A Castroite kangaroo court in Cuba sentenced independent journalist Oscar Sanchez Madan to four years in prison today. His crime?
A Cuban dissident journalist was arrested, tried and sentenced to four years in prison — all in one day and with no defense attorney — on charges of being a ”pre-criminal social danger,” a press freedom group said Wednesday.
Remind me again, where is that “liberalization” that Raul Castro was supposed to bring?
I was stark raving mad after reading a post titled Fear of repercussions by Henry “Conductor” Gomez on Babalu Blog this morning. Here’s why.
A few weeks back, the MSM was all atwitter over the announcement by the communist totalitarian state in Cuba that Castro would be strong enough to “run” for president again in 2008. I did a post on it on this blog.
This story inspired some of my fellow Cuban-American bloggers to start a presidential campaign on behalf of a true Cuban patriot, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, who also happens to be a political prisoner languishing in one of Castro’s hellholes.
When I first heard of this idea, I thought it was great. I had planned to add a graphic to this blog, but life sort of got in the way: I’ve been extraordinarily busy of late. So I never got around to doing it.
Understand, Dr. Biscet has no realistic hope of being elected president of Cuba, at least not so long as the Castro dictatorship remains in place. That said, the “Biscet in ’08″ campaign was, in my opinion and the opinion of other anti-Castro bloggers, a great way to publicize the plight of the Cuban people in general and Dr. Biscet in particular.
So, when I saw on Babalu Blog that a number of bloggers are dropping the idea of Dr. Biscet’s presidential campaign, I read on. The reason given was that Elsa Morejon, Dr. Biscet’s wife, had asked bloggers to end the campaign, out of fear of retaliation by Castro and his thugs. I understand and respect her concerns, for as Babalu Blog put it, “we can’t play with someone else’s skin.”
Now, that didn’t anger me, I can understand Elsa Morejon’s concerns. What really frosted my a** was the simple fact that we have to self-censor ourselves because of that bearded a-hole and what he might do to his prisoners. And by prisoners I don’t just mean the ones physically behind bars, I mean the 11 million living in the world’s largest open-air prison.
I’m a firm believer that everything in life happens for a reason. I can only imagine the reason Castro has lived so long is that each additional day he spends walking on this earth is one more day his special spot in hell is being made hotter.
One of our “friends” on the left has truly surprised me, pleasantly so. David Corn takes Ricardo Alarcon, AKA Fidel Castro’s parrot, to task for his hypocrisy in his blog on The Nation’s website:
… (Cuba’s National Assembly president and, as noted before, Castro parrot Ricardo) Alarcon’s concern for the plight of this one author is comical–in a dark fashion–for he heads a government that does not allow its citizens to challenge openly the conventional wisdom of the Castro regime. There is no free press in Alarcon’s country, no freedom of expression. There is no “passionate love of truth” among the rulers of Cuba. Alarcon is crying for (dead sociologist and pro-Castro author C. Wright) Mills, while his government does even worse to Cuban writers than the FBI did to Mills.
Holy imprisoned journalists, Batman, did David Corn just say that about Castro?
Yes, Robin, and there’s more:
For some “passionate truth” about the state of intellectual freedom within Cuba, let’s turn to the Committee To Protect Journalists’ most recent annual report on Cuba. (By the way, Nation publisher emeritus Victor Navasky is a CPJ board member.) The report notes that CPJ “named Cuba one of the world’s 10 Most Censored Countries.” It explains:
The government owns and controls all media outlets and restricts Internet access. The three main newspapers represent the views of the Communist Party and other organizations controlled by the government.
No freedom to write. No freedom to surf the Internet. And no freedom to report:
The media operate under the supervision of the Communist Party’s Department of Revolutionary Orientation, which develops and coordinates propaganda strategies. Those who try to work as independent reporters are harassed, detained, threatened with prosecution or jail, or barred from traveling. Their relatives are threatened with dismissal from their jobs. A small number of foreign correspondents report from Havana, but Cubans do not ever see their reports.
And what does Alarcon’s government do to brave souls who try to act as independent journalists? CPJ says:
Cuba continued to be one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, second only to China. During 2006, two imprisoned journalists were released, but two more were jailed….
