Uncommon Sense

Journalist Guillermo Fariñas kidnapped by Castro's goons

Guillermo Fariñas

At its core, the Castro dictatorship — as led first by Fidel Castro and now by his little brother Raúl — is a band of gangsters. Like the Corleones or the Sopranos, they use fear in too many forms to count to enslave, intimidate and oppress the Cuban people. They may dress up their tactics in the rhetoric of the "revolution" — and Hollywood and other allies and useful idiots may romanticize their record — but cut through the lies and the propaganda, and you find little more than extortionists, kidnappers and killers.

Independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas, a victim of the dictatorship many times over, experienced that reality last week in a very scary fashion.

Fariñas on the morning of Dec. 18 was at a Havana bus stop — he had plans to go to the Dutch Embassy to use the Internet — when a couple of military agents forced him into a car, ordered him to place his head between his legs and drove him to what presumably was a police station.

The agents told Fariñas that they would not tolerate any further protests like those seen in Cuba on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day. More ominously, they threatened to charge Fariñas with "revealing state secrets," if he continued to report about the dictatorship's intelligence and counter-intelligence methods.

Once they had delivered their message, they packed Fariñas back into their car, drove him to a deserted street in a Havana neighborhood and released him.

Fariñas, 45, is one of the giants of the Cuban opposition. Not only has he chronicled the reality of Cuba today as a journalist. He also has put his life on the line to challenge the dictatorship and to expose its true repressive nature.

In 2006, Fariñas went on a lengthy hunger strike, after the dictatorship's censors barred him from using the Internet to transmit his stories after the Miami Herald quoted him as criticizing the regime. Fariñas quickly expanded his protest to demand that all Cubans have unfettered access to the Internet.

Fariñas ended his protest before the dictatorship gave in to his demands, but he was successful in raising awareness about how the dictatorship's repressive ways had extended attempts to control the Internet.

More than two years later, the gangsters of the Castro dictatorship are still trying to silence him.

Human rights lost in translation

In a statement released after he signed two human rights agreements first adopted by the United Nations more than four decades ago, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, while reserving Cuba's right to re-intepret some of the provisions, said: "This signing formalizes and reaffirms the rights protected by each agreement, which my country has systematically been upholding since the triumph of the revolution."

The next day, Friday, March 1, the dictatorship demonstrated how exactly it is intepreting the treaties by beating and arresting 10 dissidents caught distributing copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, another document adopted by the U.N.

Among those arrested and detained for up to six hours were former political prisoners Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez", Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello and Félix Bonne Carcacés; and independent journalists Lucas Garve and Guillermo "Coco" Fariñas.

Antúnez told independent journalist Luis Esteban Espinosa that passersby were happy to receive their copies of the Universal Declaration. But after the dissidents traveled about six blocks, police attacked and beat the dissidents and arrested them when they began shouting pro-human rights slogans.

Police drove Roque, with an arm in a sling because of the beatings, and Bonne to their homes because they suffer from high blood pressure. The others were taken to a police station and held for six hours, before being released.

The other dissidents arrested were Iris Pérez Aguilera, who is married to Antúnez; Idania Yanes Contreras; Pablo Díaz Silva; Lourdes Esquivel; and Carlos Codero.

In diplomacy, words may be more important than actions — a weakness of diplomacy that tyrannies like Cuba's never fail to take advantage of, which is why last week's treaty signings was such a farce.

But on the streets of Havana and other Cuban cities, the dictatorship every day demonstrates by its actions its true intent — the continued suppression of all liberty, regardless of what it has agreed to on paper.

Read more about the assaults on the dissidents, here.

Fariñas is arrested

Guillermo Fariñas

Debating and arguing about Cuba, and what the United States should do, is about taking sides.

Do you side not with the dictatorship — sometimes, it is too simplistic to dismiss those who disagree with us as "idiots" — but with the business interests, and their political allies, who see Cuba as an untapped market waiting to be exploited?

Or do you side with the freedom fighters, Cuban men and women of extraordinary courage, like the independent journalist Guillermo "Coco" Fariñas, who again has demonstrated why so many of us are proud to be on his side.

Independent journalist Ahmed Rodríguez Albacia is reporting that Fariñas this past Saturday was arrested and detained for about six hours.

Fariñas, no stranger to the dictatorship, apparently was caught up in a recent roundup of dissidents in Santa Clara. Rodríguez reported that Fariñas was told by police that he was not being allowed to participate in "counter-revolutionary" activities, i.e. a ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of the Marta Abreu Women's Movement.

During an interrogation at a local jail, a police official told Fariñas that he was considered a "high danger," to the stability of the dictatorship, and issued the journalist a written warning to stop.

Police, perhaps knowing there is nothing they can do to sway a giant like Fariñas, then gave him a ride home.

Like I said, it's an easy choice.

