Spanish news agency, Europa Press, interviewed Cuban opposition activist Guillermo del Sol this morning. He stated that he will take over Guillermo Fariñas’ place in his prolonged hunger strike if the latter dies.
“If I have to retake on my hunger strike, I am ready to go to the death, and thus continue the struggle of Guillermo Fariñas and Orlando Zapata Tamayo” remarked Del Sol. “It is not a capricious personal [thing], the release of those political prisoners who are ill is a just and dignified demand” he added.
He also asked the international community for help: “I want to ask the international community, especially those persons and governments that have shown [us] their good will, to hold the Cuban dictatorship accountable. It is time to clamor for Fariñas. The EU and those wonderful countries that form it, like Spain, can help a lot on this issue.”
You can read the rest of the interview [in Spanish] at the link.
“If I have to retake on my hunger strike, I am ready to go to the death, and thus continue the struggle of Guillermo Fariñas and Orlando Zapata Tamayo” remarked Del Sol. “It is not a capricious personal [thing], the release of those political prisoners who are ill is a just and dignified demand” he added.
He also asked the international community for help: “I want to ask the international community, especially those persons and governments that have shown [us] their good will, to hold the Cuban dictatorship accountable. It is time to clamor for Fariñas. The EU and those wonderful countries that form it, like Spain, can help a lot on this issue.”
You can read the rest of the interview [in Spanish] at the link.
The situation of the opposition activist is dire.
Licet Zamora, the spokesperson for Guillermo Fariñas has told one of the members of our team, on a follow-up call, that Fariñas is convinced that he is going to die. “When I called this morning to monitor his situation, I heard him saying to someone next to him: ‘Tell her that I am about to depart.”
He is “suffering enormously, [from the] raging pain caused by a clot in his neck, his whole body aches, and it is hard [for him] to stand it. He tells me: ‘I want to die to end this situation’” stated Zamora. Fariñas has been in a hunger and thirst strike for more than four months.
“In spite the fact that the medical teams is battling to save the life of Guillermo Fariñas, they have no much hope because this is his [hunger] strike number 23, and his [body] is [virtually][…] collapsed” added Zamora. The rest of the support team to the opposition activist doesn’t have “much hope” either of Fariñas surviving this hunger strike.
Doctors have found a clot in the opposition activist’s left carotid artery. “He continues to be completely inflamed, although even more on his neck and the left arm shows a protrusion, among other inflammations.” Doctors have inclined his bed on a 45º angle “to prevent the clot from flowing [up] in his bloodstream and lodge itself in his head, lungs or heart because if it happened, he could not overcome the thrombosis.”
The medical team has performed multiple tests, and it is awaiting the results to “determine what kind of antibiotics they are going to administer to him at this moment” stated Zamora.
Licet Zamora, the spokesperson for Guillermo Fariñas has told one of the members of our team, on a follow-up call, that Fariñas is convinced that he is going to die. “When I called this morning to monitor his situation, I heard him saying to someone next to him: ‘Tell her that I am about to depart.”
He is “suffering enormously, [from the] raging pain caused by a clot in his neck, his whole body aches, and it is hard [for him] to stand it. He tells me: ‘I want to die to end this situation’” stated Zamora. Fariñas has been in a hunger and thirst strike for more than four months.
“In spite the fact that the medical teams is battling to save the life of Guillermo Fariñas, they have no much hope because this is his [hunger] strike number 23, and his [body] is [virtually][…] collapsed” added Zamora. The rest of the support team to the opposition activist doesn’t have “much hope” either of Fariñas surviving this hunger strike.
Doctors have found a clot in the opposition activist’s left carotid artery. “He continues to be completely inflamed, although even more on his neck and the left arm shows a protrusion, among other inflammations.” Doctors have inclined his bed on a 45º angle “to prevent the clot from flowing [up] in his bloodstream and lodge itself in his head, lungs or heart because if it happened, he could not overcome the thrombosis.”
The medical team has performed multiple tests, and it is awaiting the results to “determine what kind of antibiotics they are going to administer to him at this moment” stated Zamora.
Our campaign has learned via telephone from Licet Zamora, of Guillermo Fariñas’ spokesperson, that his has taken another turn for the worse, and his closest supporters and relatives spent the night at the hospital “expecting the worst.” “His situation is very critical, [we] the members of his team have spent the night in the lobby of the hospital, and his mother is very worried,” stated Zamora to one of the members of our team.
His body suffers from “an inflammation” that began yesterday. He is suffering from aches on his neck and joints, and his body temperature goes through sudden dramatic changes from 41⁰ C (105⁰ F) to 35⁰ C (95⁰ F). According to Zamora, the doctors are keeping a “reserved prognosis” for Fariñas. They are talking of a “situation” with his liver, which comes to complicate even more his already critical state.
