Hello, carolyn08-ga!
Cuba is near the top of the list in Human Rights violations. Castro,
the world longest-serving leader, has held a stranglehold over the
country for 44 years, after wrenching it from Western domination and
transforming the island into a Soviet-style Marxist State.
Does the Human Rights Movement stand a chance in Cuba, especially
while Castro is still in power? Everyone would like to believe so.
However, there is no definitive answer. Only time will tell.
Therefore, I have provided you excerpts of articles which address
this question, as well as some various aspects to consider.
If you would like to keep current with this issue, Google News is a
great source for articles. Go to
http://news.google.com/ and type in "Cuba", or "human rights in Cuba."
You will be able to find all the latest news and opinions!
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If the United Nations Commission on Human Rights continues to welcome
Cuba, does Human Rights Reform have a chance?
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From "Can the U.N. Distinguish Human Rights From Wrong?" by Joel
Kaplan and Daniel Mariashin. Forward. 5-16-3002)
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.05.16/oped4.html
"Several weeks ago the United Nations Commission on Human Rights opted
yet again to defile its own mandate by inviting one the world's
foremost human rights abusers to rejoin its ranks in the upcoming 59th
session. In a vote undertaken by the Latin American regional group,
Fidel Castro's Cuba was reelected without opposition to a coveted spot
on UncHr, as the rights commission is known."
"The selection came following a month in which independent human
rights organizations repeatedly denounced Cuba for what is being
called the country's worst crackdown on political opposition in 30
years, the highlights of which include the summary execution of three
men who hijacked a ferry in a botched attempt to reach political
freedom in the United States and the sentencing of 75 political
dissidents to terms of up to 28 years in prison."
==
From "UN Human Rights Panel Needs Some Entry Standards," by Jean
Kirkpatrick. The International Herald Tribune. (5/14/2003)
http://www.iht.com/articles/96161.html
"Cuba provided the greatest irony for the session this year. While the
Human Rights Commission was meeting in Geneva, Fidel Castro's
government was sentencing 75 Cuban teachers, doctors, journalists and
librarians to prison terms of 12 to 26 years, at trials lasting less
than a day each. Given the age of most of those tried, the term
imposed amounted to a life sentence."
"In addition to harsh punishment for the crime of dissent, the Cuban
government organized a hasty trial and execution of three men who had
attempted to hijack a ferry to Florida. As usual, representatives of
the Cuban government blamed the United States for luring Cubans to
American shores, instead of asking themselves why so many Cubans are
so eager to leave their homeland."
"As shocking as Castro's repression was, the fact that the Human
Rights Commission took no action to express disapproval of the Cuban
government's violation of the human rights of its citizens was more
shocking still."
"All the commission did was urge "the government of Cuba to receive
the personal representative of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights" and decide to consider the matter further next
year."
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Cuba remains defiant in their desire to preserve a policy oppression,
calling the Joint European Aid and Trade Agreement Commission's
standards on human rights "unacceptable."
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From "Cuba pulls request to join EU's Cotonou aid pact," by Anthony
Beadle. Reuters Foundation. 4/17/2003.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B279067.htm
Cuba applied in January to join the Continuo Agreement with 78
developing nations in Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP),
mostly former European colonies. The pact would have tripled European
aid to Cuba's battered socialist economy.
But the European Commission shelved Cuba's request indefinitely after
President Fidel Castro's government sentenced 75 dissidents in April
to prison terms of up to 28 years and executed three men by firing
squad for hijacking a commuter ferry in an attempt to cross the
Florida Straits to the United States.
"Cuba has withdrawn its request to enter the Cotonou Agreement because
of the tensions between the Cuban government and the European Union,"
a European diplomat told Reuters. "The Cubans said they did not accept
the conditions."
The European Union has sharply criticized the recent political
repression in Cuba and called for the release of imprisoned
dissidents. The crackdown began just days after EU Commissioner for
Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul Nielson opened an EU diplomatic
delegation office in Havana in February. The EU is the largest trading
partner and foreign investor in Cuba.
European diplomats said that while the Cuban application had been
frozen by Brussels, Havana's withdrawal was inexplicable because Cuba
would lose its observer status in the Cotonou group. The Cotonou
Agreement established a 13.5 billion euro ($15.5 billion) fund to be
offered to ACP countries to fund development programs between 2003 and
2008.
Cuba first applied to join the Cotonou Agreement in 2000, but withdrew
its request, arguing the EU human rights conditions were unacceptable.
Even before the recent crackdown, European diplomats believed Cuba's
membership was a long shot because Scandinavian countries and Britain
opposed Cuban admission until Castro allowed democratic reforms to the
Caribbean island's one-party state.
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Does Jimmy Carter, a past US president and the "self-appointed
globetrotter on behalf of human rights," who offers little criticism
of Castro and partially blames the United States for human-rights
abuses in Cuba, lend credence to Castro's hatred and blame of the
United States.
