CUBA ACTION - February/ March 2010
February/ March 2010
In February 2008, the international community applauded when Cuba finally signed two key international human rights conventions which explicitly guarantee the right to freedom of expression and association, to earn a living by the profession of one's choosing, to health and to freedom from torture and ill treatment, among others. The signing of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) followed hard on the heels of Fidel Castro's resignation from office and the surprise release from prison of three independent journalists and librarians. There were hopes that change was coming.
A year later, when Cuba's human rights record came under scrutiny by the United Nations under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for the first time in February 2009, the Cuban Justice Minister stated that freedom of opinion, expression, information and of the press is recognised for all Cuban citizens. She also said that there are no prisoners of conscience in Cuba and that no one is harassed, detained or punished for exercising, enjoying or defending human rights.
Yet at that time there were at least 25 writers, journalists and librarians in prison on the island in apparent violation of rights guaranteed under the ICCPR and the ICESCR, serving prison sentences of up to 27 years on anti-state or ‘social dangerousness' charges. Today there are 26 writers in prison. Those who remain at liberty are frequently harassed by government agents in relation to their work: for example, on 6 November 2009, three internet writers were reportedly abducted and assaulted while on their way to a peaceful demonstration in Havana.
The Justice Minister also said last year that the Cuban prison system complies with the UN Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and that every prison inmate is guaranteed medical treatment. But the reality is that the majority of the 26 imprisoned writers are reportedly suffering from health complaints caused or exacerbated by the harsh conditions and treatment they are exposed to in prison and, despite this, access to adequate medical treatment is often limited.
Twenty-two of the 26 writers have been in prison since a crackdown on alleged dissidents in March 2003. Join PEN in saying seven years is enough. Ask the Cuban state to honour the commitments undertaken when it signed the ICCPR and the ICESCR by immediately and unconditionally releasing all writers imprisoned in violation of their rights and ceasing harassment of those who remain at liberty.
PEN Centres and other interested parties are asked to undertake at least one of the following actions by 18 March (the seventh anniversary of the March 2003 crackdown):
1. Embassy visits/ appeals
PEN members are asked to write to their nearest Cuban Embassy to request a meeting with the Ambassador to raise PEN's concerns about the 26 writers imprisoned in Cuba and the ongoing harassment of others at liberty, as outlined above and in PEN's letter to the Cuban Justice and Foreign Ministers. Contact details for some Cuban Embassies can be found here: http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-of/Cuba
For more information on the situation for writers in Cuba, including case summaries and photos, click here.
Note: The meeting does not need to take place before 18 March, but please send your letter or email requesting the meeting before that date.
In addition, or alternatively, you may like to send copies of the WiPC's Cuba postcard, with a cover letter updating the figures for 2009-2010. The postcard can be downloaded here (English or Spanish), or if you would like the WiPC to send you some printed copies of the postcard by post, please contact Tamsin Mitchell at tamsin.mitchell@internationalpen.org.uk as soon as possible.
2. Write an article
PEN Centres are asked to use the following hooks in February/ March as an opportunity to highlight the plight of the 26 imprisoned writers, journalists and librarians and other restrictions on freedom of expression in Cuba in their national and local press:
- The first anniversary of the UN's first review of Cuba's human rights record under the Universal Periodic Review (February 2009);
- The second anniversary of Cuba's signature of the ICCPR and ICESCR (February 2008);
- The seventh anniversary of the Black Spring crackdown on alleged dissidents when 22 of the 26 imprisoned writers were arrested (March 2003).
The WiPC calls on each of the 37 PEN Centres involved in the Freedom to Write in the Americas campaign to publish at least one article about the imprisoned writers and restrictions on freedom of expression in Cuba in their national press or in the international media by the end of the campaign in March 2010.
3. Elect an Honorary Member
PEN Centres are urged to consider providing long-term support to the imprisoned writers and journalists in Cuba by electing one or more of them as Honorary Members of their Centre. Please click here to find a list of the seven writers who have not yet been elected Honorary Members of any Centre and who still have a number of years still to serve; more information is available on request. You may elect other writers serving long-term prison sentences in Cuba, but those who are not already Honorary Members of other Centres will benefit most from your support.
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NB - A case sheet is available immediately in both English and Spanish for journalist Pablo Pachecho Ávila, who received special recognition for his work as a journalist under threat at Amnesty International's 2009 Media Awards.
For more information on Honorary Membership, please see the Writers in Prison Committee's Guide to Defending Writers Under Attack (go to Part 5, pp. 15-21). A Spanish version of the section on Honorary Membership is available on request.
For further information please contact WiPC Americas researcher Tamsin Mitchell at International PEN Writers in Prison Committee, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339, email: tamsin.mitchell@internationalpen.org.uk