It seems that most of his problems originate with his malfunctioning gallbladder. To alleviate the situation, he is “being given some powders [enzymatic compounds] that should be dissolved in water” to drink, but since he is in a hunger and thirst strike, he ingests them dry. This situation “would require surgery, but doctors consider it not possible, since given his weakness he would not [survive] general anesthesia.”
His body suffers from “an inflammation” that began yesterday. He is suffering from aches on his neck and joints, and his body temperature goes through sudden dramatic changes from 41⁰ C (105⁰ F) to 35⁰ C (95⁰ F). According to Zamora, the doctors are keeping a “reserved prognosis” for Fariñas. They are talking of a “situation” with his liver, which comes to complicate even more his already critical state.
It seems that most of his problems originate with his malfunctioning gallbladder. To alleviate the situation, he is “being given some powders [enzymatic compounds] that should be dissolved in water” to drink, but since he is in a hunger and thirst strike, he ingests them dry. This situation “would require surgery, but doctors consider it not possible, since given his weakness he would not [survive] general anesthesia.”
In the following video, you can see how Reina Luisa Tamayo and some members of her family (dressed in white) are harassed by a horde of alleged supporters of the Cuban dictatorship at their home near the Eastern Cuba town of Banes. Notice the police presence and how these women valiantly stand their ground against the insults (they are being called "vermin", and commanded to leave the country) and the aggression of the mob.
Blogger and journalist Marc Masferrer, reprises his yearly post about Cuba's Black Spring and the political prisoners arrested and unjustly incarcerated during these events because he "felt it appropriate to again remind anyone paying attention of these brave Cubans suffering because of their faith in freedom and in their fellow Cubans."
We reproduce part of it here:
Some 75 Cuban journalists, librarians, human rights activists and other dissidents were arrested and imprisoned during the "black spring," which started March 18, 2003.
Fifty-two of them remain in Raul Castro's gulag, as of June 24, 2010.
There are hundreds, if not thousands more political prisoners jailed in Cuba because of their opposition to tyranny and dedication to freedom. Their suffering is no less that that experienced by those arrested during the "black spring," and they are no less deserving of your prayers and solidarity. (You can read about many of them by clicking on the names on the right side of this page.)
But the Group of 75 — which now stands at 52, after a series of paroles for medical and other reasons, Reinaldo Labrada Peña completing his sentence and Orlando Zapata Tamayo dying as the result of a hunger strike — is deserving of special consideration because they were at the front lines of the struggle to bring real change to Cuba, to bring nothing less than real democracy, freedom and human rights, whether they were activists gathering signatures for the Varela Project or journalists telling the story of Cuba, the real Cuba, for the world to know.
The dictatorship could not stand it so, as the world focused on the imminent U.S. invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003, Fidel Castro struck back, and struck back hard, arresting 75 dissidents and sentencing them to prison terms of up to 28 years for daring to oppose his dictatorship.
And the world barely raised a whisper of protest. The United Nations subsequently elected Cuba to its Human Rights Council and the European Union repealed diplomatic sanctions implemented in response to the crackdown, even though most of those arrested remained in jail.
But in the past four months, since Zapata's death, many who previously chose to ignore the Cuban human rights situation or worse, to appease the Castro dictatorship, have turned on Havana, demanding the release of the Group of 75 and other political prisoners. The Castros have been unmoved, but the pressure has been real.
As horrific as Zapata's suffering was — simply put, he was murdered by the regime — his death has not been in vain. More people now know about the reality of the Castro gulag, and more importantly are now speaking out against it.
We are that much closer to his fellow prisoners being free.
Fidel Castro's action in 2003 was not just an attack on Cuban liberty, it was an assault of freedom everywhere. As long as a single Cuban is jailed because of something he wrote or because he believed every Cuban should have a real vote, we are all less free.
To appease the tyranny in Havana and expect a change in behavior by the dictatorship is as deplorable as the crimes committed by the Castros.
So that's why it is incumbent we all do something on behalf of the Group of 52.
Tell someone why the embargo should remain in place.
Tell someone that Raul Castro is no different than his big brother.
Tell someone Oscar Biscet's story.
Tell someone about Ariel Sigler Amaya, who has been left a shell of his former self after seven years in the gulag. He has been released from prison, and his spirit is strong, but his physical recovery has only begun.
Tell someone about Orlando Zapata Tamayo
If you are Catholic, tell your church leaders to work for the release of all Cuban political prisoners.
Say a prayer.
Go here to learn the names, biographies and faces of The Group of 52, and do not miss the video either.
