Human Rights Day crackdown on dissidents likely after month of mass arrests - Amnesty International

Cuba: Human Rights Day crackdown on dissidents likely after month of
mass arrests
10 December 2015, 13:34 UTC

Cuban human rights activists are at increased risk of detention or
harassment from the authorities amid demonstrations on International
Human Rights Day, 10 December, said Amnesty International following a
wave of almost 1,500 arbitrary arrests in just over a month.

Yesterday, police in the capital Havana arbitrarily restricted the
movement of members of the prominent Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco)
group of activists as they prepared for today's demonstrations. This
came after at least 1,477 politically motivated detentions in November
2015, the highest monthly total in many years, according to the Cuban
Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN).

"For weeks on end, the Cuban authorities have used a spike in arrests
and harassment to prevent human rights activists and dissidents from
protesting peacefully. This is a systematic problem that silences Cuban
activists in their own streets. For years, harassment on Human Rights
Day has been the rule rather than the exception, and is absolutely
unacceptable," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty
International.

For weeks on end, the Cuban authorities have used a spike in arrests and
harassment to prevent human rights activists and dissidents from
protesting peacefully. This is a systematic problem that silences Cuban
activists in their own streets. For years, harassment on Human Rights
Day has been the rule rather than the exception, and is absolutely
unacceptable.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International

The Ladies in White and other organizations have been convening
activists to march today, in Havana and elsewhere, in support of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to exercise their rights to
peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

The group and their supporters have held regular Sunday marches for more
than 30 consecutive weeks to call for the release of Cuban political
prisoners and human rights protection. These peaceful demonstrations
have been met with a pattern of arbitrary arrests and other harassment
by the authorities.

The pro-democracy group Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unión Patriótica de
Cuba, UNPACU) has also reported mass detentions of its members across
the country in recent months.

In a bid to curtail the protests, frequently the arrested activists have
been driven to remote areas where they are left to walk home, or they
have been detained for anywhere from one to 30 hours.

Cuban human rights activists say this year has been marked not only by a
high number of arrests, but also increased violence from state
authorities towards peaceful political dissidents and activists.

"The Cuban authorities must refrain from dispersing, arresting or
detaining peaceful protesters," said Erika Guevara-Rosas.

Cubans' right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be
respected on Human Rights Day and throughout the year.
Erika Guevara-Rosas

"Cubans' right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be
respected on Human Rights Day and throughout the year."

Background

In the mid 1990's Amnesty International began to document a shift away
from high numbers of long-term political detentions in Cuba to increased
use of short-term arbitrary arrests, harassment of activists, political
dissidents, human rights activists and independent journalists.

The number of politically motivated detentions has progressively
increased in recent years, according to the CCDHRN.

Arbitrary arrests and detentions typically peak during official visits
or summits. In September 2015, the month of Pope Francis' high-profile
visit to Cuba, the CCDHRN registered 882 such arrests, compared with an
average of 700 arbitrary detentions per month in 2014. Many of those
detained are held between one and 30 hours. Some activists report
excessive use of force by the police.

Cuban political activists and human rights activists are often accused,
but not formally charged, under articles of the Cuban Penal Code as a
way to curb legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression
and peaceful protest. Provisions often invoked include insult or
contempt of a public official ("desacato"), resistance to public
officials carrying out their duties ("resistencia"), and "desórdenes
públicos," which criminalizes any large meeting or act in public spaces
which aims to provoke panic or disturbance.

Source: Cuba: Human Rights Day crackdown on dissidents likely after
month of mass arrests | Amnesty International -
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/12/cuba-human-rights-day-crackdown-on-dissidents-likely-after-month-of-mass-arrests/