Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet
Dr. Biscet,
Congratulations on being released from jail after some 11 years of unjust imprisonment in the Castro gulag. While in a sense you were only transferred from one prison to another, your release is rightfully considered a victory for all who fight for a free Cuba and most of all, for you and your family.
Your faith, and that of everyone who has supported and loved you and your family, has been rewarded.
In large part because of the example you set, the resistance to the Castro tyranny has grown stronger since you were last arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The Damas De Blanco and others have bravely taken to the streets to demand freedom and justice and human rights; and other Cubans have used new technologies to break the regime's monopoly on information and to link with supporters around the world.
The courage of your fellow Cubans has put the regime on the defensive like never before. The Castros' fear is rising.
The sacrifice of your fellow freedom fighters has come at a high price. Guillermo Fariñas' health will never be the same after numerous hunger strikes on behalf of his fellow Cubans — most notably, you and other politicial prisoners. Government opponents and their families are attacked on the streets and in their homes. And Reina Luisa Tamayo will never again hold in her arms her son, Orlando Zapata Tamayo.
Those sacrifices, however, have not been in vain. Your release, and that of dozens of other political prisoners, is proof of that. And so is the greater awareness around the world of the atrocities against the Cuban people that have been committed by the Castro brothers and their regime.
When you went to jail, Fidel Castro was still the "president" of Cuba, and his brother, the minister of defense. In 2006, Fidel fell victim to a bad stomach and was replaced by his Raúl.
But despite the promises and assurances and wishful thinking of some that the transition would mean change for the better for Cuba, nothing has changed. Under Raúl, as under Fidel, there is the same poverty and misery, fear and repression. Hundreds, if not thousands of Cubans remain in jail as political prisoners, and the arrests, threats and other harassment of anti-government activists continue unabated.
That lack of change has emboldened many in Cuba to join the resistance, to shout, "Enough is enough," whether from the streets of Havana, Guántanamo and Placetas, or from their blogs and other websites. They have been joined overseas by Cubans and non-Cubans alike.
What should you do next?
First off, you need to rest and recuperate and reunited with your family. When I saw the first photos after your release, I thought you looked strong, especially for someone who had just spent 11 years in one of the world's worst hellholes. But after I heard your voice, I could tell you were very tired.
Cuba needs you to be strong, but more importantly right now, your family needs for you to heal.
But after that — and if you decide to resume your leading role in the opposition — what to do?
Fortunately, through your activism, you have established and adhered to a set of principles that make you a worthy example for others to follow: A commitment to life and non-violence, and a passion for the freedom and the human rights of your fellow man, and the courage to defend them always.
As shown in the wake of your release, you are a leader with the ability to unite Cubans who while unanimous in the need to rid the island of the Castros and their dictatorship, sometimes differ on the best way to accomplish that.
That is a key role that you could play, but it comes with a potential pitfall: That some will project on to you their own opinions and methods and goals for Cuba, and if you somehow disappoint them, if, for example, you call for the United States to lift what's left of its "embargo" on Cuba, some could turn on you.
That it has happened to other dissidents is disappointing. After all, requiring unanimity of thought and action is a quality of dictators and dictatorships, not of democrats and democracies.
Those worries are perhaps premature, as you consider your next step and as you heal.
My view is no one has the right to second-guess whatever you do in the future. You and your family have paid a terrible price because of the Castro dictatorship. You should not have to sacrifice anything more.
But because of the sacrifices you have made, and the example you have set, there is a growing faith that the end of Cuba's 52-year nightmare is almost here, that Cuba and Cubans will soon be free.
That faith must be put into action, and with your leadership, I am sure it will.
Marc R. Masferrer, Bradenton, Fla., USA, March 13, 2011.
Recent Comments