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com
A Cuban court sentenced dissident Darsi Ferrer to 15 months in prison but sent him home Tuesday in what activists saw as a government decision to end his status as a political prisoner. Ferrer, a doctor jailed for 11 months while awaiting trial on charges of illegal possession of building materials and attacking a neighbor, will serve the next four months under house arrest.
But Ferrer said he would not accept the sentence and vowed to continue his dissident activities even if it landed him back in jail.
``Today my compromise with the Cuban people is higher than when they sent me to prison,'' he told El Nuevo Herald in a telephone interview from Havana. ``I know that many [dissident] brothers and thousands of other Cubans remain in prison in sub-human conditions.''
The decision to let him serve the rest of the sentence outside prison was nevertheless seen by other activists as a positive gesture.
``The government took advantage of the trial to close the case because . . . [returning him to prison] would have meant a step back in its effort to show a friendlier face on prisoners of conscience,'' said human-rights activist Elizardo Sánchez.
Ferrer, 40, was named a ``prisoner of conscience'' by Amnesty International in February and received an honorable mention in the 2009 ``Defenders of Freedom'' prize awarded by the U.S. State Department.
Prosecutors asked for a three-year sentence, said his wife, Yusnaimy Jorge. But Raúl Castro's government has been negotiating with Catholic church leaders for the release of some political prisoners and the transfer of others to institutions closer to their homes.
Although Ferrer was charged with common crimes, he and his supporters have steadfastly maintained that the government was trying to silence his political activism.
He is director of the nongovernment Health and Human Rights Center Juan Bruno Zayas and has organized the annual marches in central Havana making World Human Rights day on Dec. 10.
Marc has the audio of a phone interview that Cuban Democratic Directorate's Janisset Rivero conducted [in Spanish] with Escobedo on 6 June 2010.Cuban political prisoner Egberto Escobedo Morales told Cuban Democratic Directorate [in Spanish] today that he has ended a hunger strike he started April 16 because of poor health. But he is continuing his protest in the form of a fast during which he will only ingest liquid nutrients.
Escobedo, whose weight is down to 110 pounds, said he is suffering from colon and lung problems. He is currently being held in the same prison hospital where fellow political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo died Feb. 23 — four months ago today — after an 86-day hunger strike.
Escobedo, who has been imprisoned since 1995, reiterated three demands of his protest:
Escobedo also said he is opposed to the lifting of American sanctions on the Castro regime.
- The release of all political prisoners.
- Negotiations between the government and opposition on a democratic transition.
- The allowing of visits to Cuban prisons by international human rights groups.
Four months ago today, Orlando Zapata Tamayo died as a consequence of his eighty five day long hunger strike demanding the release of 26 very ill political prisoners. Since then, despite his sacrifice, and the mediation of the Catholic Church hierarchy in Cuba, only one has been released.
We honor Zapata by taking on his fight, and demand the immediate and unconditional release of the rest of The 26, and all of Cuba's political prisoners.
Join us on this demand by signing our Declaration now.
We honor Zapata by taking on his fight, and demand the immediate and unconditional release of the rest of The 26, and all of Cuba's political prisoners.
Join us on this demand by signing our Declaration now.
Reporters Sans Frontières, the international NGO that defends the freedom of journalists and of expression, had this to say about Dr. Darsi Ferrer's release:
“We are obviously relieved by Ferrer’s release even if he was finally given a jail sentence to match the time he already had spent behind bars,” Reporters Without Borders said. “No one is fooled about the real reason for his detention as this is a country in which the authorities tolerate no public expression of dissenting views. His release was not in any way an act of clemency or, even less so, a sign of an improvement in respect for basis rights and freedoms.”
Cuba still has approximately 200 prisoners of conscience, who include 24 journalists. One of them is the Reporters Without Borders correspondent Ricardo González Alfonso, who has been held since the “Black Spring” crackdown of March 2003.
Dissidents continue to be the target of harassment, repression and hate campaigns by the authorities and their supporters. Hablemos Press, a small independent news agency, reported that two more journalists, José Manuel Caraballo Bravo and Raúl Arias Márquez of the Agencia de Prensa Libre Avileña (APLA), were arrested on 21 June.
Reporters Without Borders reiterates its appeal to the community of Latin American countries to intercede on behalf of Cuba’s imprisoned journalists and dissidents, some of whom have fallen seriously ill since their arrest
Dr Darsi Ferrer: "I do not accept any sentence from this tribunal"
posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2010Dr. Darsi Ferrer, in a phone interview [in Spanish] with Miami-based journalist Nelson Rubio after his trial stated that the hearing “was exactly what I expected, a big circus in which ended all this theater initiated eleven months ago.”
