Uncommon Sense

Cuban political prisoner Rogelio Tabio released from jail

The Castro regime today release political prisoner Rogelio Tabio, who had been held without trial or with charges ever being filed since his arrest on March 2, 2012, was released from jail this week.

You can listen to his description of his imprisonment here:

Cuban prisoner dies after 38 days on hunger strike (UPDATED x 2)

 See below for updates.

Cuban prison inmate Roberto Antonio Rivalta Junco died Saturday after 38 days on hunger strike to protest his innocence and his imprisonment without benefit of a trial, according to the Cuban Democratic Directorate.

The protest was Rivalta's, but his death -- like that of thousands of Cubans before him -- lies at the blood-soaked hands of the Castro dictatorship, specificially, a Major Luis Alcántara, chief of the regime's prisons in Villa Clara province.

Until Friday, officials at the La Pendiente prison in Santa Clara had held Rivalta, 38, in a punishment cell, denying him much-needed medical care. A prison doctor had recommended that Rivalta, who was missing a lung, be transferred to the Arnaldo Miliam Castro hospital in Santa Clara. But instead he was moved to the hospital at another prison, Guamajal, which was unable to provided needed care and where he died.

"They let him die in prison," said Rivalta's mother, Doraida Junco Agüero, as quoted in a press release issued in Spanish by the Miami-based Cuban Democratic Directorate. (Go below the fold to the read the release in Spanish.)

The Directorate said Rivalta's death "confirms once again the systematic use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in prisons in Cuba against detainees, as well as the denial of medical care leading to the loss of human lives."

It is tragic that so many prisoners, whether they are "political" or not, resort to hunger strikes in their search for justice in Cuba. As admirable as their courage might be, their protest is in most cases futile because their jailers, the Castro dictatorship and its agents, does not care whether they live or die.

That disregard for life and that disregard for justice make the regime in the case of  Roberto Antonio Rivalta Junco. such as in the prior cases of Pedro Luis Boitel, Orlando Zapata and so many others, guilty of murder.

|---|

Listen to Rivalta's mother's description of what happened to her son:

UPDATED, Feb. 19, 2013 -- 11 Cuban activists were arrested this past weekend while trying to attend Rivalta's funeral.

UPDATED, Feb. 19, 2013 -- More details about what happened to Rivalta are available to here, including that he started his hunger strike soon after he was arrested Jan. 10 on a charge of armed robbery, which Rivalta denied.

Also, Rivalta's sister talks about what happened to her brother:

Reporters Without Borders demands Cuba release 4 imprisoned journalists

If Cuba wants to be considered a full member of the international community, if it is sincere about the "dialogue" its leaders claim to seek, it must respect freedom of the press and release four journalists in jail for doing their jobs.

That's the message from Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders, in an open letter Monday to the Cuban dictator Raul Castro.

The letter reads, in part:

This dialogue will only be possible if Cuba stops cracking down on citizens “guilty” of providing domestic news coverage that is not controlled by the state. The authorities must abolish this control at once, recognize diverse news reporting and release all those who have been unjustly imprisoned. Your stated desire to comply with international law and the UN charter means that your government must now urgently ratify the two UN conventions on civil and political rights that it signed in 2008. And several dramatic situations can be resolved without waiting a moment longer.

Hablemos Press reporter Calixto Ramón Martínez Arias, who has been held for nearly five months, is facing a possible three-year jail term for “insulting the head of state.” In fact, this independent journalist is being punished for publishing information about cholera and dengue epidemics that was eventually confirmed by the government.

Luis Antonio Torres, a journalist employed by the state-owned daily Granma, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in July 2012 on unsubstantiated spying charges after reporting information of public interest about the negative consequences of certain infrastructural projects. Is talking about embarrassing facts tantamount to conspiracy against the state?

We are similarly concerned about Ángel Santiesteban-Prats, a recognized writer and intellectual and winner of various prizes, who was sentenced to five years in prison on 8 December on trumped-up charges of “home violation” and “injuries” after a trial with bribed witnesses. All he did was criticize your government on his blog. He could be arrested to begin serving his sentence at any moment.

Finally, Reporters Without Borders, has learned that the independent journalist Héctor Julio Cedeño was arrested in Havana on 5 February just for photographing state inspectors harassing street vendors, and that he is still being held. Does this kind of obstruction and persecution really help the critical debate you advocate?

Read the whole thing, here.

Hector Cedeño Negrin, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 2/10/13

Updated, Feb. 17, 2013 -- Hector Cedeño has been released.

A version of this post appeared earlier.

Hector Cedeño Negrin

Every day with their work, Cuban independent journalists like Hector Cedeño Negrin put into action the long-standing axiom of their trade: Speak truth to power.

In Cuba, those who think they have the power can't handle the truth, which is why independent journalists are frequently targeted for arrest, or worse, by the Castro police.

