Dr. Darsi Ferrer
I am posting this one early, and it is for good reason: Cuban political prisoner Dr. Darsi Ferrer, one of the Castro regime's more effective and eloquent critics, desperately needs the world to step up on his behalf and demand that he be released from prison or at the least, receive a fair court hearing on the so-called "charges" pending against him.
Ferrer, a physician, human rights activist and independent journalist, has been jailed since his arrest July 21. No formal charges have been filed, but he apparently has been accused with buying some cement and other construction materials to repair his home.
Cuban law dictates that Ferrer should have had a court hearing by now, the middle of October, but so far, none has been held. The lack of anything resembling due process demonstrates this is a political, not criminal, prosecution.
In protest of the "arbitrary" way officials are handling his case, Ferrer on Oct. 13 declared that he had started a hunger strike, according to an open letter released by his wife, which you can read below.
"The government's intention is very clear: Keep Darsi in jail for political reasons, without the slightest concern or regard for its own laws," Jorge wrote.
Jorge implored the international community to stand up on behalf of her husband.
Reporters Without Borders has expressed its support:
He began a hunger strike two days ago in protest at his prison conditions. He was refused medical treatment on 9 September despite suffering from severe dental pain. The prison governor justified his refusal by claiming that he had not been able to obtain the necessary permission from counter-espionage services!
“The reasons for Darsi Ferrer’s detention are no longer in doubt, after 80 days in custody in contradiction with the laws of the country. While Cuba wants to show the world the face of progressive openness and dialogue, the internal reality is at odds with any improvements in public freedoms,”
Reporters Without Borders said. “The situation for Cuban journalists and bloggers is not getting better - far from it. Some 25 of them are still in prison, some having been sentenced to up to 27 years. Among them is Reporters Without Borders’ correspondent, Ricardo González Alfonso, who has been held since March 2003 and is serving a 20-year term", the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
Read my first Political Prisoner of the Week profile of Ferrer here; and my 2006 interview with him, here. (The profile includes more information about his arrest in July.)
Read Jorge's letter, in Spanish and English, below the fold.
Queridos amigos:
Darsi comenzó una huelga de hambre en el día de hoy, 13 de octubre de 2009, en protesta por las arbitrariedades del gobierno cubano, que lo tiene injustamente preso violando las propias leyes vigentes en el país.
A él se le acusa de un supuesto delito de receptación que por sus características cae en la categoría de proceso penal abreviado, lo que equivale a que debían haberle celebrado el juicio en menos de 20 días después de ser acusado, dada la escasa peligrosidad del delito y la poca cuantía de los artículos personales ocupados.
Hace tres meses que la fiscalía le aplicó como medida cautelar la prisión preventiva, sin tomar en cuenta que la ley de procedimiento penal establece que la prisión preventiva sólo es aplicable cuando el delito causa alarma, tiene alta incidencia en el territorio, o existe sospecha fundada de que el acusado pretende evadir la justicia. Ninguna de esas condiciones se cumplen en el caso de Darsi.
La abogada de la defensa contratada propuso un cambio de medida para Darsi desde el día 16 de septiembre de 2009 y no ha recibido respuesta hasta la fecha, sin embargo, la ley de procedimiento penal especifica claramente que la fiscalía tiene la obligación de responder las propuestas de cambios de medida en un término de 5 días hábiles.
La ley de procedimiento penal estipula que la fase de instrucción del expediente de los acusados se realiza en el menor tiempo posible, y determina un término máximo de 60 días como tope para su entrega al Tribunal, prorrogable únicamente en los casos muy bien justificados. Al cabo de 78 días aún el expediente de Darsi lo mantienen en instrucción aunque no hay nada que investigar y se desconoce cuándo lo entregarán al Tribunal para que acaben de hacerle juicio, lo que no tiene ninguna justificación.
Además, el trato que recibe Darsi en la cárcel es discriminatorio, el que se agudizó después que el periódico El Nuevo Herald, publicara su denuncia “Interioridades de la Prisión Valle Grande”, lo que pone en mayor riesgo su seguridad dentro de la prisión, pues el aparato represivo de la seguridad del estado en vez de castigar a los oficiales y guardias denunciados por cometer graves delitos en la cárcel, mando a hostigar a los presos que se relacionen con Darsi o que simplemente se le acerquen. Ya han castigado por esa razón a los reclusos Eliecer Fuentes, Alejandro Gainza, Delfín González y Tamayo Quiala, otros están siendo investigados o han sufrido hostigamiento. En concreto a Darsi lo obligan a convivir hacinado con los presos comunes y a los presos que conversen con él los castigan.