Independent journalist Tania Maceda Guerra has more on the recent arrests in Santa Clara.

(Cross-posted at Babalú.)

Notes from the gulag, 11/14/07

Payo Libre has a few items of interest pertaining to Cuba's independent journalists, both in and out of prison:

— Prisoner Léster González Pentón on Tuesday underwent surgery to repair an abdominal hernia, according to a report by independent journalist Tania Maceda Guerra. He was recovering at a military hospital in Santa Clara, his mother told told Guerra.

González, 30, also a member of the Christian Liberation Movement, was arrested during the "black spring" of 2003, and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

— Journalist and human rights activist Luis Esteban Espinosa Echemendía, 21, has been denied permission to go into exile in Switzerland, despite being granted a Swiss visa this past August, according to a report from Guerra. As the story notes, the dictatorship uses its authority to allow or prevent Cubans from leaving the island, as a tool of repression against journalists and other dissidents.

— And last and certainly not least, independent journalist Guillermo "Coco" Fariñas recently was detained by police while attempting to travel from his home in Villa Clara to a gathering in Havana of independent teachers, according to a report by Idania Yanes Contreras, of the Marta Abreu news agency. (The story says Fariñas was detained Oct. 3, but I suspect the correct date is Nov. 3.)

Fariñas under house arrest

Guillermo Fariñas

There are many reasons to admire Cuban dissident Guillermo Fariñas. He is an outstanding journalist but also, as he again showed today, an outstanding Cuban, one of the finest and bravest patriots in the opposition to dictatorship and tyranny.

Fariñas, according to Marti Noticias, was under house arrest tonight, after he was picked up by police for urging residents in Villa Clara not to vote in today's municipal "elections." In the current environment on the island, when the dictatorship is trying to make a big public relations splash with its "elections," there are few acts more patriotic than a Cuban encouraging his fellow citizens to stay away from the polls.

Fariñas told Radio Marti that at about noon today, a police Lt. Col. Ramon Alvarez ordered him into a police car, and drove him around the city. The whole time, according to Fariñas, he was treated professionally before being dropped off at his home.

There, Alvarez told the journalist that he was under house arrest, and that his home was being monitored by police officers standing on adjacent street corners. Also on alert were the neighborhood snitches with the Committee in Defense of the Revolution and the Association of the Combatants of the Revolution.

Meanwhile, the man ultimately behind Fariñas' detention, keeps mumbling away.

Guillermo Fariñas: Hero

Independent journalist Guillermo "Coco" Fariñas, who this past week demonstrated his solidarity with Cuba's political prisoners, is one of the giants of the Cuban opposition.

Last year, Fariñas went on a seven-month hunger strike to demand that he, and all Cubans, have unfettered access to the Internet. His protest failed to sway the dictatorship, but the dignity which he laid his life on the line for his beliefs, the example he set, earned him a spot in the pantheon of modern Cuban heroes, along with Martha Beatriz Roque, Darsi Ferrer, Oswaldo Payá, Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez", Oscar Elias Biscet and so many others.

Most Cubans still can't surf the Internet, but Fariñas' protest cannot be judged a failure.

Fariñas' protest demonstrated to the world — at least to those relatively few of us paying attention — to what lengths the dictatorship is willing to go to limit what Cubans learn about the outside world, and their contacts with those who might seek to help them break the bonds of tyranny.

And Fariñas' protest revealed — again — the fundamental cruelty of the Castro regime. The dictatorship never attempted to negotiate with Fariñas, to strike a deal. More important was the control and power the dictatorship holds over the Cuban people, more important than saving a human life. If Fariñas had not given in to the pleas of family, friends and supporters and ended his protest, he would have died, and the dictatorship would not have given a damn.

And neither, I'm afraid, would much of the world.

But Fariñas is a hero, and has been justly recognized as such.

Late last year, he was named the recipient of a human rights prize awarded by the German city of Weimar. The Cuban government blocked him from traveling to Germany, arguing that he was too weak as he recovered from the effects of his hunger strike.

The real reason is that the dictatorship could not afford for Fariñas, if only temporarily, to be out of its control, free to spread his unfettered message about the reality of Cuba today.

This past week at the German embassy in Havana, Fariñas finally received his prize, which included the equivalent of about $1,500.

Which Fariñas immediately donated to the "Organización Plantados hasta la Libertad y la Democracia," a Cuban group that supports political prisoners and their families. Fariñas said he had many needs he could address with the money, but the needs of political prisoners were greater.

Fariñas' survival is bad news for the dictatorship. For from his protest, has arisen a stronger voice committed to informing Cuba, and the world about what is happening on the island — an unshakeable truth standing up to an illegitmate power that is the best of journalism, the best of patriotism.

The dictatorship has tried to intimidate Fariñas, but it has failed. Reports from Fariñas and other journalists with his Cubanacán Press news agency are regularly found on news sites like Payo Libre and CubaNet.