To the opposition activist “it was clear that it was not for common crimes that they wanted to [send me to prison] but simply as a punishment for my political ideals, for having a different political opinion from that which the government forces [on the Cuban people].”
He remarked that the trial was nothing more than “a farce”, and pointed out the injustice of which he has been a victim since the beginning: “I do not accept any sentence from this tribunal because I have not committed any common crime, and I would not agree with any kind of sentence in light of this farce orchestrated by Security of State.”
Several opposition activists and foreign diplomats stood in front of the building where the trial was held [as a show of support]. “It was incredibly emotional”—said Ferrer—“I am not ashamed to confess that when I heard the shouts of ‘Liberty!’ I was in the holding cell, waiting to be taken to trial, and tears came to my eyes for the solidarity and fraternity of my brothers in the struggle.”
For the opposition activist it was “something indescribable, they were very courageous, despite that there were many policemen to instill fear. It happened for a long time, and it could be heard many blocks around. They did it valiantly and openly.” “The opposition has shown is valor, despite the difficult circumstances in which it works.”
Ferrer lauded “the support of Cubans [outside of Cuba]” that “is always a breath of fresh air that gives us strength, another reason to continue our fight and not feel alone while struggling with the calamities one faces imprisoned in inhumane conditions.”
He described the conditions to which he was subjected in jail: “Food is terrible, basically inedible and does not meet basic nutritional requirements. I [have been suffering] eleven months of psychological trauma because of the constant mistreatment, [and for being] in a situation unfavorable to [normal] mental health. I conducted three hunger strikes that have caused me anemia.”
Ferrer dismissed all those things as inconsequential, without much significance because it is harder for him to be outside knowing that he has left “many brothers in jail, under the boot of the military and behind bars, [and] that it is more painful than any illness anyone can [suffer] in prison.”
Regarding the dialog between the Catholic Church and the regime, Ferrer said not to have much information due to the lack of access to it in jail. However, he knew of the role of “mediator” that the Church has assumed in the past few weeks “in light of the grave and dramatic situation of the regime, with its long fifty years of abuses, injustices and disaster as a system.”
He remarked that he was “no one to question the position of the Church” and that he “would like to believe the releases are due to its intervention, but I do not have the certainty that things are happening for said efforts.”
“The Cuban people need Solutions for its dramatic situation, and may all be welcome, coming from anywhere they may come.” The most important thing, is that “the rights of Cubans are respected and that there are reforms to alleviate the economic situation.” He also asked for a change in the penal system, to which end he “would invite the Church to negotiate so it is allowed to visit the country’s prisons —overcrowded, where a cruel and inhumane treatment is exerted—and they can celebrate religious services.”
“Scarcity and the failure of the Castroite model is what are pushing the people to defend their rights more actively so that Solutions to our reality are found.” The releases “are due to the International pressure, the courage of the opposition, the unavoidable necessities of the Cuban people who have no chance of a dignified life, and all this failure [that is] unsustainable.” The doctor believes that any reaction from the government happens because of “the pressure of an increasingly cornered people, and the courage of the opposition to achieve freedom for our country.”
To the opposition activist “it was clear that it was not for common crimes that they wanted to [send me to prison] but simply as a punishment for my political ideals, for having a different political opinion from that which the government forces [on the Cuban people].”
He remarked that the trial was nothing more than “a farce”, and pointed out the injustice of which he has been a victim since the beginning: “I do not accept any sentence from this tribunal because I have not committed any common crime, and I would not agree with any kind of sentence in light of this farce orchestrated by Security of State.”
Several opposition activists and foreign diplomats stood in front of the building where the trial was held [as a show of support]. “It was incredibly emotional”—said Ferrer—“I am not ashamed to confess that when I heard the shouts of ‘Liberty!’ I was in the holding cell, waiting to be taken to trial, and tears came to my eyes for the solidarity and fraternity of my brothers in the struggle.”
For the opposition activist it was “something indescribable, they were very courageous, despite that there were many policemen to instill fear. It happened for a long time, and it could be heard many blocks around. They did it valiantly and openly.” “The opposition has shown is valor, despite the difficult circumstances in which it works.”
Ferrer lauded “the support of Cubans [outside of Cuba]” that “is always a breath of fresh air that gives us strength, another reason to continue our fight and not feel alone while struggling with the calamities one faces imprisoned in inhumane conditions.”
He described the conditions to which he was subjected in jail: “Food is terrible, basically inedible and does not meet basic nutritional requirements. I [have been suffering] eleven months of psychological trauma because of the constant mistreatment, [and for being] in a situation unfavorable to [normal] mental health. I conducted three hunger strikes that have caused me anemia.”
Ferrer dismissed all those things as inconsequential, without much significance because it is harder for him to be outside knowing that he has left “many brothers in jail, under the boot of the military and behind bars, [and] that it is more painful than any illness anyone can [suffer] in prison.”
