Cayo Canas Island

Mientras en la Plaza de la Revolución – el Gran Teatro de la Gran Comedia de Cuba – los hambreados súbditos, con banderitas y consignas, celebraban el Primero de Mayo, tuve el honor de presentar ante el Parlamento de Canadá, las aberrantes y abusivas condiciones que tienen los prisioneros políticos y los Periodistas Independientes en las más de 300 cárceles que tiene el régimen comunista, para los disidentes, opositores y los noventa mil negros cubanos detenidos, por délitos que sólo son délitos en la Cuba totalitarioa de los Hermanos Castro and Co.

Durante dos horas fue debatido el tema de Cuba y, las acciones que podría tomar el Parlamento de Canadá ante la desafiante actitud del Gobierno cubano ante la comunidad internacional, por la masiva e institucionalizada violación de las libertades y derechos a que es acreedor nuestro pueblo.
En 1948, Cuba fue signataria de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos del Hombre. Desde 1959 el Gobierno totalitario y dictatorial de F. Castro, ha hecho caso omiso de los compromisos con esa Declaración y ha violado cuanto derecho tiene nuestro pueblo. Desde la sucesión monárquica en agosto del pasado año, la represión y el terror han crecido en espiral.
Es nuestra misión no desmayar en la denuncia de estos hechos. Mi presentación en el Sub Comité de Derechos Humanos fue contundente y exitosa. Todo lo que allí se discutió, saldrá publicado dentro de tres semanas, en el sitio del Parlamento canadiense.
Yo les presento aquí mi discurso, pero fueron entregadas listas y pruebas de todo lo denunciado. Los representantes megafónicos de la dictadura, quedaron hecho trizas. No tuvieron ninguna credibilidad y sus intervenciones repitieron el discurso castrista, como una cansona y aburrida perorata. Esto es un éxito del Partido Socialdemócrata de Cuba y de todo el movimiento disidente y opositor dentro y fuera de la isla.
Un abrazo. Asdrúbal Caner Camejo


Human Rights Violations Report from the Social Democratic Party of Cuba (Illegal)
Subcommittee on International Human Rights
Parliament of Canada
May 1, 2007

Asdrubal Caner Camejo's speech, Representative of the Social Democratic Party of Cuba in Canada.
May 1, 2007.

Dear Members of the Human Rights Subcommittee:

First, I would like to thank the Subcommittee for inviting me to this session.

I have been the Representative of the Social Democratic Party of Cuba in Canada since March 19, 2007. This is the Party of Vladimiro Roca, who was once a Prisoner of Conscience for whom Prime Minister Jean Chrétien requested freedom in a meeting with Fidel Castro in 1998. He was part of the famous “Group of Four”, incarcerated in Cuba for being a peaceful political dissident.
My Party would like to work with Canadian political parties that support democratic and peaceful changes in Cuba, our country.

I will focus my intervention on four problems in regards to human rights violations in Cuba. Then I will give you my analysis and perception of the general situation on the island now.

The four Human Rights violations are:
1. - The current situation of Cuba's political prisoners and in particular the plight of prisoners of conscience.
2. - The 29 Cuban journalists incarcerated without any reason.
3. - The reappearance of racial discrimination in Cuba and the 90,000 black Cubans presently in jail.
4. - The 57 prisoners of conscience with severe and acute
health problems.

1. - Cuba's Political Prisoners

I have here a list of the names, sentences and prison where our Cuban political prisoners are located. Regrettably, they are subjected to all manner of mistreatment in prison. This includes being beaten, punished, harassed and even killed.

The political prisoners I speak of are:
- Prevented from receiving food and medical care.
- Denied contact and visits from their families.
- Forced to be naked in front of the general prison population.
- Denied access to medicine even if brought by their families.
- Kept away from the sun for prolonged periods of time - as much as
a month or more.
- Locked in "punishment cells" and generally held in cells
overpopulated by common criminals.

This mistreatment drives some prisoners of conscience to attempt suicide. Some succeed by hanging themselves or cutting their veins.

As the political prisoners are in cells with common criminals, they face continuous acts of violence among inmates generally and against them. This is a humiliating situation for them because the Cuban government does not recognize their political affiliation and treats them as common criminals.