The man is back on his beat, stronger than ever.

(Cross-posted at Babalú.)

"Today" from Cuba: Matt Lauer's fellow journalists

For links to more posts in the "Today" in Cuba blogburst, visit Babalú Blog.

Journalists are a competitive breed. The good ones are constantly racing against each other to get the best stories, and to get them first. Landing a scoop is one of the pure joys of our profession.

Journalists also are a collegial breed. The good ones are generally willing to help a fellow reporter find their way around. We won't share our sources with them or the topic of our next story — after all, we are competitive — but we will shoot the breeze and as long as it doesn't hurt our work, help them get a lay of the land.

I wonder if Matt Lauer, who presumably is as competitive as the next blow-dried TV newsman, will reach out to Cuban journalists when he is on the island this week, reporting for the "Today" show.

And then, will he rely only on the mouthpieces and transcriptionists for the dictatorship — who work at Granma, Prensa Latina, Reuters, the Associated Press and other official organs? (Sorry, I'm joking about AP and Reuters, sort of.)

Or will he reach out to the "real" Cuban journalists, the independent reporters and editors for whom doing their jobs means putting themselves at risk of arrest and worse?

Men and women like Carlos Serpa, Roberto Santana, Félix Reyes Gutiérrez, Yoel Espinosa Medrano, Liannis Merino, Mario Hechavarría Driggs, Aini Martín Valero and Tania Maceda Guerra.

With the help of a translator — and not one of those minders from his Cuban hosts — Lauer can read their work at Payo Libre, Cuba Net and other Web sites. If he were to meet with some of them, I am sure they could give him plenty of story ideas to broadcast back to America.

Stories about how communism works, and doesn't work. Stories about repression. Stories about the lies told about the dictatorship.

Maybe Lauer can do a report profiling one or more of these journalists. The best story might be about Guillermo Fariñas, who last year went on a seven-month hunger strike to protest the lack of unfettered access to the Internet for most Cubans. He almost died, but has recovered to resume his work.

Even under the best conditions, such as found in the United States, journalism is a challenging, grueling profession demanding courage and commitment. But usually, we can go home at night, knowing that it's highly unlikely the government will respond to a story it doesn't like by knocking on your door and taking you to jail.

Many of Cuba's independent journalists have been subjected to police harassment, and worse, simply for telling their stories. They have lost their jobs. They have been detained for hours, if not days, with no word on whether this time, the police will throw away the key.

They have their agenda, their bias, if you will — liberty for Cuba — but that doesn't diminish their import. In Cuba, their patriotism makes them better journalists.

No one knows that better than the dictatorship, which understands completely the risk unvarnished, unfettered reporting of what is happening in Cuba today poses for the regime, which is why it tries so hard to stop it.

Cuba's independent journalists know they risk they are taking.

They know that more than two dozen journalists — 30, by my count; fewer, by others — are languishing in the Castro gulag, for telling stories and for their general opposition to the dictatorship.

I wonder whether Lauer will tell their stories. Each one could fill an hour, at least.

They are:

Pedro Argüelles

Victor Arroyo

Armando Betancourt

Mijail Bárzaga

José Caraballo

José Castillo

Guillermo Espinosa

Adolfo Fernández

José Ferrer

Alfredo Fuentes

Miguel Galván

Julio Gálvez

José García

Alejandro González

Lester González

Ricardo González

Iván Hernández

Normándo Hernández

Juan Herrera

José Izquierdo

Héctor Maseda

Pablo Pacheco

Raimundo Perdigón

Fabio Prieto

Alfredo Pulido

Omar Rodríguez

Omar Ruíz

Oscar Sanchez

Alberto Triay

Ramón Velázquez

(For more on each one of these journalists, click on their names on the left, under "March 18 Project."

I care so much about Cuba's independent journalists, in and out of prison, because, I, too, am Cuban. But moreso because we share a common a profession, a common passion for reporting and writing stories and using our work to hold accountable the powers-that-be. If the freedom that I — and Matt Lauer — enjoy to do our work in America really means anything, we have to want it, too, for our colleagues in Cuba.

I know I want that same freedom for Guillermo Fariñas, Tania Maceda, Carlos Serpa, Aini Martín, Juan Herrera, Omar Ruiz and the others. It's why so much of this blog is dedicated to telling their stories, whether detailing their suffering or just translating their work.

Matt Lauer has got his scoop — the chance to report from Cuba.

But to make it worth something, he needs to reach out to his brother and sister journalists on the island, in and out of prison, and tell their stories, too.

CBSnooze

Cuba's independent press gets no love nor respect not even acknowledgement from most of their colleagues in the American media — even those MSM journalists based in Havana who ought to know better.