Of the 24 journalists who remained imprisoned, 22 were jailed in a massive March 2003 crackdown on the independent press. Their prison sentences on antistate charges ranged from 14 to 27 years. Many of them were jailed far from their homes, adding to the heavy burden on their families. Their families have described unsanitary prison conditions, inadequate medical care, and rotten food. Some imprisoned journalists were being denied religious guidance, and most shared cells with hardened criminals. Many were allowed family visits only once every three months and marital visits only once every four months–a schedule of visits far less frequent than those allowed most inmates. Relatives were harassed for talking to the foreign press and protesting the journalists’ incarceration.
Imagine a Cuban who wants to write and publish a Cuban version of The Power Elite. That person would be locked up in a modern-day dungeon by Alarcon and his comrades. Alarcon, thus, has no standing to bemoan the harassment of Mills or to pontificate about the glories of pursuing establishment-defying truths.
Now, naturally, Mr. Corn can’t let an opportunity to take a shot at President Bush pass without taking said shot:
Stating the obvious about the gross absence of political and human rights within Cuba should not be equated with support for the economic embargo maintained by the Bush administration against Cuba.
Nevertheless, it’s refreshing to read this type of stuff coming from the left.
That’s the gist of a headline on a piece from the U.S. State Department noting the fourth anniversary of Primavera Negra (Black Spring). Here’s a snippet of the article:
On the fourth anniversary of the Cuban regime’s crackdown on dissidents, observers of Cuba agree that the country’s communist government continues to attack press freedom, and that harassment and repression against independent journalists have worsened.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a March 20 statement that 59 of the 75 “independent thinkers, journalists, librarians and academics” who were imprisoned in the crackdown remain behind bars. McCormack said: “Those who have been released know that it is ‘conditional’ and live with the constant threat of being sent back to jail. They also know, as all Cubans do, that repression is on the rise.”
Cuban experts described the two-week period of what was called “Black Spring,” which began on March 18, 2003, as the most severe repression of peaceful dissent the island had seen in recent years.
McCormack said: “Cuba’s future will be decided by the Cuban people. For this process to begin, it is time for Cuban authorities to stop the cycle of repression, to end the practice of holding political prisoners and to release all political prisoners to their homes and families in Cuba.”
Four years after Black Spring, Cuba still has 270 “prisoners of conscience,” including 25 journalists, which makes the country “the second-biggest prison in the world for journalists after China,” the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said.
Note the last quote, lest you dismiss this piece as nothing more than “government propaganda” (which, ironically, is all Granma is). Follow the link and you’ll see it’s all sourced from other, reliable websites.
Tomorrow marks a dubious anniversary in Cuban history known as “Primavera Negra,” or “Black Spring.” Four years ago, on March 18, the Castro regime took advantage of the fact that the world’s eyes were focused on the U.S.’s preparations for war against another dictator–Saddam Hussein of Iraq–and cracked down on peaceful dissent in Cuba. A total of 75 activists and journalists were imprisoned; to date, only 15 of the original 75 have been released.
A number of blogs, including this one, would like to pay tribute to those who remain imprisoned in Cuba unjustly and we’d also like to ask the world why there is no outcry or outrage or demand for their freedom?
Primavera Negra is a website dedicated to remembering this dark day in Cuban history. On March 18th, they’ll have a “video marathon” on their site the entire day. I encourage you to visit. While you’re there, follow the links to other blogs and check out what they’re saying about this outrage.
A gazillion stories on the web on Fidel’s claim that he’s feeling well. Big whoop-de-do.
Meanwhile, this story was buried:
CPJ urges acting president of Cuba to immediately release all jailed journalists
March 14, 2007
His Excellency Raúl Castro Ruz
First Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers
Republic of Cuba
C/o Cuban Mission to the United Nations
New York, NY 10016-2606Via facsimile: 212-779-1697
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists is asking you, as acting president of Cuba, to immediately release all reporters, writers, and editors imprisoned in your country. With 24 independent journalists behind bars today, Cuba continues to be one of the leading jailers of journalists in the world, second only to China.
Of the 24 reporters currently in jail in Cuban prisons, 22 have been incarcerated since the government’s massive crackdown on political dissidence four years ago this week.