Regarding the dialog between the Catholic Church and the regime, Ferrer said not to have much information due to the lack of access to it in jail. However, he knew of the role of “mediator” that the Church has assumed in the past few weeks “in light of the grave and dramatic situation of the regime, with its long fifty years of abuses, injustices and disaster as a system.”
He remarked that he was “no one to question the position of the Church” and that he “would like to believe the releases are due to its intervention, but I do not have the certainty that things are happening for said efforts.”
“The Cuban people need Solutions for its dramatic situation, and may all be welcome, coming from anywhere they may come.” The most important thing, is that “the rights of Cubans are respected and that there are reforms to alleviate the economic situation.” He also asked for a change in the penal system, to which end he “would invite the Church to negotiate so it is allowed to visit the country’s prisons —overcrowded, where a cruel and inhumane treatment is exerted—and they can celebrate religious services.”
“Scarcity and the failure of the Castroite model is what are pushing the people to defend their rights more actively so that Solutions to our reality are found.” The releases “are due to the International pressure, the courage of the opposition, the unavoidable necessities of the Cuban people who have no chance of a dignified life, and all this failure [that is] unsustainable.” The doctor believes that any reaction from the government happens because of “the pressure of an increasingly cornered people, and the courage of the opposition to achieve freedom for our country.”
By WILL WEISSERT - Associated Press Writer
A Cuban court found prominent opposition leader Darsy Ferrer guilty of purchasing black-market cement on Tuesday, but he was released on time served since it took nearly a year for his case to go to trial.
Human rights officials say that Ferrer was arrested for a common crime officials usually overlook - or punish with a simple fine - in an attempt to silence his criticism of the government.
Ferrer's trial was closed to the media and most of the public, but his wife, Yusnaimy Jorge Soca, said he was found guilty of purchasing black-market building materials and was ordered released. He is supposed to serve the roughly four months remaining on his 15-month sentence at the couple's Havana home.
"I think what happened inside was the fair outcome. It's what we've waited for since the beginning," Jorge told reporters outside the courthouse in the Cuban capital's 10 de Octubre district. "We only wanted to repair our home."
Ferrer was taken to a police station for processing, but was expected to head home soon.
While other prisoners arrived at court together in a van, Ferrer was brought in a police car with two Ministry of Interior agents wearing green uniforms.
Jorge and about 30 relatives and supporters, many of them self-described dissidents, waited outside the courthouse for about two hours, occasionally shouting "Liberty!" and anti-government slogans. Jorge was allowed to enter when her husband's trial started.
Diplomats from the United States, Britain and a few other nations stood in the shade of nearby trees, but they made no comment and left before the verdict was announced. Cuban state security agents in plain clothes watched from surrounding street corners.
A physician, Ferrer is among Cuba's most prominent dissidents. Like most of those, however, he is better known abroad than in his own country, where the state-run media almost never mentions him.
In years past, he organized tiny street demonstrations to mark International Human Rights Day in December, but he has been in prison since July 21, 2009.
The state controls nearly all construction under Cuba's communist system and many people turn to private sources for quicker repairs. Cement and scores of other building materials supplied that way are often pilfered from state stocks.
Ferrer and his wife said they obtained the cement to repair a collapsing wall in their home, and didn't expect it to become a political issue.
Ferrer's release after being held without trial for 11 months could add to signs Cuba's government is softening its stance toward organized dissent.
The government of Raul Castro recently promised Roman Catholic Church leaders to move political prisoners to facilities closer to home, and to give better access to medical care for inmates who need it.
So far, 12 prisoners have been transferred and one, Ariel Sigler, was released for health reasons. Sigler was a boxer when he entered prison seven years ago, but is now confined to a wheelchair.
He was one of 75 leading community organizers, opposition activists and independent journalists arrested in March 2003 during a crackdown on dissent and charged with conspiring with Washington to destabilize Cuba's government - charges both those arrested and U.S. authorities denied.
Elizardo Sanchez, head of the independent, Havana-based, National Commission on Human Rights and Reconciliation, says Cuba holds 180 political prisoners, a list that had included Ferrer.
Cuban officials say they hold no political prisoners and have the right to jail traitors.
H/T to Marc Masferrer
Yoani Sánchez: Dr. Darsi Ferrer sentenced to 3 months of house arrest
posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010The #OZT I accuse the Cuban government Campaign has learned from Yoani Sanchez that Dr. Darsi Ferrer has received a 1 year and 2 months sentence.
The tribunal acknowledged Dr. Ferrer’s time served without a trial, and has apparently sent him home to serve the rest of his sentence (three months) under house arrest.
