13 June 2003
Cuba Subjects Jailed Dissidents to Harsh Conditions, Inhumane Treatment
(Reports indicate pattern of inadequate nutrition and health care)
(2680)
By Lauren Monsen
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Pro-democracy activists jailed by the regime of Cuban dictator
Fidel Castro are systematically subjected to harsh and life-threatening
prison conditions, according to first-hand accounts smuggled out of Cuba by
relatives of incarcerated dissidents.
A recent Associated Press report -- which appeared in several major U.S.
newspapers, including The Washington Post and The Miami Herald -- offers
vivid details of prison life in Cuba, as described by dissident journalist
Manuel Vazquez Portal. Vazquez, one of 75 Cuban activists arrested in March
during a crackdown on dissidents that was widely denounced around the world,
kept a diary that his wife secretly removed while visiting him at Boniato
Prison (located about 1,000 kilometers from Havana). The diary's contents
were later released to the international media.
The presence of rats, cockroaches and scorpions, according to Vazquez, is
but one example of the lack of sanitation in his tiny (1-1/2 meters wide by
3 meters long, or 5 feet by 10 feet) prison cell. That cell, he said,
contains a metal cot with a thin, hard, filthy mattress -- no pillow, no
blanket -- and "a Turkish [hole-in-the-ground] toilet with no running water
... that regurgitates stench 24 hours a day." The barred window, "through
which enters the sun's rays, the rain, the insects," Vazquez added, has "no
mosquito screen."
Above the primitive toilet is "a spigot that provides water for bathing and
drinking," Vazquez recorded. He said that he receives three meals a day, yet
the food is so bad it is "indescribable."
Although his testimonial could not be independently verified, since foreign
reporters and representatives of human rights organizations are refused
access to prisons on the communist-run island, fellow activist Elizardo
Sanchez vouched for the accuracy of Vazquez's statement. Sanchez, who served
four years in the same prison during the 1980s for disseminating what the
Castro regime refers to as "enemy propaganda," pronounced the story
"authentic."
A co-founder -- along with writer and journalist Raul Rivero -- of the
independent Cuba Press Agency, Vazquez was sentenced to 18 years in prison
after a summary trial. Rivero was given a 20-year prison sentence.
The State Department's 2002 Human Rights Report, issued in March 2003, also
documents the brutal conditions that prevail in Cuba's prison system.
Prisoners, "both common and political, often were subjected to repeated,
vigorous interrogations designed to coerce them into signing incriminating
statements, to force collaboration with authorities, or to intimidate
victims," the State Department said. "Some endured physical and sexual
abuse, typically by other inmates with the acquiescence of guards, or long
periods in punitive isolation cells."
On May 10, 2002, "political prisoner Carlos Luis Diaz Fernandez informed
friends that he had been held in solitary confinement since January 2000 in
a cell with no electric light and infested by rats and mosquitoes," the
Department noted in its report. Moreover, the State Department argued, many
such violations of human rights occurred -- and continue to occur, unchecked
-- in Cuba. On June 20, 2002, "a guard at Las Ladrilleras Prison in [Cuba's]
Holguin province instructed a common prisoner to beat political prisoner
Daniel Mesa," the Department said. "Mesa reportedly suffered brain damage as
a result of the attack."
The Cuban government "regularly failed to provide adequate nutrition and
medical attention, and a number of prisoners died during the year [2002] due
to lack of medical attention," the State Department added. Human rights
monitoring organizations, the Department said, "have reported the widespread
incidence in [Cuban] prisons of tuberculosis, scabies, hepatitis, parasitic
infections, and malnutrition."
Unsanitary practices appeared to be rampant, the State Department concluded.
For instance, "political prisoner Osvaldo Dussu Medina reported that inmates
in Boniato Prison were forced to wash their clothes in water contaminated
with feces and urine from a broken sewer pipe," the Department said. "Prison
authorities had been aware of the contamination for two years, but did
nothing to remedy the situation."
Relatives have reported that visits with inmates are sometimes curtailed or
refused, and that jailed dissidents are frequently singled out for
deprivation. "Prison officials regularly denied prisoners other rights, such
as the right to correspondence, and continued to confiscate medications and
food brought by family members for political prisoners," the State
Department pointed out. "Some prison officials routinely denied religious
workers access to detainees and prisoners. Reading materials, including
Bibles, were not allowed in punishment cells. Prison authorities refused to
grant blind dissident Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leyva access to his Braille
Bible."
Meanwhile, the State Department issued two separate press notices in June
2003, expressing concern about the health of several dissidents seized in
March and urging the Cuban government to provide medical care promptly to
ailing prisoners. Martha Beatriz Roque, age 57, is believed to be the only
woman arrested during the most recent crackdown against dissidents in Cuba;
since her incarceration, she has been denied "the level of medical attention
that she needs," the Department said.