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From "Carter Silent on Castro's Crackdown," by Dave Eberhart.
NewsMax.com (5/16/2003)
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/15/162635.shtml
"On March 21 when word of the initial arrests and detentions of the
Varela dissidents hit the world media big-time, Carter issued only an
anemic press release:
"I am deeply concerned about reports of detentions of Cuban citizens
known for supporting the Varela Project, promoting human rights, and
practicing independent journalism. The international community
supports their rights to the protections afforded by the Cuban
constitution. I call on the Cuban government to respect those rights
and to refrain from detaining or harassing citizens who are expressing
their views peacefully."
But Carter also seemed to place part of the onus of Castro’s human
rights abuses on the shoulders of the U.S.:
"I also am troubled by the rising tension between the Cuban government
and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. I urge my own government to
work with the Cuban government to deflate those tensions and establish
a relationship of mutual respect."
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Is the World starting to show impatience towards Castro's violation of
human rights? Is the Valera Project gaining some recognition and
strength among the world community? Is the growing opposition to
Castro's policy of human rights violations enough to prompt other
governments to take a stand and put increasing pressure on Cuba?
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From "A hard line in Havana." shm.com.au (5/17/2003)
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/16/1052885399235.html
Oswaldo Paya wonders how he has escaped jail when almost every other
dissident he knows, who have spoken out in opposition to Cuba's
Marxist Regime, have been locked up. Paya, as a leader of Varela since
1998, "has been collecting signatures for a petition that asks Castro
to allow Cubans to do what most people consider normal: join political
parties, vote in multi-party elections and have access to a free
media. The project received worldwide attention and Paya was invited
to meet the Pope. Last year, the European Union gave him its highest
human rights prize and, this year, former Czech president Vaclav Havel
has nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. But in Cuba, supporters
of Varela have been harassed, sacked from their jobs and thrown into
jail.
"Those jailed include librarians who want to give Cubans access to a
range of different books, journalists who want to give Cubans access
to newspapers not produced by Castro's Government and economists who
want to crack open Cuba's socialist system by allowing Cubans to own
and operate businesses. Paya expected to join them. During the
interview, his eyes keep moving towards the door, as if he expects it
to open and police to come flooding in."
Paya stresses that despite the recent crackdown, he Varela Project is
not "dead," or "paralyzed." It lives because it is supported by the
people of Cuba, who do not want to live the way they do."
"With the exception of the US, Castro has been quite successful in
getting other nations, and famous people, to support his regime. But
the recent crackdown on dissidents, coupled with last month's
execution by firing squad of three men who attempted to hijack a ferry
and escape to America, has tested the world's patience."
****
"In recent weeks, long-time friends of Castro, including the Nobel
literature prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez, have expressed concern
about the crackdown. Marquez noted that while he continues to live in
Cuba, he had, in recent years, helped dissidents escape. The US writer
Susan Sontag described the mass arrests as an "abuse of power".
Chilean writer Isabel Allende, whose novels are widely available in
Cuba, said she "could not approve of what is happening in Cuba",
adding that human rights "must be defended everywhere".
"Formerly friendly nations, including Italy, have moved to consider
new sanctions on Cuba. In Washington, the Cuba Policy Foundation,
which is the premier lobby for ending the US embargo, decided to cease
operations entirely, saying its goal, in the face of the crackdown,
was hopeless. Amnesty International has condemned Castro, saying the
shooting of the hijackers was "extremely worrying" and made worse
because it came "on the heels of mass arrests, summary trials and
shockingly lengthy prison terms" for dissidents."
"Even Hollywood has been reduced to silent contemplation. Castro has a
legendary charisma, and Hollywood stars are among his most fervent
supporters. Steven Spielberg once described meeting Castro as "the
most important eight hours of my life" and actors Jack Nicholson and
Kevin Costner have praised the dictator. But none are speaking up now.
HBO, the powerful American television network, had this month intended
to show Oliver Stone's new film about Castro, made after a three-day
interview. But because it is largely sympathetic, it was shelved, with
the explanation that "in light of recent developments" it was
"somewhat incomplete".
"The US Government is, as ever, Castro's most ferocious critic. The
Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has described the crackdown as "the
most significant act of political repression in decades" and the
President, George Bush, is considering new ways to punish Castro (he
will announce them on Tuesday). There is talk in Washington that Bush
may end direct flights to the island or try to prevent Cuban-Americans
from sending money to their families, a program that pumps $US700
million a year into the Cuban economy."
(Read the entire article for theories about the reasons for Castro's
recent crackdown on dissidents, the state of Cuba's economy and
Castro's blame of the United States embargo for Cuba's problems.)
====
Read "Battle Lines on the Human Rights Front," by Maryann Bird. Time
Europe. (5/13/2003)
http://www.time.com/time/europe/eu/daily/0,13716,451426,00.html
The fact that Castro continues to deny visits from U.N. human rights
monitors, coupled with Cuba's newest invitation to remain on the UN
Human Council on Human Rights, has prompted many foreign leaders to
take a stand. Cuba is now in the "spotlight" more than ever, with the
recent crackdown on "government dissidents."
