01 August 2003
The State of
Political Prisoners in Cuba
State Dept. cites mistreatment of dissidents, harsh jail conditions
Pointing to the recent arrest and imprisonment of 75 pro-democracy advocates
by the regime of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, the U.S. Department of State
issued a fact sheet August 1 that highlights the gross human rights abuses
suffered by jailed Cuban dissidents.
The "atrocious prison conditions" imposed by the Cuban government upon many
of its critics, the State Department said, include "contaminated water,
rancid food, poor hygiene, and little to no access to medical services."
These are "just some of abuses to which the prisoners are subjected," the
State Department noted.
Following is the text of the State Department fact sheet, with further
details:
(begin fact sheet)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Washington, D.C.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2003
Fact Sheet
Cuba: The State of Political Prisoners
The Government of Cuba's March 2003 sentencing of 75 pro-democracy advocates
to up to 28 years in prison constitutes the most severe crackdown on Cuban
dissidents in over two decades, marking a worrisome deterioration in Cuba s
human rights policies. As if the convictions do not violate human rights
sufficiently, the atrocious prison conditions, under which the prisoners of
conscience serve out their sentences, add yet more violations to Cuba's list
of human rights abuses. Contaminated water, rancid food, poor hygiene, and
little to no access to medical services are just some of abuses to which the
prisoners are subjected.
Many inmates have either developed serious health problems while in jail or
have experienced a worsening of preexisting health conditions due to the
lack of sanitation and medical services in prisons. While serving his
sentence at a prison in the city of Guantánamo, economist Oscar Espinosa
Chepe lay on the verge of death after being refused medical treatment for
liver cirrhosis and hypertension. Only after intense international pressure
did Cuban authorities transfer him to a prison hospital at Boniato, 764
kilometers from his home in Havana. The medical facilities at this prison
are far from ideal and his wife continues to demand that he be transferred
to a hospital in Havana.
At Manto Negro Women's Prison, Martha Beatriz Roque suffers from high blood
pressure, circulatory problems and severe weight loss; she has also been
denied appropriate medical treatment.
Many others, including Raúl Rivero, Jorge Olivera, and Roberto de Miranda,
also suffer from medical ailments resulting from improper care.
Prisoners' personal accounts tell of rat and insect infestation, beatings,
infrequent access to light, sweltering and freezing temperatures, and
solitary confinement. The fact that inmates have been sent to prisons
averaging a distance of approximately 400 kilometers away from their places
of residence constitutes an egregious burden for prisoners' families, who
must bear the expense and hardship of traveling long distances only for
brief (sometimes as short as five minutes) visits.
Several inmates, such as Víctor Rolando Arroyo and Oscar Elías Biscet
González, continue to protest human rights injustices from within prison and
have consequently been sent to punishment cells in which they are forced to
sleep on the floor of tiny cells with inadequate lighting and ventilation.
José Daniel Ferrer García began a hunger strike May 21, 2003, to protest the
prison authorities' refusal to grant him medical treatment for acute amebas
resulting from the prison's contaminated water.
The international reaction to these human rights abuses has been one of
indignation. Many have joined the United States in promoting political
freedom in Cuba. The European Union, for example, has taken significant
steps to pressure the Cuban government to reform by imposing diplomatic
sanctions.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) |
