Cuba authorities urged to stop harassing dead activist’s family
22 February 2011

Amnesty International has urged Cuban authorities to end the harassment of relatives of a human rights activist who died during a hunger strike last year.

Reina Luisa Tamayo, whose son Orlando Zapata Tamayo died at a Havana prison in February 2010, told Amnesty International she was arrested by state security agents who threatened to stop her and other mourners from commemorating the anniversary of Orlando’s death in church, on 23 February.

“The fact that the Cuban authorities have so far failed to initiate an investigation into Orlando’s death is outrageous and preventing his family from properly celebrating his life is a scandal,” said Javier Zuñiga, Special Advisor at Amnesty International.

Tamayo, 72, her husband and another activist, Daniel Mesa, were forcefully detained on Friday 18 February by more than a dozen local security agents as they were walking around their village in Banes, north-west Cuba. Tamayo and her husband were released 12 hours later and Mesa, two days later.

Tamayo said the agents had threatened to prevent her leaving her home and go to the cemetery where her son is buried, in breach of her human rights.

“The recent releases of activists in Cuba, who shouldn’t have been put in prison in the first place, will only be meaningful if, once all activists are released, they are able to carry out their legitimate work defending human rights without fear of reprisals,” said Javier Zuñiga.

“The harassment suffered by people like Orlando Tamayo’s relatives clearly goes to show that things still have not changed in Cuba and the authorities need to do much more to ensure human rights are a reality for all.”

Orlando Zapata Tamayo was arrested in March 2003 and sentenced to three years in prison in May 2004 for “disrespect”, “public disorder” and “resistance”.

He was subsequently tried several times on further charges of “disobedience” and “disorder in a penal establishment” - the last time in May 2009 - and was serving a 36 year-sentence at the time of his death in prison.

Reina Tamayo said she intends to live in exile in the USA along with a number of her relatives and has been granted all relevant documents by the US authorities.

The Cuban government has yet to issue the necessary permits.

Cuban prisoner of conscience set to face trial

22 June 2010

Cuban President Raúl Castro must release a prisoner of conscience set to face trial on Tuesday on spurious charges after he organised a protest against the authorities, Amnesty International has said.


Darsi Ferrer, an independent journalist and Director of the Juan Bruno Zayas Health and Human Rights Centre in Havana, has been detained since his arrest in July 2009, just hours before a protest he had organised against repression in Cuba.

He was later charged with receiving illegally obtained goods and "violence or intimidation against a state official", charges that appear completely baseless.

“The Cuban authorities must drop these trumped up charges against Darsi Ferrer and release him immediately“, said Kerrie Howard, Americas deputy director at Amnesty International.

“He has been detained solely for his work promoting freedom of expression in Cuba”.

Darsi Ferrer has been held at a maximum security prison in the capital intended for inmates convicted of violent crimes. Ordinarily, an individual accused of these crimes would be bailed awaiting trial. However, Darsi Ferrer has been refused bail four times.

In February 2010, Amnesty International adopted him as a prisoner of conscience.

On 9 July 2009, Darsi Ferrer and his wife, Yusnaimy Jorge Soca, were detained by state security officials and police officers just before the protest was about to begin.

Darsi Ferrer was handcuffed and beaten by more than eight police officers. He and Yusnaimy were released without charge a few hours later.

When they arrived home, they noticed that two bags of cement, some iron girders and two window frames, which had been on their property for a few months, were missing. According to neighbours, police officers had confiscated them.

On 21 July, four police officers took Darsi Ferrer in for questioning about the materials. Once at the police station he was detained and driven to a maximum security prison on the outskirts of Havana.

The other charge of "violence or intimidation against a state official" apparently relates to comments Darsi Ferrer was overheard making - that an injustice was being committed and sooner or later things would change in Cuba.

Darsi Ferrer has previously been detained and prevented from leading and participating in human rights events.

Every year since 2006, he has been detained or summoned to a police station on or around 10 December (International Human Rights Day), apparently to prevent him from participating in activities celebrating the day.