The material and sanitary conditions within the 300 prisons are abominable and would be abhorrent for any human being. I have brought you a replica of a punishment cell. The authorities keep political prisoners for 6 to 12 months in this kind of cell with the aim of destroying their will and demoralizing them.

This degrading mistreatment is not only for men. There are 79 Women’s Prisons where the same injustices are done to female political prisoners.

For example, the political prisoner María de los Ángeles Borrego, who is serving a four-year sentence in the Manto Negro women's prison in Havana, claims that prison authorities have neglected her repeated cries for medical attention.

Female political prisoners are beaten by common criminals in women’s prisons and humiliated by prison authorities.

I want to call your attention to the 78 Prisoners of Conscience and particularly to senior citizens who have spent several years in prison and have grave health problems. I have attached to my report a partial list of these prisoners. Among those that I wish to call your attention to are: Nelson Aguiar Ramirez who is 61; Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos who is 59; Julio Cesar Galvez who is 62; Francisco Chaviano Gonzalez; Arnaldo Ramos Lauzerique 65; Omar Pernet Hernandez 61; and Omar Moises Ruiz 59. All of these people have been sentenced to 13 to 26 years in prison. They have acute health problems that have been exacerbated by Cuban authorities and spending several years in wretched prison conditions.

2.- 29 Cuban journalists incarcerated for no reason

Cuba continues to be one of the world's leading jailers of journalists, second only to China - with 29 independent journalists currently in prison. Twenty-two of these journalists were jailed in a crackdown in March 2003. Some also have severe health problems.

I bring with me a list of these journalists whose only "crime" was to inform the public about the real situation in Cuba.

After the monarchic succession in August 2006, Raul Castro increased the repression against journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters without Borders, the Inter-American Press Association, the Organization of American States' Ibero-American Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International and other international organizations denounced this brutal crackdown against the free expression and ferocious campaign against Cuba's Independent Journalists. In the last Evaluation of Freedom of Expression 2006, the Organization of America States (OAS) said:

“The Office of the Special Reporter for Freedom of Expression reiterates its great concern over the systematic and continuous situation of utter and complete disrespect for freedom of thought and expression in Cuba. During the period analyzed, journalist Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta received a beating while in jail; journalists Pedro Enrique Martínez Machado, Carlos Serpa Maceira, Juan Carlos Linares Balmaceda and Ahmed Rodríquez Almacia were deprived of their freedom; journalists Raimundo Perdigón Brito and Guillermo Espinosa Rodríguez were sentenced to incarceration and journalist Luis Felipe Rojas Rosabal had his books and personal items confiscated.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about a report on the deteriorating health of independent journalist Alfredo Pulido López, who has been imprisoned in Cuba for almost four years. Mr. López, 46, is suffering from serious breathing and stomach problems. The journalist is receiving medical care in prison, but his wife said the living conditions are unbearable. According to Rodríguez Souto, Pulido López is being held in a room with at least 100 hardened prisoners in Camagüey's Kilo 7 Prison, where he was transferred in August 2004. Rodríguez Souto said that her husband has witnessed continuous acts of violence among the inmates and fears for his life.”

The repression is not only against journalists but their families as well. The wife of an independent journalist was fired from her job after being declared "politically unreliable." Yolanda Álvarez, the wife of independent journalist Alejandro Tur, worked as an attendant in the bathrooms of "El Rápido" shopping centre in Cienfuegos. The shopping centre is owned and operated by the Government under its corporate entity CIMEX.

There is no ending in sight for the harassment and repression of Cuba's Independent Journalist.

It is impossible here to give all the detailed information about the types of abuses committed daily by the Government, much less account for each person who has been savagely beaten or incarcerated without committing a crime. I only cite some of the cases as illustration. I have not even begun to address other issues such as workers' rights and the environment. I have tried to focus our efforts on calling attention to the most contemptible and dangerous crimes taking place now in our county and that can, without a doubt, lead to bloodshed.

The Internet
With less than 2 per cent of its population online, Cuba is one of the most backward countries in respect of the Internet. An investigation carried out by Reporters without Borders in October revealed that the Cuban government uses several techniques to ensure that this medium is not used in a “counter-revolutionary” way.

You can get 20 years in prison for writing “counter-revolutionary” articles for foreign websites. You can even get five years just for connecting to the Internet illegally. Few Internet users dare to run the risk of defying the regime’s censorship.

