To promote a peaceful transition to a Cuba that respects human rights
and political and economic freedoms
Under the cover of COVID-19 epidemic the Castro regime threatens journalists, crushes dissent, and abuses prisoners of conscience
Cuban opposition activist José Daniel Ferrer marks six months in prison today. He was subjected to a political show trial on February 25, 2020, threatened with a nine year prison prison term and was supposed to be sentenced weeks ago, but has not been informed and kept in a punishment cell as his health declines. Professor Carlos Eire, in Babalu Blog, wrote of his plight in the present media environment: "While Castro, Inc. receives unprecedented praise from all corners of the globe for its transparently phony “humanitarian” medical missions (a.k.a. selling of slave doctors), political prisoners in Cuba continue to suffer unimaginable horrors in fetid dungeons. One of these prisoners, José Daniel Ferrer, has been held in a dank and dark punishment cell since October 1st, slowly starving, undergoing torture, and being denied the medications he needs."
The Guardian is reporting how governments around the world are engaging in extreme actions that violate both human rights and dignity in the fight against COVID-19, but Cuba goes unmentioned. Perhaps it is because Cuba, like North Korea and China, normally take extreme action to silence dissent at the best of times. However, with the world focused on the pandemic this is a deadly dangerous time for prisoners of conscience, dissidents, and independent journalists in Cuba.
Roberto Jesús Quiñones
Thankfully, some in the media are highlighting Cuba's most desperate cases. James Nosek's article yesterday in Fortune Magazine, "These 10 journalists have been wrongly punished for covering the coronavirus crisis and other important topics highlights at number eight, Cuban journalist Roberto Jesús Quiñones under the subheading "Journalist subject to inhumane prison conditions." "Quiñones has spent more than six months behind bars, experiencing worsening treatment. Staff listen to all of his phone calls, have served him food containing worms, and upon learning of his secretly publishing from prison, suspended family visits and put him in solitary confinement."
Christian Solidarity Worldwide issued a statement on April 2, 2020 in defense of "Yoe Suárez, a Cuban independent journalist, [who] was summoned to Siboney Police Station in Havana on 27 March, where he was interrogated by police and threatened with imprisonment and unspecified 'repercussions' for his family." Over social media the pattern is clear and ominous for journalists, and human rights defenders in Cuba.
On March 30, 2020 Cuban independent journalist Camila Acosta tweeted that she had been fined for "for publishing what I think", and she concluded "being a journalist is not a crime."
A day later over twitter Amnesty International's Erika Guevara-Rosas tweeted that journalist Camila Acosta "was fined by government of Miguel Diaz-Canel for some Facebook posts, in which she reports on protests by people demanding access to services and food, or on the impact of COVID-19 in Cuba. In addition she was threatened."
No comments:
Post a Comment