The right to a fair trial is limited in Cuba, with courts and prosecutors under government control.

Cuba’s National Assembly elects the President, Vice-President and the other judges of the Peoples’ Supreme Court, as well as the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General.

In addition, all courts are subordinate to the National Assembly and the Council of State, raising concerns over internationally recognised standards for fair trial and the right to trial by an independent and impartial tribunal.

The right to a fair and proper defence is also unlikely to be fully respected, as lawyers are employed by the Cuban government and as such may be reluctant to challenge prosecutors or evidence presented by the state intelligence services.

By PAUL HAVEN (AP)

HAVANA — Cuba and a top Vatican official expressed optimism Wednesday that landmark negotiations between the church and Raul Castro's government will continue and indicated they could produce more breakthroughs on the treatment of dissidents and political prisoners.

The comments by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's foreign minister, and his Cuban counterpart were the latest signal that a month-old dialogue that has already led to the release of an ailing prisoner of conscience and the transfer of 12 others to jails closer to their homes is gaining strength.

"The dialogue that is happening now makes us happy, and I hope that it will be strengthened through my visit," Mamberti said at a joint news conference with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. "I think it is important ... to see the fruits" of such talks.

Rodriguez applauded the role the Church has been playing on the island, and said all signs point to more dialogue.

"We have held fluid and profoundly productive talks," he said. "We appreciate the constructive role of the Church in these matters and we think that all conditions exist ... for these fruitful exchanges to continue."

Neither spoke of any concrete steps that would see the release of more of Cuba's 180 political prisoners. Mamberti said he had no plans to meet with dissidents, though he did not rule it out.

On 20 May 1902, Cuba began a new life as an independent nation. From that date on, Cubans started to build the Republic for which Céspedes, Agramonte, Maceo, Gómez, Martí and other leaders in the fight for Cuban independence from Spain, had fought. This was system based on the rule of law, the equality of all citizens before it, checks and balances of power, the protection of individual rights and freedoms, and government through freely elected representatives.

Despite a colonial regime that for centuries kept Cubans away from any sort of self-government, despite some pervasive, and contrarian to the republican spirit social institutions like slavery, despite the authoritarian system of command and obedience fostered within the Liberation Army; Cubans progressed for half a century pursuing and partially achieving that republican ideal. This adventurous social experiment was suspended on 10 March 1952, with Fulgencio Batista’s coup d’état, and finally died abruptly seven years later, victim of what was then hailed as a providential rescue of the Republic, but ended up being its complete opposite: personal despotic rule, inequality before the law, and the systematic violation of all human rights that has lasted more than five decades.

Why do we march?

The Cuban “revolution” has been, throughout all these decades, an excellent propaganda campaign designed to hide Castrism’s unpresentable reality and the people’s growing rejection, shared today by a clear majority, of the system. To reveal this reality and to support those who are trying to change it, is one of our campaign’s most important tasks.

We invite you to march with us on this 20 May 2010 to celebrate the founding ideals of the Cuban Republic, and also the gallant courage of those who defend them in the island. That is why we are going to march for the political prisoners, for the late Orlando Zapata, for Guillermo Fariñas, the Ladies in White, the Support Ladies, the oppositionists, the Cuban independent journalists and bloggers. We will try to have them marching side by side with us.

It will probably be an entertaining virtual march, but not a frivolous or useless one. We Cubans need to learn how to express our desire for change, and to make it public in an encompassing and coordinated fashion. This is a rehearsal and a show of support for those who will be marching in many cities around the world commemorating this date.
How to take part

The march will take place all day on 20 May 2010. You must be a Twitter registered user to participate, and use the #20mayo hashtag for your tweets. The more you do it, the better. All who use the hashtag will “parade” using their own avatar and showing their last tweet. Again, it is an all day event and the starting point is here:

Virtual March #20mayo for the Republic of Cuba

http://isparade.jp/127355