In March 2003, while the world’s attention was focused on the U.S. invasion of Iraq, 29 independent journalists were detained as part of a wider crackdown on the opposition. Two weeks later, the reporters were tried summarily behind closed doors and sentenced to terms ranging from 14 to 27 years in prison.
The Cuban government has labeled these journalists “mercenaries” who acted against the interests of the state. This is an arbitrary and vague charge unsupported by any evidence. In fact, a CPJ analysis of trial documents further indicates that the journalists were prosecuted for engaging in professional activities protected by international law.
Seven journalists have since been released on medical parole. According to CPJ research, the 22 who remain in jail have lived their four-year imprisonment under extremely difficult circumstances. They suffer from continuous harassment, humiliating prison conditions, and psychological pressures.
Journalists who were ill before being jailed have seen their health worsen in prison, while others who were in good health have developed illnesses. Some have additionally developed alarming mental health problems. Various journalists have started hunger strikes to protest poor conditions. In retaliation, prison authorities have transferred them, limited outside contact, and withheld information about their health.
Some remain far from their homes, adding to the heavy burden on their families. Journalists and family members have cited unsanitary prison conditions, inadequate medical care, and an unhealthy, meager diet. Several are in cells with common criminals; others are in isolation.
Many of the journalists are allowed family visits only once every three months and marital visits only once every four months. Relatives are harassed for talking to the foreign press and for protesting the journalists’ incarceration.
Moreover, CPJ is seriously concerned about the imprisonment of two other journalists in reprisal for their work during this past year. Armando Betancourt Reina, a Camagüey-based reporter for Nueva Prensa Cubana, has been imprisoned since May, and has yet to be charged. He was arrested while covering the evictions of dozens of families from their homes. In November, Guillermo Espinosa Rodríguez was sentenced to two years of home confinement on charges of “social dangerousness,” and forbidden from practicing independent journalism. He had been covering an outbreak of dengue fever.
Since President Fidel Castro temporarily ceded power to you on July 31, CPJ has documented cases of constant harassment, and detentions of independent journalists who are still trying to report news that the official press ignores. Furthermore, foreign journalists who are covering a story of worldwide importance have been denied entry into Cuba. Three weeks ago, your government announced its decision not to renew the visas of three Havana-based correspondents. The decision, which comes in clear reprisal for their independent reporting, could have a chilling effect on the foreign media’s ability to cover Cuba at this crucial time.
The imprisonment of journalists in reprisal for their independent reporting violates international law, including Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees everyone “the right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
We urge you to release all of the detained journalists immediately and unconditionally, and we call on the Cuban government to respect international guarantees for free expression and to stop persecuting the independent press.
Sincerely,
Joel Simon
Executive DirectorJoin CPJ in protesting this attack on the press. Write or fax to the address above.
No, not really. Raulito seems more willing than his brother to let Cubans criticize their awful government, though not by much. We had Cuban writers criticize the government at a book fair a few weeks ago and we had a by-government-invitation-only meeting of intellectuals complaining about the Castro government a few weeks ago.
Now we have a film festival featuring films somewhat critical of what’s going on in Cuba:
A 14-minute documentary called “Las camas solas” — “The Lonely Beds” — highlighted Cuba’s housing shortage, showing a group of families who leave their dilapidated Havana apartment building for a government shelter in 2004, seeking safety from Hurricane Ivan.
“It’s a shame the building has been allowed to be destroyed like this,” a woman says as the camera pans over her rundown home.
Of course, as soon as you get a story like that, you get another one like the recent sentencing of dissidents to prison–for “disturbing the peace” (as noted on this blog).
And critical filmmakers at the film festival don’t dare go too far, lest they find themselves in trouble with the Castro government:
Politics, democratic reform and the legitimacy of more than 40 years of unchallenged communist rule don’t figure in these documentaries. But still,
Sandra Gomez worried she was crossing a line when she made “The Lonely Beds.”“I thought that it was going to be too critical and that it would never be allowed to be shown in a space such as this,” said Gomez, 30, a graduate of Havana’s International School of Film and Television. “I was really surprised.”
Still, the filmmakers doubt their critical works will ever make it to television.
“This is a documentary not to be seen only by intellectuals,” said Rodriguez, creator of “Buscandote Havana.” “It’s for all the people … so that they can see what is happening, and that is not what they see every day on television.”
