Cayo Canas Island

No end to repression

From Monday's Globe and Mail Published on Monday, Mar. 08, 2010 12:00AM EST Last updated on Monday, Mar. 08, 2010 3:31AM EST

Images of another emaciated and frail Cuban dissident-turned-hunger-striker are a potent reminder of the frustration and powerlessness felt by political opponents on this Caribbean island.

Guillermo Farinas, a 48-year-old psychologist and freelance writer, stopped eating Feb. 24, the day after Orlando Zapata Tamayo died from an 85-day hunger strike, becoming a martyr for Cuba's opposition. Four more dissidents who are in jail have also launched hunger strikes.

These dramatic gestures of protest are unlikely to force the hand of the Cuban government, but they have certainly shamed it.

The incident has quashed hopes - at least in the short term - for the improvement of Cuba's relations with the U.S. or Europe. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Mr. Zapata was imprisoned for speaking his mind. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's Prime Minister, called on Cuba to free all its political prisoners, estimated to number 200.

Cuban officials know this issue resonates abroad, which explains their predictable response at the United Nations. Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla accused the U.S. of stepping up subversion against the nation, called its long economic blockade "genocide" and complained that global capitalism has brought about the death of millions in poor countries.

It is impossible to know whether ordinary Cubans actually believe that all political opponents are U.S. mercenaries, and that another country is responsible for what happens inside Cuban prisons.

It is clear, though, that President Raul Castro is no political reformer. Many thought he would loosen his brother Fidel's repressive grip when he took power in 2006. But Mr. Castro allowed 75 dissidents imprisoned in 2003 to languish and locked up scores more on the grounds of "dangerousness" to the state (including writing articles critical of the government). Cuba is the only country left in the Americas which outlaws all forms of political dissent; it even forbids the International Red Cross from visiting prisoners. Mr. Farinas, the only hunger striker not behind bars, wants the release of 26 political prisoners said to be in poor health. Starving himself is the only way he can be heard.

And yet it is difficult for the opposition message to gain momentum inside the country, as Cubans are restricted from using the Internet, and only have access to government-controlled media.

"This is an incredibly effective, repressive state machine. People are justifiably afraid because they know the consequences of crossing the line," says Nik Steinberg, a researcher with Human Rights Watch who visited Cuba recently, despite being denied official permission to enter.

Don't expect change any time soon in Cuba - except a further loss of its credibility on the world stage, and more familiar rhetoric about the U.S. being the source of all evil.