In a June 6 press release, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher cited
allegations by Roque's family that "her health has deteriorated
significantly" because of deliberate neglect by Cuban authorities. "The
Cuban government is holding Ms. Roque in complete isolation," Boucher
explained. "She suffers from high blood pressure and circulatory problems,
is reportedly speaking incoherently, and has lost a great deal of weight."
Roque "heads an umbrella organization of dissident groups created in October
2002, [which] have called for democracy and greater respect for fundamental
freedoms" in Cuba, Boucher said. He condemned Roque's arrest on "trumped-up
treason charges," for which she was sentenced to 20 years in jail.
Noting that "the United States remains deeply concerned by reports that
political prisoners Raul Rivero, Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, Jorge Olivera,
Roberto di Miranda and Oscar Espinosa Chepe are also ill," Boucher called
upon the Cuban government to cease the inhumane treatment of all political
prisoners, and to "allow those who are ill to receive appropriate medical
care, and permit regular visits by family members and appropriate
humanitarian organizations." The United States, he said, is troubled by the
fact that "many of the 75 recently imprisoned dissidents are being held in
inhumane conditions, with very poor sanitation, contaminated water, nearly
inedible food, and little or no medical treatment."
Secretary of State Colin Powell, during his June 8-10 visit to Chile and
Argentina, also highlighted the Castro regime's human rights abuses. At a
Santiago press briefing on June 8, Powell applauded the June 5 decision of
the European Union (EU) to restrict travel of its officials to Cuba. The
EU's action, signaling strong disapproval of Castro's latest crackdown on
pro- democracy activists, is perceived by most analysts as a severe
diplomatic blow to the 76-year-old dictator who has ruled his nation since
1959.
The Castro regime was roundly criticized not only for its jailing of
activists, but for the April execution of three men who hijacked a boat in
an attempt to escape the country. (The men were tried and convicted in just
three days, and executed immediately after being condemned to death. No
appeals process was permitted.) Following "the deplorable actions" of the
regime against dissidents in March and would-be defectors in April, the EU
said, it has unanimously decided to re-evaluate its relations with Cuba. In
addition to limiting the travel of EU officials to the island, the EU
announced that it will reduce the profile of EU ambassadors at Cuban
cultural events, invite Cuban dissidents to EU national-day celebrations,
and strengthen EU ties to Cuban dissidents in general.
In a sharply worded statement issued by Greece on behalf of the entire
15-nation bloc, the EU said it is "deeply concerned about the continuing
flagrant violation of human rights and of fundamental freedoms of members of
the Cuban opposition and of independent journalists." The EU called for the
immediate release of all political prisoners in Cuba, and insisted that the
regime take steps to ensure that "in the meantime, prisoners do not suffer
unduly and are not exposed to inhumane treatment." The organization noted
that reports about poor jail conditions for prisoners with serious health
problems are on the rise.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said the EU decision will help provide
"visibility" to Cuba's dissidents while sending "a clear message" to the
island's dictator.
Powell praised the EU initiative, telling reporters June 8 that "the rest of
the world is now starting to take note" of Castro's "crackdown .. against
Cuban citizens seeking to act upon their basic human rights." The secretary
of state said that when he attends a scheduled U.S.-EU meeting later in
June, he will raise the subject of how to help Cuban dissidents. The United
States may join with the EU in adopting a common strategy towards Cuba, he
added.
Thirty-four of the 35 nations of the Western Hemisphere "are moving in the
right direction" on human rights, "at different rates and with occasional
setbacks, but Castro's Cuba remains the anachronism of the hemisphere, and
it's not getting better," Powell said. He expanded on this theme in a June 9
speech to the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS)
in Santiago, recalling that the 2002 Inter-American Democratic Charter
"declares that 'the peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy.'" The
charter, which the OAS formally endorsed, "does not say that the peoples of
the Americas, except Cubans, have a right to democracy," he wryly observed.
A senior OAS official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the
Knight Ridder News Service that "Castro made a very big mistake" when he
imprisoned 75 dissidents and executed three aspiring defectors after summary
trials. While conceding that the Cuban tyrant retains some support in
certain parts of the hemisphere, the OAS official predicted that if the Bush
Administration pushes the OAS to take action against Castro, "I think they
may get something."
The Knight Ridder News Service quoted Foreign Minister Bill Graham of
Canada, who attended the OAS gathering as well. Graham, whose country
usually opposes U.S. policies on Cuba, said "we do need to find ways" to
respond to Castro's crackdown.
In a June 10 telephone interview, a State Department specialist in Cuban
affairs offered his own assessment of the EU action. "It was very positive,
even if it doesn't improve living conditions for political prisoners," he
concluded. "Cuba has traditionally cited pretexts for its [periodic]
crackdowns, but the EU statement clearly rejects those excuses."