Criticism by the US and Human Rights Watch is given credence by the
recent protest from Italy, France and Canada. Sweden has pointed to a
break in relations with the European Union. Even those prominent
individuals formerly sympathetic to Castro are beginning to sway
toward the other direction.
"The Portuguese Nobel laureate José Sarmago said Cuba had "cheated my
dreams," while Carlos Fuentes wrote to a Mexico City newspaper: "As a
Mexican, I wish for my country neither the dictates of Washington on
foreign policy nor the Cuban example of a suffocating dictatorship."
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Will lifting US travel restrictions persuade Castro to change his
policy?
=========================================================================
From "Baucus wants to allow Americans to travel to Cuba," by Ted
Monoson. Billings Gazette. (5/15/2003)
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/05/15/build/local/48-baucus.inc
Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont.- "I don't condone Fidel Castro's
dictatorship or his human-rights record," Rehberg said. "But this is
about the freedom of Americans to travel, and I think the best way to
change Cuba is to end the travel ban and allow trade."
Rep. Steven Rothman, R-N.J., who opposes the effort to lift the travel
restrictions, said life would not improve for average Cubans if the
ban was lifted. "That is the theory, but the problem is that Cuba is a
pretty tough place," Rothman said. "It would send a confused message
to the world and the people of Cuba."
==
Also read "Tourists, Terrorism, and Torture: The Three "T’s" of Fidel
Castro’s Regime," by Frank Calzon. Center for a Free Cuba.
http://www.cubacenter.org/media/recent_briefs/threet.php3
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Can Organizations like USAID Cuba truly have an impact on the Human
Rights movement in Cuba?
============================================================================
From "Democracy and dissident," by Alfonso Chardy. The Miami Herald.
(5/13/2003)
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5846741.htm
More than two dozen organizations form the USAID Cuba Program, "an
ambitious U.S.-funded initiative to promote and bolster democratic
movements on the communist island." The group provides aid to the
families of government dissidents in Cuba, supports human-rights
activists, independent journalists, and also provides "post-communist"
plans for Cuba.
While it is natural to expect that the organization would draw fire
from Castro, it has also drawn criticism from US voices.
"..critics say the program is too narrowly focused on a relatively
small dissident movement and should reach out to a broader spectrum of
Cubans, and that many funded groups are dominated by Cuban exiles with
conservative viewpoints."
"We should express our support for a more open society, but we must
not be involved in efforts to bring about a different system in
Cuba,'' said Wayne Smith, senior fellow at the Washington-based Center
for International Policy and a former head of the U.S. diplomatic
mission in Havana. "That gets into regime change and away from a
diplomatic role."
However, Adolfo Franco, an assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency
for International Development, believes that the recent Cuban
crackdown is proof that USAID Cuba is posing a threat to the Cuban
government and having a significant impact. According to Franco, "the
recent wave of repression in Cuba shows that the program is making
inroads in helping establish a more independent society."
Whether the organization is truly having an impact is uncertain, due
to the tremendous difficulty in gathering information about Cuban
society from the outside.
A report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers stresses the program is lacking in
the encouragement of "solidarity or coalition building among human
rights activists within Cuba. To the extent that the democratic
opposition is splintered, it is vulnerable to repression, penetration
and manipulation by Cuban government forces."
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami highlights the group's importance,
however. "The AID Cuba program is a pivotal source in making sure that
folks in Cuba have access to information, to disseminate their
materials and access to computers, faxes and radios. Low-tech or
high-tech, it's an opportunity to discuss important topics such as
democracy and liberty, freedom of expression, basic principles the
United States holds firm."
=========
Additional Reading:
*******************
"Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Report on Cuba."
http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/IACHR.html
==
"The Homeland Belongs to Us All." Cuban Dissidence Task Group. Havana
City, (6/27/1997)
http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/zhomelandbelongstoall.html
(On July 16th, 1997, after having sent this document to the Communist
Party Central Committee and releasing it to the world, the four
authors -- Vladimiro Roca, Félix Bonne, René Gómez y Marta Beatriz
Roque-- were arrested and sent to prison without the benefit of a
trial, not even a biased one. Up to the present day, they remain
incarcerated.)
==
"The United States and Cuba: Human Rights Issues." US Department of
State
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/ar/us-cuba/rights.htm
(A source of Documents)
==
Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/
==
"Cuba's Repressive Machinery:Human Rights Forty Years After the
Revolution." Human Rights Watch.(June 1999)
http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/cuba/
===
I hope the references I have provided give you a good start on some
interesting reading. Actually, I was quite fascinated researching this
question as well. I have to say "Thank you" for providing me with such
an interesting question.
Please don't hesitate to ask for additional clarification *before*
rating my answer. I will be more than happy to help if I can!
umiat-ga
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