For an example of this ignorance, consider this interview with Havana-based producer Portia Siegelbaum, of CBS News:

Q. Is there any form of alternative or underground media in Cuba?

A. No.

The ignorance is twofold.

First, Siegelbaum fails to acknowledge the more than two dozen journalists in Castro gulag. (Read more about them by clicking on the names to the left, under "March 18 Project.")

And secondly, she apparently does not realize that despite that, dozens more Cuban reporters and editors, many organized into small news agencies, report the stories you won't find in Granma. And then do whatever they can to deliver them to the outside world. All Siegelbaum has to do is to click onto Cuba Net or Payo Libre to read their work.

The Miami Herald's Frances Robles, who gets the H/T, asked Siegelbaum about her "surprising comment":

(S)he explained that they were talking about alternative news sources on the island – which are nonexistent.

Maybe that should excuse Siegelbaum, but her failure to acknowledge the likes of Guillermo Fariñas and Aini Martín Valero — each one a journalist as much as Portia Siegelbaum or Matt Lauer — reveals how alone real Cuban journalists are with their work.

And how little most American journalists, even those in Havana, know about Cuba.

Cuba's Black Diamond (UPDATED)

Antúnez never broke

Two of the bravest Cuban men I have come to know through my reading and writing about the struggle for Cuban liberty are the journalist Guillermo Fariñas and the now former political prisoner, Luis García Pérez, also known as Antúnez, who was jailed for more than 17 years. Their courage and selflessness on behalf of their nation are weapons for which the dictatorship has no counter-measures, except for more repression — which only makes men like Fariñas, Antúnez and other dissidents stronger.

Just days after his release from prison, Antúnez sat down for an interview with Fariñas, the director of the Cubanacán Press news agency.

CubaNet has the transcript, in Spanish.

The final question and answer may cause the dictatorship to re-think the dictatorship's decision to release Antúnez, who in this interview and elsewhere has pledged to continue his resistance to the Castro regime.

Fariñas: Why do they call you the "Black Diamond"?

Antúnez: First of all, I'm black. And the diamond is a very hard stone, which neither breaks or scratches.

After more than 17 years in prison, it is clear that the Black Diamond lives, stronger and braver than ever, providing an example for all Cubans, and the world of what it takes to defeat the dictatorship.

UPDATED, 6:51 EDT

Cuba-Miami Information Bridge has a transcript, in English. The translation is a little rough, but it is still a must-read, this conversation between two great, and at least in Antúnez's case, humble men. Here is an interesting excerpt:

Fariñas: Antúnez, you have published 2 books while in prison “Life in Prison Kilo-8” and “Boitel Lives”, we heard of a third book now being printed, will you continue writing in liberty?

Antúnez: I don't consider myself an intellectual; at least not my vision of what an intellectual should be, I am simply a former political prisoner who wrote about his living experiences in jail. I don’t have the formal education a writer should have.

Fariñas: That is your opinion, and I don’t agree with it, but I respect your point of view, your works speaks for itself, my actual question was: will you continue writing?

Antúnez: Yes, I plan to expose in writing all the cruelties, abuses and genocides I witnessed and was subjected to at times.

Fariñas: Then will this be the beginning of a testimonial and denouncement literary career, in this new phase of your life in freedom?

Antúnez: No, my main task will be defending the political prisoners still inside Castro's jails, I will write when I have the time, and if I can I will try to practice Independent Journalism, if you are willing to teach me the ropes, but everything will revolve around the defenseless prisoners I left behind not long ago, in the hells of Castro’s jails.

This Black Diamond has not broken, indeed.

Cuban opposition calls for unity (UPDATED)

Some of the leading lights of the Cuban opposition — like Oswaldo Payá and Marta Beatriz Roque, who in the past have expressed different ideas on how to fight the dictatorship — on Sunday issued a document calling for unity in their common struggle for freedom and democracy. Other signatories includes members of the Damas de Blanco and the independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas.

Taken to heart, it may be a blueprint for victory.

Via Misceláneas de Cuba:

All nations and governments, as well as citizens and organizations, should attend to and respond to this call for solidarity. We call on all Cuban associations and citizens inside and outside Cuba to support this call and make it theirs, because this declaration of unity is for all Cubans, and is a sign of organic unity, which is so important for the Cuban nation in its aspirations for democracy, freedom, reconciliation, and sovereignty.

We Cubans who individually or as a part of peaceful groups defend and promote Human Rights, reconciliation and peaceful changes towards the democracy, want to proclaim our unity for freedom.

We know that the people of Cuba and all those who in the world support democracy for Cuba, wish, with good will, that all of the peaceful democratic Cuban opposition be united, since this unity is a necessity in order to advance the changes that the people want and need. Our unity must symbolize the goals of peace, justice, reconciliation and freedom that we want to reach.

Read the whole thing, including the list of signatories, below the fold.

UPDATED

EFE has the story.