Cuban-Americans call off protests against Bahamas

Posted on Monday, 08.12.13

Cuban-Americans call off protests against Bahamas
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI -- Cuban-American activists in South Florida ended a hunger strike
and series of protests Monday over the alleged mistreatment of Cubans
detained in the Bahamas.

The Bahamian government's announcement that it would conduct a formal
investigation into the allegations coupled with a decision by Panama to
grant asylum to 19 of 43 detained Cubans means the protest achieved its
goals, said Ramon Saul Sanchez, a leader of a Cuban-American activist group.

"This is a victory for human dignity," he said.

The group's noisy protests outside the Bahamian consulate and near the
cruise ship port in Miami, as well as calls for a tourism boycott,
angered Bahamian officials, who denied any mistreatment of migrants and
had said an investigation was unnecessary.

Late last week, however, the government issued a statement saying it
would conduct a formal investigation into the allegations raised by the
demonstrators, which included claims that migrants at the Carmichael
Road Detention Center had been beaten by guards, denied access to
adequate food and medical care and prevented from making asylum claims.

"We will review the report and act accordingly, and take any punitive or
disciplinary action as deemed necessary," the statement from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Bahamas also agreed to allow a U.S. official to visit the Carmichael
Road Detention Center, which has been criticized by governmental
agencies and human rights groups for years for overcrowding and other
problems.

In announcing the end of their protest, Sanchez and fellow activist
Jesus Alexis Gomez ate soup to end a hunger strike in support of the
detained Cubans.

The Bahamas has become a transit point for migrants, mostly from Cuba
and Haiti, who try to reach the nearby United States, often with the aid
of smugglers.

Source: "MIAMI: Cuban-Americans call off protests against Bahamas -
Nation Wires - MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/12/3558377/cuban-americans-call-off-protests.html