Some people see these small token gestures as proof that Cuba is willing to open itself up so why should’t we drop the embargo?
I see them as nothing more than cheap propaganda ploys. As long as a Castro is in charge in Cuba, whether it be Fidel or Raul, Cubans will continue to be repressed. And 48 years of history back up what I say.
That’s because books Castro doesn’t like get thrown into the fire. Literally:
From kangaroo-court records I have seen, when independent librarians are sent to the gulags, certain confiscated books — and sometimes all books in their libraries — are ordered incinerated by the presiding judge. A biography of Martin Luther King was sent to the flames because, said the judge, it “is based on ideas that could be used to promote social disorder and civil disobedience.” And the nonviolent King’s own books have been burned.
Even works by Jose Marti, the 19th-century organizer of Cuban independence, have been incinerated. Maybe because of the pamphlet he wrote during his exile in Spain, planning the liberation of his homeland. Marti’s pamphlet was about the horrors of political imprisonment in Cuba under a pre-Castro dictator.
Among thousands of other incinerated “subversive” books and pamphlets are those books by George Orwell, Pope John Paul II, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (particularly dangerous) and reports by Human Rights Watch.
When I found these court records by Castro’s judges, I called Ray Bradbury, whose classic novel “Fahrenheit 451″ — still reverberating among readers around the world — tells of a tyrannical government destroying “disloyal” books by fire — and the resistance by courageous citizens memorizing those forbidden books to preserve them for future generations. Ray Bradbury authorized me to circulate his response to these real-life bonfires of free thought in Castro’s Cuba:
“I plead with Castro and his government to immediately take their hands off the independent librarians and release all those librarians in prison and send them back into Cuban culture to inform the people.”
This is a really good piece, penned by Nat Hentoff. I urge you to read the rest here.
As if we needed more proof that freedom of speech and the press are anathema to communist dictatorships like the one in Cuba, we get this from the Associated Press:
Cuban press authorities have told the Havana correspondents for the Chicago Tribune, the BBC and a major Mexican newspaper that they can no longer report from the island.
The Chicago Tribune said correspondent Gary Marx, based in the country since 2002, was told Wednesday that his stories were too negative. His press credentials were not renewed during an annual process, and he and his family were given 90 days to leave Cuba, the newspaper said.
The Mexican newspaper El Universal said Cesar Gonzalez Calero, its Havana reporter since 2003, was told this week his credentials would not be renewed. Authorities told him his reporting was “not the most convenient for the Cuban government,” the reporter said, adding he would be allowed to remain in Cuba as the husband of a Spanish journalist.
The British Broadcasting Corp. was “talking to the authorities in Havana about the status of its Cuba correspondent after his accreditation was withdrawn,” spokeswoman Karen Rosine said Friday in a statement from London. Without naming correspondent Stephen Gibbs, Rosine said he “remains in Cuba, pending the outcome of these discussions.”
It was refreshing to see journalistic organizations condemn the move by Castro:
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also expressed concern over the measures.
“We are dismayed by the Cuban government’s decision to effectively ban two well-respected journalists from doing their jobs by not renewing their press credentials,” said Carlos Lauria, the group’s Americas program coordinator.
“The decision comes in clear reprisal for their independent reporting. We urge the Cuban government to review its decision and allow the journalists to continue reporting from Cuba.”
The Inter-American Press Association said it also condemned the measures, calling them “another manifestation of the arbitrary handling of freedom of expression and press in that country.”
Once again, a Miami-Dade County Public School features a pro-commie book in its library. This time, a Cuban-American mother fights back:
A Miami-Dade mother says a book she checked out from her son’s school library contains false information about Cuba and she won’t give it back.
Dalila Rodriguez checked out the book this month.
Rodriguez said, “If you take it out and don’t return it, no kid can read it. It’s not censoring; it’s protecting our children from lies.”
While I’m no fan of censorship, I’d like to make two points here:
- Children are very impressionable and it is indeed an obligation to be careful with what they are taught; as they grow older and begin to develop good judgemement, only then should they be exposed to more
- It’s funny how those who scream “censorship” the loudest when a book that makes Castro’s Cuba look good is removed from a library’s shelf, are silent when a timeless classic like Huckleberry Finn is the book that gets removed.
