To promote a peaceful transition to a Cuba that respects human rights
and political and economic freedoms
CFC condemns invasion of Ukraine and calls for war crimes tribunal for Putin. Free Cubans supporting Ukraine face repression from Castro police. Havana backs Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
"The cause of human rights is a single cause, just as the people of the world are a single people. The talk today is of globalization, but we must state that unless there is global solidarity, not only human rights but also the right to remain human will be jeopardized. If there is no solidarity between people we will be unable to preserve a fair world in which it is possible to continue living as human beings. I therefore humbly believe that rather than new models, both for societies and for relations between countries, what we need is a new spirit." - Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas (Feb 29, 1952 – July 22, 2012), Dec 17, 2002 Speech Accepting Sakharov Prize
Free Cubans are morally supporting Ukraine, and their people's struggle to remain free.
Today the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance held a press conference to announce upcoming actions to demonstrate how the "Cuban exile community has come together to say that ‘We are all Ukraine,’" said Sylvia Iriondo, president of the Mothers and Women Against Repression organization (MAR). She invited the community to participate in a Mass in solidarity with Ukraine at the Church of the Little Flower (2711 Indian Mound Trail, Coral Gables, FL 33134) on Thursday, March 3rd at 5:30pm.
Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, coordinator of the Assembly, announced the event to support democracy and freedom “We Are All Ukraine”, on Sunday, March 6, 2022 at 2:00pm at the Cuban Memorial at Tamiami Park ( 11201 SW 24th St, Miami, FL 33165 ).
The Center for a Free Cuba on February 25th condemned Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, and called for the international community to energetically denounce, severely sanction, and hold accountable the Russian regime, made the case for Vladimir Putin to be tried as a war criminal, and is circulating a petition addressed to the International Criminal Court requesting that a war crimes tribunal be convened to examine Putin and other Russian officials criminality in the invasion of Ukraine.
Free Cubans in Cuba are also demonstrating their solidarity with Ukraine, criticizing the Castro regime's support for Putin's actions, leading to arrest by the political police.
Cuban activist Pablo Enrique Delgado Hernández on Saturday, February 26, 2022 went to the Ukrainian Embassy in Havana to demonstrate his solidarity. Pablo Enrique after meeting with a diplomat and presenting the flowers was arrested by the National Revolutionary Police and taken to the Seventh Unit police headquarters and interrogated.
Below are the Tweets by Pablo Enrique with an English translation.
"As promised today I went to the @UKRinCUB Headquarters to Manifest my Unconditional Support for Ukraine #Ukraine. Since my arrival, the #SEPSA Guards who attend the Security of the Diplomatic Headquarters did not allow me to move."
"Diplomat Iryna Bylik had to make an appearance because I was not allowed to hang (neither on the fence, nor put on the ground, nor even on a tree in front of the Headquarters) a small bouquet of Roses that I was carrying as a token of my Solidarity."
"Those Roses reached their Destination, now inside the Diplomatic Headquarters, they are a sign of the Solidarity of the Cuban People towards the brotherly Ukrainian people who suffer the loss of thousands of their children after the Murderous Invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. @KremlinRussia_E
The People of #Cuba Do Not Support the War."
The last CubaBrief focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the Castro regime's backing of Putin's criminal action, and provided historic context on the Cuban dictatorship's backing of the invasion of a sovereign nation. The Castro dictatorship backed the Russian invasions of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and Afghanistan in 1979.
This one focuses on what free Cubans are saying, and the reaction of the Ukrainian government both to free Cubans showing their solidarity and to the Castro regime backing Putin's attack on Ukraine. Cuba is one of four countries that backed the Russian invasion. The other three are Venezuela, Nicaragua and Syria.
On Saturday, February 26th the Embassy of Ukraine in Cuba in three Tweets expressed their thanks for demonstrations of support by Cubans.
"In these difficult times for the Ukrainian people, in days when the Russian aggressors are killing our children and women, we have received hundreds of calls, letters and messages of support from the brotherly Cuban people."
"And although it is not always possible to respond or express our gratitude, we know and feel it, our is with you. We want to say, above all as friends, that we will never forget this sincere support and solidarity."
"And in the future there will be only one thing:
Victory! Thanks! Ukraine and Cuba together!"
A day later the First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar criticized the Cuban government's support of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in a diplomatic note expresses its strong protest against the statements of the Government of Cuba in support of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and calls on Cuba to urge Russia to put an end to this aggression,” wrote First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar over Twitter on Sunday, February 27, 2022.
Cuban independent news agency 14ymedio on February 24th offered a critical analysis of the Cuban government's support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "History repeats itself, and on this occasion the repetition isn’t in any way a farce. In 1968, Fidel Castro applauded the Soviet empire’s tanks as they entered Prague – at that time the capital of Czechoslovakia. Now, in February 2022, the regime has failed to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while the Communist Party-controlled press on the island assures that the armed incursion is justified for reasons of 'security'. The Cuban leaders seem ready to accompany Vladimir Putin in his insatiable expansionist cravings, even if it means doing just the opposite of what their official propaganda disseminates and preaches, since the government media constantly use the argument of sovereignty and national independence to reject international questioning and internal dissidence."
Two days prior to Putin's February 24th invasion of Ukraine, Russia "agreed to postpone some debt payments owed to it by communist-run Cuba until 2027, its lower house of parliament said on Tuesday, just days after the two countries announced they would deepen ties amid the spiraling Ukraine crisis. The loans, worth $2.3 billion and provided to Cuba by Russia between 2006 and 2019, helped underwrite investments in power generation, metals and transportation infrastructure, according to a statement from the lower house, or Duma. The loans, worth $2.3 billion and provided to Cuba by Russia between 2006 and 2019, helped underwrite investments in power generation, metals and transportation infrastructure, according to a statement from the lower house, or Duma," reported Reuters. In 2014 Vladimir Putin forgave $32 billion owed by Havana to Moscow, and the Cuban government promised to pay off $3.2 billion over a decade. Eight years later and Cuba still owes Russia $2.3 billion dollars, and the debt payments have been postponed.
The EU Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba should have been suspended long ago due to the Cuban government systematically violating the human rights clause of the PDCA. How can it be continued when Havana is backing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and threats to neighboring members of the European Union?
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