Cedeño, a reporter for the Hablemos Press news agency, was arrested about 1 p.m. Tuesday while photographing several police inspectors who appeared to be harassing some private taxi drivers at El Parque de la Fraternida (Brotherhood Park) in Havana.

In an interview from jail, Cedeño told his CIHPRESS colleague Roberto Guerra that he began photographing the inspectors because they were not wearing proper uniforms.

"The arrest was for that, for taking photographs of inspectors who didn't have their jackets on and I told them, 'Hey, that is against the law, because you have to be uniformed,'" Cedeño said.

Not up for hearing any of that, the officers attacked Cedeño, grabbing him and punching him in the face, he said. During the struggle, a policeman's shirt was ripped, which apparently was enough for the police to charge him with "assault."

Cedeño, who has been arrested numerous times, said he had started a hunger strike, "until freedom or until death." 

According to Guerra, police officials on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning were reporting that there was no record of Cedeño being held at the police station where he was being held during his interview with Guerra. That's in line, Guerra wrote, with police not releasing information when dissidents are arrested in order to avoid drawing protests from their family, friends and compatriots.

But as of Saturday, Cedeño had informed his colleagues that he had been transferred to a processing center known as the VIVAC to await further investigation of the supposed charge against him. He remains on hunger strike to protest what he called his "arbitrary" arrest.

Cedeño's colleagues worry that he may become isolated while in jail. Police regulations prohibit non-family members from delivering clothes or other items to detainees; however, Cedeño lives alone in Havana and does not have close relatives.

The journalists at Hablemos Press, of which Guerra is the director, are used to poor treatment by the Castro authorities.

Amnesty International last month designated Calixto Ramon Martinez, a reporter with the agency, as a prisoner of conscience, determining he has been imprisoned since Sept. 16 only because of his ideas. Martinez, who last summer broke the story about an outbreak of cholera, was arrested near the Havana airport while investigating why a shipment of donated medical supplies had been allowed to spoil.

For more on Cedeño and Hablemos Press, read the press agency's website and follow Guerra on Twitter @hablemospress.

Former political prisoner Omar Gude Perez finally allowed to leave Cuba

Chrisitan Solidarity Worldwide has an update on former Cuban political prisoner Omar Gude Perez has finally been allowed to leave Cuba for exile in the United States:

Pastor Omar Gude Perez, his wife Kenia Denis and their two children arrived in the United States as refugees yesterday. They were finally granted permission by Cuban emigration authorities to leave the island following an 18-month wait for the appropriate paperwork.

Former prisoner of conscience Pastor Gude Perez and his family were granted asylum by the United States in July 2011 after he was barred from working as a pastor and following a campaign of official harassment lasting a number of years. Despite multiple verbal promises on the part of government officials, the family was blocked from leaving the country for 18 months.

State security officials contacted Pastor Gude Perez on 14 November following his wife’s high profile visit to Washington DC, facilitated by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), during which she highlighted their case. He received a citation to present himself a police station the following day in Havana in order to sign a series of documents that they assured him would allow him to leave the country. There were no further developments until mid-January when state security officials contacted the family to inform them that an exit permit had been issued.

The couple expressed relief that they have finally been able to leave the country, expressing particular concern for their teenage children, who were barred from attending school after the offer of asylum was extended. In a statement to CSW, Pastor Gude Perez said, “My son, Omar Daniel, who is seventeen years old, has in just six months, lost fifty pounds of his bodily weight. My daughter Keila Rosa, who will soon celebrate her fifteenth birthday – the dream of every little girl – has lost three-quarters of her hair since the Americans first told us we would be able to travel.”

CSW’s Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston said, “CSW has made this case a priority since we first learned of Pastor Gude’s arrest in 2008. We are overjoyed that the Gude Perez family has finally been allowed to take up the offer of asylum in the United States where they will be able to practice their faith in freedom. The decision to leave Cuba has been a difficult and painful one for the family but the constant harassment on the part of the government and the official prohibition on their participation in religious ministry gave them no other option. We know they will continue to fight for religious freedom in Cuba from their new home in the United States and will be an effective voice for their network of churches, which continues to suffer targeted persecution. CSW will support them in this important work, drawing attention to the Cuban government’s ongoing violations of religious liberty.”

Unfortunately, not all Cuban political prisoners are treated the same

This blog strives to treat all Cuban political prisoners the same, presuming that their imprisonments are equally unjust and equally reflective of the repressive nature of the Castro dictatorship.

But I am not naive. Despite my best efforts, not all Cuban political prisoners receive the same level of attention, whether from overseas, from other anti-government activists on the island or this blog.

