14-07-2010.
Reporters Without Borders
(www.miscelaneasdecuba.net).- Reporters Without Borders today reacted
with delight to the release yesterday of its correspondent Ricardo
González Alfonso, along with that of several other Cuban journalists and
political opposition figures.
The worldwide press freedom organisation's correspondent, aged 60, who
is originally from Havana, was arrested during the "black spring" of
March 2003, along with 27 of his colleagues. The married man, who is
father of two children, was sentenced on 7 April to 20 years in prison
for "acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the
state". At the time he was president of the Manuel Márquez Sterling
society, a banned journalists' organisation and was head of the
magazine, De Cuba, the first such independent publication on the island
since the founding of the Castro regime.
González Alfonso arrived this morning in Spain accompanied by his
family. Seven Cuban political prisoners, including five journalists also
arrived in Madrid: José Luis García Paneque (of the news agency
Libertad), Pablo Pacheco Ávila (CAPI news agency), Omar Moisés Ruiz
Hernández (Grupo de Trabajo Decoro agency) and Julio César Gálvez
Rodríguez (a freelance journalist). The Spanish section of Reporters
Without Borders welcomed him on arrival at Barajas airport.
They were the first group of Cuban political prisoners to be released
following last week's announcement by the spokesman for Cuba's Catholic
Church of a wave of releases granted by the Castro regime, due also to
the intervention of the Spanish government in the person of its foreign
minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos.
These releases, including the long-awaited freedom of our correspondent
Ricardo González Alfonso, marks the beginning of the opening announced
by the regime. It should not however be allowed to mask the reality of
the tragic state of human rights in Cuba.
Reporters Without Borders welcomes these releases but points out that
"exile" to Spain cannot constitute a humane and satisfactory solution.
These releases should unquestionably include a recognition of the right
of political opponents to live in their own country and defend their
opinions openly without fear of reprisals.
The organisation called on Latin American countries to intervene more
actively with the Cuban government on the issue of human rights in Cuba
and to stop closing their eyes to constant violations.
Reporters Without Borders also calls on the United States to at least
ease its embargo on Cuba that has been in force since 1962. It considers
that the unfair measure against the Cuban people allows the regime to
justify some human rights violations including accusing political
opponents of being "mercenaries in the pay of the United States".
This wave of releases negotiated by the Cuban church and the Spanish
government is the largest since Raul Castro succeeded his brother Fidel
Castro four years ago. The organisation believes that with this move
towards openness the regime has genuinely taken a step forward in this
longed for and vital process. Nothing can justify that a people should
be denied their most basic rights. This situation can no longer be
tolerated and these releases should be accompanied by real change, it added.
http://www.miscelaneasdecuba.net/web/article.asp?artID=28864
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