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US GOVERNMENTS REPORTS |
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17 November 2003
Latin American
Leaders Urged to Help Jailed Cuban Political Dissidents
Press freedom defenders condemn Cuba's human rights situation
By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- A group that defends media freedom and imprisoned journalists
worldwide has urged heads of state in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal to
press the regime of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro to release 75 political
dissidents, who earlier in 2003 were arrested and sentenced to up to 28
years in prison.
"Reporters Without Borders" said in a November 14 statement at the opening
of the two-day Ibero-American Summit held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, that the
dissidents were working to "build democracy and the rule of law" in Cuba.
Such work corresponded with the final declaration issued at the 2002
Ibero-American summit, said Reporters Without Borders. The imprisoned
dissidents include journalists, human rights activists, trade unionists,
librarians and political activists.
The media group, with international headquarters in Paris, called on the
Latin leaders attending the summit to "stick to your promises and make human
rights your main focus," adding: "We know several of you who have suffered
under repressive regimes will be especially concerned to do this." The
imprisonment of the 75 dissidents increased the number of political
prisoners in Cuba to more than 300 people, said Reporters Without Borders.
Among those imprisoned was Cuban journalist and poet Raul Rivero, who was
sentenced to 20 years in prison after what the group called a "sham trial at
which defense rights were not respected." Rivero was accused of publishing
his articles outside the country and of meeting U.S. diplomats in Havana.
Reporters Without Borders said that "neither of these actions are crimes in
a democracy."
Cuba's crackdown against the dissidents sparked worldwide condemnation of
the action. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, for example, issued a May
4 denunciation of Castro's regime for jailing people "who choose to speak
their own mind." Powell said Cuba is an "anachronism" in the Western
Hemisphere and on the "face of the earth."
The European Union adopted a resolution September 4 reiterating its
condemnation of what it described as the "flagrant" violation of civil and
political rights in Cuba, and called for the immediate release of all
political prisoners in the country.
The 15-member community of Caribbean nations known as Caricom also joined
the outcry by calling for clemency for the 75 dissidents. Caricom's foreign
ministers expressed their "concern at the conduct" of the trials of the
dissidents and said they were "deeply disturbed" by the severity of the jail
sentences meted out.
The Organization of American States and the United Nations issued their own
joint statement, expressing "profound regret and grave concern" regarding
the lengthy prison sentences the defendants received after less than a week
on trial. The two organizations said the arrests and jailings "constitute a
severe erosion of the right to freedom of opinion and expression" in Cuba.
Reporters Without Borders also announced that Cuban independent journalist
Bernardo Arévalo Padrón has been freed after serving six years in jail.
Arévalo Padrón was jailed for "insulting" President Fidel Castro and Vice
President Carlos Lage.
Reporters Without Borders said the "release on 13 November of Arévalo
Padrón, head of the former Línea Sur Press, has put an end to his family's
suffering. But he had to serve his full sentence, without any reduction. The
[Cuban] authorities made him pay a heavy price for criticizing them."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information
Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) |
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