Exiled blogger Luis Felipe Rojas explains how this is reflected in the case of political prisoner Sonia Garro and her husband:

The case of the arbitrary arrest of Sonia Garro and her husband Ramon Alejandro is confusing for several reasons. That she belongs to the well-known group the Ladies in White and he to an independent Afro-Cuban organization, highlights lack of tactics or support (or both) by our internal dissent.

Recognized international institutions have raised the alarm at such injustice, but what has happened inside Cuba? The recent case of a protest against the police for the arrest of well-known figures like Yoani Sánchez, Antonio Rodiles and Angel Santiesteban (respectively: a receiver of many awards, a new rising star and prize-winning writer) among others, demonstrated what a nonviolent force can achieve pushing back against a repressive government.

In the case of Garro and her husband there has been a lack of actions to pressure the government from the dissident circles where they were recently active before being imprisoned, that is specific actions, specific public planned demands with the idea of exposing their situation to international public opinion.

Just because they are two almost unknowns they should not be neglected, left to their fate; a demand organized in stages, starting with the issuing of letters to the authorities, appearing before every police station, and a call by a considerable part of the internal opposition could pressure the authorities with a different urgency.

Read the whole thing, here.

Related articles

Sonia Garro Alfonso and Ramón Alejandro Muñoz, Cuban Political Prisoners of the Week, 1/20/13

Osvaldo Rodriguez Acosta, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 2/3/13

This post will remain at the top of the page through Friday, events allowing. To read newer posts, scroll down. And more Cuba-related news and information, follow Uncommon Sense on Twitter @marcmasferrer.

A version of this post appeared earlier.

Osvaldo Rodríguez Acosta, right, and his wife, Juana Castillo.

Cuban political prisoner Osvaldo Rodriguez Acosta on Jan. 24 started a hunger strike to demand that prosecutors invesigate police for stealing money from him and his family, according to a report posted by the CIHPRESS news agency.

"I demand they open an investigation because that is a violation," said Rodriguez, head of the Cuban Patriotic Alliance Movement.

Rodriguez, his wife Juana Castillo and their son Osvaldo were beaten and arrested Sept. 23. They were charged with assaulting an Interior ministry official during an earlier raid.

Castillo was released Jan. 1 after more than three months in jail. The couple's son remains held, facing charges of attempted murder and destroying state property after someone damaged the windshield on a police vehicle.

The family has denied the charge.

The elder Rodriguez is currently an inmate the El Combinando del Este prison in Havana.

Related articles

Desperation leads another Cuban political prisoner to start hunger strike

However you count it, repression in Cuba is on the rise

An exact count of how many politically-motivated arrests there are in Cuba each month is an impossible task for two main reasons: Those who do the counting, like the Hablemos Press (CIHPRESS) news agency, are themselves singled out for repression by the Castro dictatorship; and regime has no interest in allowing itself to be held accountable for how it targets its opposition.

An exact account is impossible.

But the numbers that we do have, do tell an important story about Cuba today: The repression is as awful as ever.

Hablemos Press reported Friday that it had talled 521 political arrests in December, including more than 120 arrests on Dec. 9-10 targeting activists trying to commemorate international Human Rights Day.

For the year, Hablemos Press recorded 5,503 arrests. That's up from 1,499 in 2010; and 3,835 in 2011.

The numbers differ from those compiled by another human rights group, but the bottom line is the same: The Castro dictatorship is terrified of its opponents, and that fear is growing.

For Hablemos Press's report on arrests in December, go here.

Related articles

Cuban human rights group reports more than 6,600 political arrests in 2012

Francisco Osoria Claro, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 12/23/12 (UPDATED x 3)

 UPDATED, Aug. 20, 2013 -- Francisco Osoria Claro has been released from jail.

Francisco Osoria Claro

Cuban political prisoner Francisco Osoria Claro is in grave danger in a Guantanamo hospital, suffering the effects of a hunger strike he started Dec. 9, according to Radio Marti and other sources.

Osoria, an activist with the Patriotic Union of Cuba, was arrested Nov. 22, after police searched his home. (The only thing of possible danger was a wooden replica of a gun.)

Celina Osoria Claro said the authorities are targeting her brother in "retaliation" for his anti-Castro activism. He previously was jailed for more than five years as a political prisoner, Celina said.

UPDATED, Dec. 26, 2012 -- As of Tuesday, Osoria was still hospitalized and still on hunger strike.

UPDATED, Jan. 3, 2013 -- At the request of his mother, Osoria ended his hunger strike.

Free Cuban political prisoner Calixto Martinez NOW!

As of today, Cuban independent journalist Calixto Ramon Martinez Arias, imprisoned since Sept. 16, has been on hunger strike for one month and one day to protest his ill treatment and to demand his release.

Do your part to help him by sharing this post on your social networks.

And/or sign this petition.

Read what Committee to Protect Journalists has to say about Martinez.

In his own voice, listen to Martinez describe his imprisonment here.

Read more about Martinez here.