Great news as activists are released following campaign - no charges
Luis Perez Rubalcaba | 21.05.2008 10:40 | Workers' Movements | World
Just back from Cuba and great news the human rights activists that were arrested have been relaseled following our campaign. A big thanks to all those who emailed the Cuban embassies in London, Madrid and Paris. I'm sure it made a difference.
Life is getting better in Cuba now since the fall of Fidel, his brother Raul is allowing very limited internet access and mobile phone are available for those who have the money (sadly that's not many). The political officers are still in the schools and workplaces but you can see their hearts are no longer in it ! Some land has been made available for farmers to buy and their private produce sales no longer result in arrests.
Life is getting better in Cuba now since the fall of Fidel, his brother Raul is allowing very limited internet access and mobile phone are available for those who have the money (sadly that's not many). The political officers are still in the schools and workplaces but you can see their hearts are no longer in it ! Some land has been made available for farmers to buy and their private produce sales no longer result in arrests.
I have detailed below the report from my friend Peter H who wrote this event up for a couple of Spanish magazines and human rights groups. I have translated it into English of course !
Human rights activists, who were arrested arbitrarily by State Security agents in various parts of the Cuban capital early last month, were freed this Wednesday morning. According to recently released political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez”, they were taken to the Technical Department of Investigations known as “Cien y Aldabó” in the City of Havana. There, they were incarcerated in cells with inhumane conditions while being physically abused by authorities. The group included various female activists.
“Yesmi Elena, who was with me, was beaten and strip searched by three female guards at the “10 de Octubre” Police Station. She has a wound above her right lung, and has scratches and beatings on her head. When they finished with her, they proceeded to beat me, I have beatings on my head, scratches, also on my hand, and they ripped by pants trying to take them off to strip search me,” informed Idania Yánes Contreras from Santa Clara.
After being repeatedly mistreated for several hours, the activists were released under threat of being arrested again. Among those arrested were 26 activists from Villa Clara.
“What has just taken place demonstrates that the peaceful opposition in Cuba is united. No organization prevailed over any other during this activity. No specific names were mentioned. We were all there as members of the opposition. Our only goal was to support and express our solidarity with our imprisoned brothers,” Antúnez told the Cuban Democratic Directorate from Placetas, in the province of Villa Clara shortly after being arrested. Marta Beatriz Roque was arrested at the Ministry of Justice after she delivered a letter requesting justice for political prisoners. She was taken to her home by the police together with the other activists who were with her.
This protest is not an isolated event. During the last week two protest actions have taken place on behalf of Cuban political prisoners. On Friday, Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” delivered a letter at the provincial headquarters in Villa Clara on behalf of political prisoner Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta who is on a hunger strike at the Kilo 8 maximum security prison in Camagüey. On Monday a group of 42 pro democracy activists and family members of political prisoners protested over the inhumane treatment of political prisoner Carlos Luis Diaz Fernandez at the El Pre prison. This protest was carried over to Vidal Park, in the aforementioned city, where hundreds of onlookers joined the activists. The pro democracy activists carried out a sit in on the street next to the Vidal Park, in front of radio station CMHW while family members of Carlos Diaz Fernandez entered the radio station to demand that it report the reality of political prisoners in Cuba.
Please do keep up the pressure, we are winning
Viva Cuba !
Human rights activists, who were arrested arbitrarily by State Security agents in various parts of the Cuban capital early last month, were freed this Wednesday morning. According to recently released political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez”, they were taken to the Technical Department of Investigations known as “Cien y Aldabó” in the City of Havana. There, they were incarcerated in cells with inhumane conditions while being physically abused by authorities. The group included various female activists.
“Yesmi Elena, who was with me, was beaten and strip searched by three female guards at the “10 de Octubre” Police Station. She has a wound above her right lung, and has scratches and beatings on her head. When they finished with her, they proceeded to beat me, I have beatings on my head, scratches, also on my hand, and they ripped by pants trying to take them off to strip search me,” informed Idania Yánes Contreras from Santa Clara.
After being repeatedly mistreated for several hours, the activists were released under threat of being arrested again. Among those arrested were 26 activists from Villa Clara.
“What has just taken place demonstrates that the peaceful opposition in Cuba is united. No organization prevailed over any other during this activity. No specific names were mentioned. We were all there as members of the opposition. Our only goal was to support and express our solidarity with our imprisoned brothers,” Antúnez told the Cuban Democratic Directorate from Placetas, in the province of Villa Clara shortly after being arrested. Marta Beatriz Roque was arrested at the Ministry of Justice after she delivered a letter requesting justice for political prisoners. She was taken to her home by the police together with the other activists who were with her.
This protest is not an isolated event. During the last week two protest actions have taken place on behalf of Cuban political prisoners. On Friday, Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” delivered a letter at the provincial headquarters in Villa Clara on behalf of political prisoner Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta who is on a hunger strike at the Kilo 8 maximum security prison in Camagüey. On Monday a group of 42 pro democracy activists and family members of political prisoners protested over the inhumane treatment of political prisoner Carlos Luis Diaz Fernandez at the El Pre prison. This protest was carried over to Vidal Park, in the aforementioned city, where hundreds of onlookers joined the activists. The pro democracy activists carried out a sit in on the street next to the Vidal Park, in front of radio station CMHW while family members of Carlos Diaz Fernandez entered the radio station to demand that it report the reality of political prisoners in Cuba.
Please do keep up the pressure, we are winning
Viva Cuba !
Luis Perez Rubalcaba
e-mail:
LuisPerezRubalcaba@dotworlds.net