Human rights in Cuba - transcript

US Department of State Bulletin, Sept, 1984

The history of Cuba over the last 25 years is one of the great tragedies of modern times. It is the history of a gifted and industrious people, whose hopes for freedom and democracy have been cruelly and systematically denied. It is the history of a liberal and democratic revolution which overthrew the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, only to be betrayed by an even more ruthless dictator. It is the history of one of the greatest tyrants of our time, Fidel Castro, who promised the Cuban people that he would restore democracy and respect for law and human rights, but instead establsihed a dictatorship which has brought ruin and misery to his people.

Cuban has been ruled for 25 years by the one man, Fidel Castro, and a group which seized power in 1959. The Communist Party dominates all aspects of daily life, controlling the means of production and distribution of goods, services, and information; public communication, public welfare, and education; as well as national defense, foreign relations, and public security. Under these circumstances, the human rights of Cubans are systematically denied, subordinated to the aims of the Cuban Communist Part, as defined by its "Maximum Leader," Fidel Castro.

Legal System Abuses

Executions to discourage political dissent, for example, which began when Castro seized power in 1959, continued throughout 1983. There are credible reports of summary executions following secret trials of civilians for alleged political offenses by military tribunals. A number of Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, was reported to have been executed in August 1983 for allegedly spreading "propaganda to incite armed rebellion." a 23-year-old student, Carlos Albert Gutierez, was shot for belonging to a group caught painting anti-government slogans on walls.

Cuban police commonly round up persons in nighttime arrests. Friends, neighbors, and family members have no knowledge of their fate and frequently are too intimidated to ask. Usually these persons are tried and sentenced in secret, by sometimes they are interrogated and released. In 1983, several Cuban-Americans "disappeared" while in Cuba visiting relatives. No information regarding their detention or whereabouts was provided to the U.S. Government nor to their relatives who inquired about them. In one case, an individual was arrested and held incommunicado for 3 months. Upon being released, he reported that he had been interrogated about alleged espionage and counterrevolutionary activity.

Conditions in Cuban political prisons and barbaric and include the use of torture. Political prisoners who refuse "reeducation" are subject to particularly harsh penalties, including the denial of clothing, medical attention, and communication with friends and relatives outside prison. One former political prisoner, Jose Rodriguez Terrero, who was released in August 1983, spent 22 years in Cuban prisons, including months at a time confined naked in a tiny cell called a "drawer" which forced the prisoner to curl up in an embryo-like position. Also included among the forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment in Cuban prisons is the placing of a prisoner in a small, sealed, unventilated room, and totally isolating a prisoner from other prisoners and from the outside world. The use of psychiatry for repressive purpose has been reported by Dr. Abdo Canasi. He received a 10-year jail sentence for his expose, and since his release from confinement he is denied permission to leave the country.

The Cuban legal system does not provide internationally recognized standards of due process for defendants, and is used to impose criminal sentences on individuals who have been imprisoned for political reasons, including lawyers attempting to defend political prisoners and those trying to establish free trade unions. For example, in january 1983, a Cuban court sentenced five persons to death for having tried to organize a "Solidarity-style" trade union movement in Cuba. Subsequently, Cuban authorities arrested the attorneys who sought to defend the five labor organizers. Groups such as Americas Watch and Amnesty International have estimated that there are over 200 political prisoners in Cuba; other estimates put the figure at about 1,000. Americas Watch also estimates that there are between 1,500 and 2,000 former political prisoners to whom the Cuban government continues to deny employment. In its 1983 report, Amnesty International has drawn attention to the fact that other political prisoners are refused permission to leave Cuba, even when other countries have been willing to give them visas.

Restrictive Liberties

Freedom of speech and the press do not exist in Cuba. All media outlets are owned by the government or party-controlled organizations and operate strictly according to Communist Party guidelines. No criticism of the policies of the government, the party, or the leadership is permitted. Artistic expression is also covered by these restrictions, which require that artistic works serve to reinforce the goals of the government. Foreign publications, except those from other communist countries, are not available. Even private expresssion of differences with government policies is repressed by an informer network operated by the politicized block committees, known as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution [CDR]. Those who vilate the prohibitions against critizing the government are imprisoned, and even those suspected of potential opposition can be incarcerated or detained in prison after the expiration of their sentences under the so-called ley de peligrosidad.