Guillermo Fariñas Hernández, head of the Cubanacán Press agency in Santa Clara, staged several hunger-strikes to support his demand for all Cubans to be allowed free access to the Internet. He was awarded the Reporters without Borders - Fondation de France Cyber-freedom Prize on December 12, 2006.

3. - The reappearance of racial discrimination in Cuba and the 90,000 black Cubans presently in jail.

The Republican era was very difficult for black people in Cuba. Since the infamous American Intervention of 1898, a Racial Discrimination model was established that deeply affects that segment of our population.

For that reason, black Cubans were strong supporters of Fidel Castro's regime. Their lives improved and they enjoyed rights and freedom they had never had before.

But this segment of the population continues to be the least prepared and most vulnerable in Cuba. In exchange for improving their lives, Fidel Castro wants absolute fidelity and submission from black Cubans. They were the main force of the Cuban Army deployed in Angola, Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo and in others parts of Africa. Thousands of black Cubans died in countless wars around the world. They remain the main force in the Cuban Army and Police Force. The regime is using black people in the Quick Response Brigade against other parts of the population. The authorities sent hundreds of members of the black Police force to Havana to contain the popular protests in the capital. They are using extreme force against protesters - black and white - including against young black people from Havana.

Today, young black people all over the country are being beaten, harassed, frisked and being made to show ID. Currently, there are 90,000 black people in jail being held with the general prison population for infractions considered to be offences only in Cuba.

In addition, there are three to five dozen black political and independent journalists who are prisoners. Amongst them is Dr. Oscar E. Biscet who has been held in a punishment cell for the last two years. He deserves all of our commitment to facilitate his release as soon as possible. I ask the Canadian Government to act quickly to help resolve the plight of political prisoners in Cuba, but in the case of Dr. Biscet, Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos and Francisco Chaviano Gonzalez my request is particularly urgent.

Dear Subcommittee Members:

This is my second intervention before this Subcommittee. Since my first intervention no action has been taken by the Canadian Government in regards to the Human Rights violations in Cuba. I believe that no political will exists from any of the parties to confront the dictatorial behavior of the Cuban government against the Cuban people.

I understand that the Cuban issue is problematic for Canada. It is not my purpose to point fingers at any party in particular; however, you should know that the Constructive Engagement Policy is a total failure politically for Cubans and for the Canadian Government.

The situation in Cuba has reached a turning point. The Social Democratic Party of Cuba asks the Canadian Government and all Canadian political parties to adopt a new policy toward Cuba. We ask for an end to Canada's silence on these serious matters. We ask that Canada work with Europe, the United States and Latin America in adopting a common position on Cuba as it faces these difficult circumstances. We call on you to reject the "monarchic" succession in Cuba and we ask you to join our search for democratic changes that would bring our country to the same level as all free countries of the Americas.

Cuba needs Canada in the future. We are extremely vulnerable to the United Sates and other superpowers. We want free trade with the entire world and not with only one market. Our sovereignty is the most important issue for us. We are in extreme need of a balance.
I know that some Canadians believe that the close ties between the EE:UU and Cuba will end the economical, commercial and political ties between Canada and Cuba. This is mistaken.

I hope – as do all Cubans – that fair trade may exist with Spain, Canada, China, Germany, Brazil, Holland, Mexico, Italy, the United States and other countries. That would be in the best interest of a free and democratic Cuban society.

Finally, I want to emphasize our profound concern for the present increase in violence and terror carried out by the Cuban government. We are also alarmed at the use of the National Revolutionary Police and bands of paramilitaries who are responsible for the violent mobs that physically beat members of the peaceful opposition movement. I am also concerned about the destruction of independent libraries, the interference by the government in private homes, and the critical state of the health of prisoners of conscience and prisoners in general, as well as the general deterioration of the prison population.

I regret that a report like this one cannot further detail all of the human rights violations in Cuba. What is worthy of mention is that this document has been made possible thanks to a year's work of hundreds of activists and collaborators with the Cuban Foundation of Human Rights (FCDH) and other institutions of civil society in Cuba.

Thank you. I am very grateful for your attention to these matters.

Asdrúbal Caner Camejo
Representative of the PSC
in Canada.