Just as Marc Masferrer had denounced two days ago, the Cuban regime mobilized its paramilitary aparatus of repression to prevent opposition activists from attending the sham trial of Dr. Darsi Ferrer.
Yoani Sánchez and Katia Sonia Martin, activist with CID [Cuba Independiente y Democrática or Independent and Democratic Cuba] reported on Twitter [in Spanish] that paramilitary hordes prevented them from reaching the tribunal where the trial was being held. The police also arrested activist Hugo Damian Prieto Blanco and took him to an unknown location.
We will continue to monitor the situation, and share information as it becomes available to us. Please keep checking back with us on this post throughout the day.
Yoani Sánchez and Katia Sonia Martin, activist with CID [Cuba Independiente y Democrática or Independent and Democratic Cuba] reported on Twitter [in Spanish] that paramilitary hordes prevented them from reaching the tribunal where the trial was being held. The police also arrested activist Hugo Damian Prieto Blanco and took him to an unknown location.
We will continue to monitor the situation, and share information as it becomes available to us. Please keep checking back with us on this post throughout the day.
UPDATE: in the comments, reader Maria informs that Aini Martin Valero, independent journalist informs from La Habana that she was intercepted by Security of State agents at her own home who rudely, and with obscene words, warned her in front of her children against attending the trial. Other sources in La Habana inform that in addition to Hugo Damian Prieto Blanco, opposition activists Miguel Amado Fonseca, Merardo Maldonado Romero and Jorge Arufe Carbonell were also arrested on their way to the tribunal.
UPDATE II: The Cuban Commission for Assistance to Political Prisoners & Families corrects our previous update:
Via telephone we spoke with Miguel Amado Reyes Fonseca, president of the Commission for Assistance to Political Prisoners & their Families (CAPPF) and Lázaro Prieto Álvarez Director for the Center for Human Rights and Democracy Brigade 2506.
This morning CAPPF and CDHD human rights activists: Miguel Amado Fonseca, Merardo Maldonado Romero, Jorge Arufe Carbonell were detained by State Security Agents while en route to the 10 of October Tribunal to serve as observers in the trial of prisoner of conscience, Dr. Darsi Ferrer.
The activists were threatened and told that if they continued towards the Tribunal they would be arrested and taken to the PNR (National Revolutionary Police) Station.
In the areas adjacent to the Tribunal, there was a large presence of State Security Agents dressed in plain clothes, and Patrol Vehicle No. 341, that customarily patrols the area.
All those who tried to reach the Tribunal were intercepted by these Agents. It is stated that many human rights activists were able to enter the Tribunal despite these acts of harassment.
Cuban prisoner of conscience set to face trial
22 June 2010Cuban 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.
Source: Amnesty International.
Poster courtesy of Rolando Pulido.
We update this post to remind you that today, Dr. Ferrer is to stand trial in La Habana, on trumpted up charges (supposed illegal possession of construction materials: two sacks of cement). Dr Ferrer's trial comes after a year in which he was held in terrible condiions without being tried. In reality, we know that the regime is trying to silence yet another critical voice who has raised up and asked for change and freedom.
More background, coverage and updates, at Marc Masferrer's Uncommon Sense blog.
We reproduce Marc's letter to the Cuban government on behalf of Dr. Ferrer.
We reproduce Marc's letter to the Cuban government on behalf of Dr. Ferrer.
Dear Sir:
My name is Marc R. Masferrer. I am a journalist and blogger. I am an American. And I am Cuban.
I am writing to inform you that with the knowledge and experience that comes with being all of the above, I will be watching closely on Tuesday as your government takes to trial Dr. Darsi Ferrer Ramírez.
I know that Dr. Ferrer is innocent of the pending charges, and that the proceedings today will be nothing but a farce. I know this, and so does anyone in the world with a reasonable assessment of your government and what it has done to Cuba for more than 51 years.
I know that Dr. Ferrer is being prosecuted and persecuted solely because of his advocacy for a free and democratic Cuba, a Cuba that Fidel Castro promised before he took power in 1959, a Cuba that he, his government and the communist party have betrayed for more than 51 years.
I know that any libels or slanders launched by the regime and its agents against Dr. Ferrer are nothing but lies.
You may choose to ignore to what I have written; you may not even open this e-mail.
Just know I will be watching. And as I have done for almost 5 years on my blog, I will be holding you and your government to account what it does on Tuesday to Dr. Ferrer. And so will many others around the world.
You may silence Dr. Ferrer, if only temporarily. But you will never silence me and others around the world who admire and support this brave man.
Just know, you will not get away with what you are about to do to Dr. Ferrer.
Still, there is time to save yourself embarrassment and to do the right thing:
FREE DARSI FERRER NOW!
