Raul Castro Government Continues to Criminalize Dissent
July 8, 2010
(Washington, DC) - The plan to release a group of Cuban political
prisoners is a positive step, but the Cuban government should release
all political prisoners, Human Rights Watch said today. Cuba should also
dismantle its authoritarian laws and practices, which continue to
deprive Cubans of their most basic rights, Human Rights Watch said.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Havana announced on July 7, 2010, that the
Cuban government would release five political prisoners on the condition
that they relocate to Spain with their families, and that an additional
47 political prisoners arrested in 2003 would be released in three to
four months.
"While we are relieved for these prisoners and their families, the fact
remains that scores of political prisoners locked up under Raul Castro
continue to languish in Cuba's prisons," said José Miguel Vivanco,
Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "So long as Cuba's draconian
laws and sham trials remain in place, they will continue to restock the
prison cells with new generations of innocent Cubans who dare to
exercise their basic rights."
The political prisoners expected to be released are among 75
journalists, human rights defenders, labor activists, and other peaceful
dissidents arrested in a massive crackdown by the Cuban government in
March 2003. All 75 were tried in closed, summary trials that violated
their most basic due process rights, and sentenced to an average of 19
years in prison.
Since taking over control of the government from Fidel Castro in July
2006, Raul Castro has incarcerated scores of political prisoners. The
government has relied largely on a provision of the Criminal Code that
allows authorities to imprison individuals without ever having committed
a crime, on the allegation that they are "dangerous" and might commit
one in the future. A recent Human Rights Watch report, "New Castro, Same
Cuba," documented more than 40 cases of dissidents who have been
imprisoned for "dangerousness" under the Raul Castro government, in
addition to scores more sentenced for laws criminalizing free expression
and association.
The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation
(CCDHRN), a respected human rights group that is not recognized by the
Cuban government, has been able to document 167 cases of current
political prisoners. Because Human Rights Watch has been able to
document additional cases of people imprisoned for "dangerousness,"
Human Rights Watch believes the number of political prisoners is even
higher.
Previous efforts by religious, civil, and political leaders to negotiate
with the Cuban government have led to the release of some political
prisoners. Reverend Jesse Jackson convinced Fidel Castro to release 26
political prisoners in 1984, and Human Rights Watch's Vivanco secured
the release of six in 1995. Talks with Bill Richardson led to the
release of three dissidents in 1996, and Jimmy Carter's 2002 visit
prompted the release of one more. The visit of Pope John Paul II in
1998, after which more than 80 jailed dissidents were released, was the
most successful of these efforts.
"The international community needs to pressure Cuba to go beyond the
periodic release of jailed dissidents and instead dismantle the
repressive laws, courts, and security forces that put them in prison in
the first place," Vivanco said.
In the past, the Cuban government has released political prisoners on
parole (licencia extrapenal) rather than releasing them unconditionally.
By granting them parole only, the Cuban government leaves open the
possibility of returning dissidents to prison to serve out their
sentences in the future, intimidating them to keep them from exercising
their fundamental rights.
Furthermore, in recent instances such as the February 2008 release of
four political prisoners, the Cuban government has forced dissidents to
choose between staying in prison and being exiled to Spain, which
fundamentally violates their rights as Cuban citizens. Public statements
of those involved in the negotiations for the planned releases suggest
that the first five prisoners to be released were presented with a
similar choice. Human Rights Watch recommend that all prisoners,
including those from the group of 75, be released unconditionally and be
allowed to stay in Cuba with their families.
The announcement of the prisoners' upcoming release came in the context
of the 134-day hunger strike of the Cuban journalist Guillermo Fariñas,
who was calling for the release of 26 political prisoners suffering from
severe health problems. Fariñas began his hunger strike on February 24,
the day after a political prisoner, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, died
following his own 85-day hunger strike. Fariñas reportedly ended his
hunger strike on July 8, following the announcement of the release.
Efforts by the US government to press for change in Cuba by imposing a
sweeping embargo have proven to be a costly and misguided failure, Human
Rights Watch said. The embargo has inflicted severe hardship on the
Cuban population as a whole, while doing nothing to improve the human
rights situation in Cuba. Rather than isolating Cuba, the policy has
isolated the United States, alienating Washington's potential allies on
this issue.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/07/08/cuba-release-dissidents-still-leaves-scores-prison
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