not accountable for these
actions in the eyes of the World?"
"Today, it is 11:30 in the morning and they have not given us anything
for breakfast. They gave the women bute with worms for breakfast. No one
ate it, the women protested, all men, the Haitians, everybody protested
and so far they have not given us anything else to eat. This provoked
uneasiness in the center. The Official that ordered the assault on us
with pails of water is named Watson; I don't know the name of the rest
of the officers involved in the incident for they take all kinds of
precautions to hide their name tags to prevent us from identifying them.
But I need you to denounce this and that a call is made to the
population. To all the Cubans, the American people, and every human
being, to please support us and intercede on our behalf."
"I am speaking to you now for a Cuban at the center bribed a guard,
otherwise, I would not have had access to the telephone. The water, we
saved a water sample, it is dark, I wish you could see it. "Here, the
children are crying because they don't have food to eat or water to
drink, you understand me? We are pacific people but we are not going to
allow them to attacks us either."
"If in this detention center they have sent back to Cuba invalids in
wheelchairs, they will be sending us back in caskets for we cannot allow
them to do this".
"How much longer do we have to bear these unjustified abuses, if we
hardy ever talk here because we don't even speak their language? What is
the reason for the abuses? What gives them the right to mistreat us?
Why?"
"I need that you make an effort to have this played on the radio to see
if someone out there has mercy on us".
"We have made participated in hunger strikes up to 15 days when we were
political prisoners in Quemado de Güines. But the children here are
crying because they are are dying of hunger and thirst, so are the
women."
Faced with this facts, the Exile community has taken immediate action.
The Cuban Movement for a Unified Democracy , with headquarters in
Baltimore, Maryland, presided by the Engineer César Alarcón , who has
worked very closely with our organization for many years, initiated a
series of petitions at the highest level with the government of the
United States, to stop this unjustified wave of repression and a avoid
the possible deportations of our brothers to Cuba.
Mothers Against Repression/M.A.R. For Cuba this effort of the Cuban
Diaspora, requesting solidarity through their weekly radio programs and
have offered to send an economic contribution to benefit the needs of
our brothers in Bahamas, among others.
The Committee to Aid Human Rights Activists (CAHRA) and the Movement
November 30, with headquarters in North Bergen, New Jersey, achieved the
opening of a new investigation by Amnesty International about the recent
allegations of tortures, beatings and other abuses committed against
Cubans and Haitians in the Carmichael Detention Center in Nassau,
Bahamas, and they sent copies of the violation's report to the Minister
of the Exterior of the Bahamas, Fred Mitchell, forcing him to make a
public statement in this regard.
Doctor Ondina Menocal, a former political prisoner and human rights
activist, has offered to call on all brother in the Faith, for
solidarity with this difficult situation in the Bahamas.
The newspaper: "The Opponent" that our fellow countryman Jay Martínez
edits in San Juan, Puerto Rico, reproduced in the recent article
published in the "Nuevo Herald", with the statements given by Mayra
Enriquez, member of Agenda Cuba and Daisy Gil Ortiz, director of Net For
Cuba International that The New Herald appeared in the newspaper,
on the declarations that gives Mayra Enriquez,to the channels Univision
23 New and 41 America TeVe News, upon their return from their trip to
the Bahamas.
Agenda Cuba, has maintained a permanent denouncement through their
weekend radio show requesting the community's contributions and make
efforts to prevent that these injustices continue to be perpetrated
against our brother in the detention center.
Net for Cuba International, reaffirms its commitment of continuing
denouncing this delicate situation, and equally exhorts the
international community to firmly pronounce itself against such abuses
and all efforts to avoid the deportation of this group of Cuban refugees
and opponent to the Cuban government.
For further information on how you can help, please contact Daisy Gil
Ortiz, Director, of Net For Cuba International at: 305-220-2715 or
786-255-3356.
This declaration was given as an exclusive for immediate distribution to
Daisy Gil Ortiz, Director of Net For Cuba International on November 23,
2004.
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