Respectfully,
Marc R. Masferrer
Almost four months have passed since the death of political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who lost his life after numerous abuses at the hands of Cuban penal authorities, and as the result of a prolonged hunger strike demanding a dignified and humane treatment from his captors.
Almost four months have passed since the beginning of the ongoing hunger strike by opposition activist Guillermo Fariñas protesting the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, and demanding the release of 26 gravelly ill political prisoners.
A few weeks have gone by since the beginning of the negotiations between the Catholic Church, and the higher echelons of the regime —negotiations that have excluded and ignored the members of the opposition and civil society, and whose only tangible results until now have been a revocable “extra-penal license” [parole] for political prisoner Ariel Sigler Amaya, and the transfer of 12 others to penitentiaries closer to their places of residence.
Almost four months have passed since we launched the #OZT: I accuse the Cuban government Campaign that now has more than 49,000 signatures —from more than one hundred countries—in support of the immediate and unconditional release of all Cuban prisoners of conscience, including prestigious personalities from the arts, sciences, and politics who represent a wide ideological spectrum. Nevertheless, the Cuban regime —that has had a hold on absolute power for more than half a century— has not taken any significant steps toward the release of the political prisoners, and insists on violating the rights of the entire Cuban people.
None of these results justifies a pause in our campaign. On the contrary, our campaign begins today a second offensive to double the support received in the form of signatures demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Cuban political prisoners. We will put this support to work by bringing it before democratic governments, international organizations and the Cuban regime diplomatic representations around the world.
We call on all of the signatories of our Declaration, and to those who intend to do so, to participate in demonstrations at Cuban embassies and consulates worldwide. These demonstrations will mark the first delivery of signatures this coming 23 July 2010, on the fifth month of the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo.
We extend the invitation to political parties and organizations from every nation, as well those in Cuba and the Cuban exile, without exclusion. The lack of freedoms and individual rights affects people from every single political current equally.
#OZT: I accuse the Cuban government Campaign renews its promise to continue pressuring the regime in Cuba until it frees all political prisoners, and guarantees all freedoms and rights as spelled in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Almost four months have passed since the beginning of the ongoing hunger strike by opposition activist Guillermo Fariñas protesting the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, and demanding the release of 26 gravelly ill political prisoners.
A few weeks have gone by since the beginning of the negotiations between the Catholic Church, and the higher echelons of the regime —negotiations that have excluded and ignored the members of the opposition and civil society, and whose only tangible results until now have been a revocable “extra-penal license” [parole] for political prisoner Ariel Sigler Amaya, and the transfer of 12 others to penitentiaries closer to their places of residence.
Almost four months have passed since we launched the #OZT: I accuse the Cuban government Campaign that now has more than 49,000 signatures —from more than one hundred countries—in support of the immediate and unconditional release of all Cuban prisoners of conscience, including prestigious personalities from the arts, sciences, and politics who represent a wide ideological spectrum. Nevertheless, the Cuban regime —that has had a hold on absolute power for more than half a century— has not taken any significant steps toward the release of the political prisoners, and insists on violating the rights of the entire Cuban people.
None of these results justifies a pause in our campaign. On the contrary, our campaign begins today a second offensive to double the support received in the form of signatures demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Cuban political prisoners. We will put this support to work by bringing it before democratic governments, international organizations and the Cuban regime diplomatic representations around the world.
We call on all of the signatories of our Declaration, and to those who intend to do so, to participate in demonstrations at Cuban embassies and consulates worldwide. These demonstrations will mark the first delivery of signatures this coming 23 July 2010, on the fifth month of the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo.
We extend the invitation to political parties and organizations from every nation, as well those in Cuba and the Cuban exile, without exclusion. The lack of freedoms and individual rights affects people from every single political current equally.
#OZT: I accuse the Cuban government Campaign renews its promise to continue pressuring the regime in Cuba until it frees all political prisoners, and guarantees all freedoms and rights as spelled in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
75 Ladies in White and Ariel Sigler Amaya march together in La Habana
posted on Sunday, June 20, 2010The Ladies in White Association (Asociación de las Damas de Blanco) informs [in Spanish] on their website that yesterday (today) Sunday 20 June 2010, around 80 Ladies attended Mass at St. Rita Catholic Church in La Habana.
“Here are all the wives of political prisoners from [the provinces] of Pinar del Río, Matanzas, and the great majority of the ones from Oriente y Villa Clara" said Berta Soler, a leader of the group.
There were 5 children among the ladies. They are the children of political prisoners.
Seventy five of the Ladies in White in attendance, marched on Quinta Avenida [Fifth Avenue] in the Miramar neighborhood of La Habana, as they have done for the past seven years. The other five could not march due to their advanced age.