He suggested that even in Latin America and the Caribbean, where criticism
of Castro has often been muted, there are signs that public opinion may be
in the process of shifting. In late April, he pointed out, the United
Nations Human Rights Commission voted to pass a resolution censuring
Castro's persecution of dissidents; Uruguay, El Salvador and Peru were among
the resolution's co-sponsors. Such progress is welcomed and encouraged by
the United States, the State Department official said, although "we think
that Latin America could be more cooperative" in pressuring Castro to stop
harassing and imprisoning dissidents.
"It's hard to get some Latin American countries to do the right thing on
Cuba," he added, "but in fairness, it's difficult for them." The reasons for
this, he surmised, are probably two-fold. "The average Latin American
president is about 50 years old, so -- to most of them -- Castro is a
historical figure who's always been there" and has a certain mythic stature,
he explained. Besides, he said, the Cuban regime resorts to threats and
blackmail at the first hint of criticism from governments in the hemisphere.
"Cubans don't play fair; there really is no limit to what they're willing to
do" to coerce regional leaders into supporting Castro, or to at least
refrain from denouncing him, the official continued.
The Castro regime courts goodwill by sending Cuban doctors into many Third
World countries, including ones in Latin America, to assist the
underprivileged segments of the local population. Whenever Latin American
leaders are critical of Castro's iron-fisted approach to dissidents, "Cuba
threatens to yank its doctors" from these countries, the official said.
"Cuba also threatens to work with leftist fringe groups to encourage
demonstrations and unrest" in countries whose governments adopt an
adversarial stance towards Castro.
Yet "as Secretary Powell said, the countries of the hemisphere are committed
to democracy for all of our citizens," the official noted. And ultimately,
the official said, global pressure has proven to be an effective weapon
against a despot's ambitions. He mentioned the case of prominent Cuban
dissident Oswaldo Paya as an illustration of this principle. Paya is the
lead organizer of the Varela Project, which aims to introduce free elections
and other democratic reforms to Cuba. Taking advantage of a clause in Cuba's
communist constitution that allows citizens to seek a national referendum if
they can collect
10,000 signatures, Paya and other opposition leaders delivered a petition
with 11,020 signatures to the Cuban National Assembly, demanding election
reforms. The Cuban government has ignored the petition.
Paya has been showered with international accolades, however. In December
2002, he was awarded the Sakharov Prize -- the EU's top human rights award.
Named after the late Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the prize is bestowed
annually on people who defend human rights and democracy. Paya has also been
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by former Czech President Vaclav Havel,
who himself was once a dissident against a communist government. A former
political prisoner who was once condemned to forced labor by the Castro
regime, Paya says he has often been harassed and threatened by Cuban
security forces. Unlike Cuba's less renowned activists, though, Paya has
been permitted to travel overseas and has thus far been spared the fate of
the 75 dissidents arrested in March. "Precisely because of his visibility,
the Castro regime is afraid to target him," the State Department official
said.
Departing from Cuba on December 14 to collect the Sakharov Prize, Paya then
embarked on a 48-day world tour that took him to several countries --
including Spain, Italy, Mexico, the United States and the Czech Republic --
where he sought endorsement of the Varela Project. During his tour, he met
with Pope John Paul II in Rome, Secretary of State Colin Powell in
Washington, leaders of Cuba's exile community in Miami, and Mexican
President Vicente Fox in Mexico City. Heartened by the response to his
efforts, Paya said: "The world's reception to the Varela Project is a
solidarity message supporting the Cuban people and their right" to peaceful
democratic change.
If the international spotlight has shielded Paya from Castro's worst
excesses, comparable attention must be focused on the plight of other Cuban
dissidents, the State Department official asserted. The diary of imprisoned
journalist Vazquez, and similar documents smuggled out of Cuban jails by
prisoners' relatives, are a harrowing reminder of the dissidents'
vulnerability. Family members "take a risk in publishing" these accounts,
the official said. He noted that Vazquez's wife, Yolanda Huerga, has already
said that she expects reprisals from the Castro regime for telling her
husband's story to the press.
Powell's June 9 speech in Santiago before the OAS General Assembly
underscored the need for a united front against anti-democratic currents in
the region. "The people of Cuba increasingly look to the OAS for help in
defending their fundamental freedoms against the depredations of our
hemisphere's only dictatorship," the secretary said. The United States, he
added, looks forward to working with its OAS partners to find ways "to
hasten the inevitable democratic transition in Cuba," because "if our
experience over the last quarter-century in this hemisphere and across the
globe has taught us anything, it is that dictatorships cannot withstand the
force of freedom."
(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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