Cuba: Escalation of repression must be halted
Amnesty International is extremely concerned at the unprecedented crackdown on human rights which has taken place in
Cuba in recent months. A new report published today, Cuba: "Essential measures"? Human rights crackdown in the name of
security details a massive increase in the number of prisoners of conscience and calls on Cuba to immediately halt
executions and resume its three-year de facto moratorium on executions. The report also highlights the impact of the
United States embargo on human rights in Cuba and recommends that the US government revise its policy with a view to
ending its trade embargo. (Full copies of the report are available at: http://amnesty-news.c.tclk.net/maaa8khaaYnjebb0hPub/ )
In mid-March 2003, after a period of apparent movement towards a more open and permissive approach, Cuban authorities
carried out an unprecedented clampdown on the dissident movement on the island. Over the space of a few days, security
forces rounded up over 75 dissidents in targeted sweeps. With the exception of half a dozen well-known figures critical
of the regime, most mid-level leaders of the dissident movement, people who had been activists for a decade or more,
were detained. They were subjected to hasty and unfair trials, and, just weeks after their initial arrest, were given
long prison terms of up to 28 years. Cuban authorities tried some of them under harsh, previously unused legislation.
In early April 2003, the Cuban government ended a three-year de facto moratorium on executions, killing by firing squad
three men who had been involved in a hijacking. They had been subjected to a summary trial and appeals process, and were
executed less than a week after their trial began.
"The Cuban government must immediately halt executions, and abolish once and for all the death penalty from the Cuban
legal system."
Amnesty International condemns these serious violations, and the increasing disregard for international human rights
standards that they represent. In spite of Cuban government claims that those arrested were "foreign agents" whose
activities endangered Cuban independence and security, and having reviewed the legal documents of many of the 75
dissidents sentenced, Amnesty International believes that they are prisoners of conscience.
"Giving interviews to US-based media or sending information to organizations like Amnesty International was mentioned in
some of the verdicts as arguments for the conviction of the dissidents. Those activities clearly fall within the
parameters of the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and association and should not be punished by
imprisonment."
"Amnesty International considers that the 75 dissidents are prisoners of conscience and asks for their immediate and
unconditional release."
The Cuban authorities have justified the executions as well as the crackdown against the dissidents on the need to
defend themselves against the provocations and threats posed to its national security by the United States. While
Amnesty International believes that this cannot justify the imprisonment of prisoners of conscience or other violations
of fundamental rights, the report recognizes the negative effect of the US embargo on the full range of human rights in
Cuba.
"The economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba has served as an ongoing
justification for Cuban state repression and has contributed to the climate in which human rights violations occur, "
Amnesty International said.
"The embargo provides the Cuban government with an excuse for its repressive policies, and has had a detrimental
influence on nutrition, health, education and many other spheres of life, disproportionately harming the weakest and
most vulnerable members of society."
"Specific embargo provisions such as the allocation of significant amounts of aid for "democracy building" have made it
easier for the Cuban government to portray political dissidents as foreign sympathisers, ultimately weakening the
prospects for a strong human rights movement in the country," Amnesty International concluded.
Take action against dramatic deterioration in human rights! Visit http://amnesty-news.c.tclk.net/maaa8khaaYnjfbb0hPub/
Full copies of the report are available at: http://amnesty-news.c.tclk.net/maaa8khaaYnjebb0hPub/