Cuando lo arrestaron, la policía intervino en nuestra casa por una supuesta denuncia de materiales de la construcción de precedencia ilegal. Nos decomisaron en el falso registro, 2 sacos de cementos, algunas tiras de planchuelas de hierro y también arrancaron de la pared y ocuparon 2 ventanas del pasillo interior de la casa. Lo que no se entiende es ¿por qué no les interesó el saco de cemento y los de arena y polvo de piedra que tenemos en el portal desde hace un año a la vista pública? ¿Por qué sólo arrancaron 2 ventanas y dejaron las otras 4 y la puerta de la casa, si todas son iguales?
La intención del gobierno es muy clara, mantener a Darsi en la cárcel por razones políticas, sin importarles para nada el más mínimo respeto por sus propias leyes.
Responsabilizo a las autoridades del gobierno de Cuba por lo que le suceda a mi esposo, el Dr. Darsi Ferrer Ramírez, y le pido a la comunidad internacional que nos ayude y exija que acabe de una vez la injusticia y las arbitrariedades que él está sufriendo.
Saludos y que Dios los bendiga.
Yusnaimy Jorge Soca. Activista por los Derechos Humanos.
Dear friends,
Darsi started a hungry strike today, October 13th, 2009, to protest the Cuban government arbitrary and unjust imprisonment against him, which violates Cuban’s own current laws.
He is being
accused of a crime of [receptacion - having/receiving illegally
obtained merchandise] that, due to its characteristics, is supposed to
fall into the category of crimes to be processed in an expedite manner,
in less than 20 days after being accused. The reasoning behind this is
the low dangerousness of the crime and the low nominal value of the
merchandise confiscated.
Three months ago the public attorney [fiscalia] requested that Darsi be put in jail as a preventive measure,
without taking into account that [current Cuban] criminal law
establishes that a preventive prison term only applies when it is a
crime that has caused [public] alarm, is a crime with higher incidence
in the given geographical area or there is a funded probable cause
and/suspicion that the accused will try to evade justice. None of these
conditions exist in the case of Darsi Ferrer.
His defense lawyer proposed to change this preventive measure sin September 16th,
2009 and she has not received any answer so far. However, the [current
Cuban] criminal law clearly states that the attorney [fiscalia] has the
obligation to answer to any proposal of change in the preventive measures within five (5) business days.
The [current
Cuban] criminal law establishes that the phase for investigation
[instructional] where docket/case is prepared should be conducted in
the least amount of time possible and establishes a maximum of 60 days
to present the accusation in front of the tribunal. There is an
exception to extend these terms, but only for cases heavily justified.
78 days has passed
now and Darsi’s docket/case is still in the instructional phase, even
though there is nothing to investigate. It is unknown when the docket
will be delivered to the tribunal to finally have a date for the trial,
which is totally unjustifiable.
Besides, the way Darsi is being treated in jail is discriminatory, and this treatment got even worse after the newspaper El Nuevo Herald
published a story where he denounced the “Inside stories of the Valle
Grande Jail”. This [discrimination] is placing his personal security
and integrity at risk inside the prison.
The State’s
security repression machine, instead of punishing the officials and the
guards that have been denounced after committing serious crimes inside
the jail, has consistently order the harassment of any other inmate
that maintains any type of relationship or communication with Darsi, or
even dare to approach him.
For that reason,
the inmate Eliecer Fuentes, Alejandro Gainza, Delfín González and
Tamayo Quiala, have been punished, and other are currently under
investigation or being harassed by the prison guards.
Is short, Darsi is
being forced to cohabit in crowded conditions with common inmates, and
those who even dare to have a conversation with him, are being
punished.
When he was
arrested, the police raided our house, supposedly, due to tip that we
were buying construction materials with an illegal origin. During that
fake search in our house, they confiscated two bags of cement and some
metal sheets. They also broke the wall and tore down two windows in an
interior hallway in the house.
What nobody
understand is, why they didn’t showed any interest in the bag of
cement, the gravel and the sand piles we have had in the house’s front
porch, in plain view, for almost a year? Why did they tore down only
two of the windows and left four other and the house’s main door, if
they are all made with the same material?
The government’s
goal is pretty clear: they want to keep Darsi in jail for political
reasons, without showing any minimal sign of respect for the
legislation they have put in place themselves.
I hold the
authorities of the Cuban government responsible for anything that could
happen to my husband, Dr. Darsi Ferrer Ramirez, and I the help of the
international community demanding and end to the injustices he is
suffering.
Best regards, and God bless you all,
Yusnaimy Jorge Soca
Human Rights activitist
(H/T for the translation to good friend Cubanita in Colorado.)
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