Reina Luisa Tamayo, mother of Orlando Zapata Tamayo and a Lady in White herself, was at the church, and later joined the march.
Marching with the Ladies, albeit in a wheelchair to which he has been confined due to his seriously deteriorated health, was recently released political prisoner Ariel Sigler Amaya.
“Here are all the wives of political prisoners from [the provinces] of Pinar del Río, Matanzas, and the great majority of the ones from Oriente y Villa Clara" said Berta Soler, a leader of the group.
There were 5 children among the ladies. They are the children of political prisoners.
Seventy five of the Ladies in White in attendance, marched on Quinta Avenida [Fifth Avenue] in the Miramar neighborhood of La Habana, as they have done for the past seven years. The other five could not march due to their advanced age.
Reina Luisa Tamayo, mother of Orlando Zapata Tamayo and a Lady in White herself, was at the church, and later joined the march.
Marching with the Ladies, albeit in a wheelchair to which he has been confined due to his seriously deteriorated health, was recently released political prisoner Ariel Sigler Amaya.
The Ladies in White continue to march every Sunday for the immediate and unconditional release of their relatives, and all Cuban political prisoners.
“The recent transfers of 12 prisoners have helped their families, but we fight for their release, for their return to their houses, to their homes, because they are innocent”, said Laura Pollán, wife of imprisoned journalist Héctor Maseda.
“We will continue the struggle until they are all released from prison” stated Pollán.
Hat tip and photos, Marc Masferrer
“The recent transfers of 12 prisoners have helped their families, but we fight for their release, for their return to their houses, to their homes, because they are innocent”, said Laura Pollán, wife of imprisoned journalist Héctor Maseda.
“We will continue the struggle until they are all released from prison” stated Pollán.
Hat tip and photos, Marc Masferrer
The #OZT: I Accuse the Cuban government campaign, in the occasion of the visit to Cuba of Vatican representative Monsignor Dominique Mamberti, urges the Catholic Church to stand, without delay, on the side of the Cuban people, not on the side of its oppressors.
The marginalization of the opposition movements and civil independent organizations that the Castro dictatorship imposes cannot be shared by any prestigious institution. To share in that marginalization as it has happened in Cuba in the past few days, means turning the back on those who need it most.
This is not about politicizing the work of the Church. The relationship between the Holy Seed and independent countries cannot be developed ignoring the relationship between the countries and their respective societies. In the hands of the current regime, the Cuban government is a machine that represses all its citizens, not only its political prisoners. Improving relationships with the Cuban government is not a politically neutral gesture.
We remind the Church, as an institution of the civil Cuban society and as a sovereign country, that any serious negotiation in Cuba about political prisoners must include in its agenda the respect of human rights. The absence of these rights has been the main cause of these incarcerations. Cubans are not looking for a relaxation of the tyranny, but for their inalienable rights, as well as the control of their individual and collective destiny, denied by the Castro dictatorship for more than half a century.
The marginalization of the opposition movements and civil independent organizations that the Castro dictatorship imposes cannot be shared by any prestigious institution. To share in that marginalization as it has happened in Cuba in the past few days, means turning the back on those who need it most.
This is not about politicizing the work of the Church. The relationship between the Holy Seed and independent countries cannot be developed ignoring the relationship between the countries and their respective societies. In the hands of the current regime, the Cuban government is a machine that represses all its citizens, not only its political prisoners. Improving relationships with the Cuban government is not a politically neutral gesture.
We remind the Church, as an institution of the civil Cuban society and as a sovereign country, that any serious negotiation in Cuba about political prisoners must include in its agenda the respect of human rights. The absence of these rights has been the main cause of these incarcerations. Cubans are not looking for a relaxation of the tyranny, but for their inalienable rights, as well as the control of their individual and collective destiny, denied by the Castro dictatorship for more than half a century.
Via Marc Masferrer
The U.S. Interest Section in Havana has granted former Cuban political prisoner Ariel Sigler Amaya a visa to travel to the United States to received needed medical care, according to Diario de Cuba, citing a Radio Martí report.
Sigler's body was ravaged during his more than seven years of unjust imprisonment in the Castro gulag. His legs are paralyzed, and in the week since his release his family has witnessed how sick Sigler is.
"Ariel continues to be in critical condition," said his brother, Juan Francisco Sigler Amaya. Juan said Ariel has suffered vomiting, diarrhea, fainting spells, fatigue and cold sweats.
As for the visa, it is only for Ariel, meaning he would have to travel alone, although he does have a brother, Miguel, who lives in Miami.
But before Ariel can get on a plane, the Cuban government will have to grant him an exit [permit] which is never a sure thing.
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