1,052 ILLEGAL POLITICAL DETAINEES IN JANUARY, A NEW RECORD IN CUBA

UNPACU:

When are the world leaders going to help Cuban Human Rights activists effectively overcome this outrageous dictatorship from inside the island?

- January 2014 sets the initial count for a record repression year. It is the 3rd highest repression month in the last decade, and confirms the tendency initiated last year.
- Only one month has been necessary to reach half the numbers of repression of the whole year 2010.
- «In all cases were arbitrary arrests without a warrant, and predominated the police kidnapping without giving away the whereabouts of detainees or allow them to communicate immediately, via telephone, with their families or lawyers.»
- The growth of recent months, then, is confirming the exponential growth of repression in Cuba. The average in the last 3 months has been 979 illegal political arrests monthly, number never reached in decades, and makes an increased average again from 2013′s last three months average (931 arrests). Last 12 months (from February 2013 to January 2014) we had 7,112 cases of illegal political detentions in Cuba, which shows an average of 593 illegal political arrests per month in the last 12 months.
- Among all 1,123 detentions, «79 assaults, 91 acts of harassment, 89 “acts of repudiation” [Government raids in the houses of activists to disown them verbally and physically in public], and 53 acts of vandalism against homes of peaceful dissidents», said the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN). - In the words of the CCDHRN, «The Government of Cuba exhibited like never before his enormous capacity of social control and intimidation a week before celebrating the CELAC Summit II. This was made clear by deploying thousands of secret political police and other repressive bodies and paramilitary elements that remained for days in front of, or in the access to the homes of hundreds of opponents who, mostly, were subjected to de facto houses arrests without a warrant. Main goal: silencing dissident voices».

We include the official report by CCDHRN, the only Cuban organization member of the International Ferderation for Human Rights (FIDH):

English: http://www.unpacu.org/wp-content/uploads/OVERVIEW-CUBA-2014-English.pdf

Spanish: http://www.unpacu.org/wp-content/uploads/OVERVIEW-CUBA-2014-Spanish.pdf

And, here, the open letter to the UE sent by pro-democracy activists in Cuba:

English: Open letter statement by Cuban pro-democracy activists

Spanish: Carta abierta y respetuosa de activistas pro-democráticos a la Unión Europea

Havana/Santiago de Cuba/Santa Clara/Perico – February 3, 2014. The monthly report from the most prestigious Human Rights organization present in Cuba, the only one in the island that belongs to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN), confirms that repression in Cuba continues an accelerated growth of cases and reached the highest repression tendency of decades, with 1,052 political detainees in January, which consolidates an average of 979 illegal political arrests per month in the last 3 months.

Cuba has not signed Human Rights International Agreements Instead, what Cuba makes are constant frauds to hide its its total absence of Human Rights (the more precarious situation by far in Latin America) and 2013 at Geneva detected the fraud of hundreds of reports of human rights which had been submitted in reality by the Cuban Government, well based on it-dependent organizations, or based on non-existent organizations.

Cuba and the European Union This increase of repression (708 illegal arrests in September 2013, 909 in October 2013, 761 in November 2013, 1,123 in december 2013 and 1,052 in January 2014) takes place in parallel to an unseen growth in the social upheavals of dissidents and population to demand Human Rights and better conditions, a few months after President Obama’s meeting with UNPACU and the Ladies In White (“Damas de Blanco”) in Miami outcame with the intention of holding an agenda focused on Human Rights with regard to future relations with Cuba and while, on its part, the European Union is considering a possible de-facto break of principles of the Common Position agreed upon since 1996, to which dissidents have responded with a respectful open letter (downloadable from this link) respecting changes, or improvements, but not forgetting the EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy wich dissidents consider right on its terms.

Massive “express” detentions While there are more than 102 political prisoners in Cuba (at least 87 in prison, and 15 Extrapenal License constantly arrested and monitored), the need for the regime to “show” a more decent “cover letter” in recent years to possible future partners (such as the EU, USA or third countries) makes them turn the acceleration of repression into a growing numerous of short-time detentions, illegal by concept and development, but which do not stain its apparent image as much as cases of political court rulings that give time to NGO’s to take party and declare them illegal. This transformation of the repression to increasingly numerous and continuos shot-term detentions seeks, on the Cuban Government side, international growing apathy on the Human Right’s policies and, on the other hand, increase the possibility of profitable foreign trade behind the back of a population who have no rights.

The European Union will now, in less than a week, elucidate between staying firm on the demand for Human Rights in Cuba, or take that battle as lost and yield to the interests of capital, precisely now when the uprisings of the people in Cuba are more conspicuous than ever and, hence, the repression has grown like ever in decades. Continue reading 1,052 ILLEGAL POLITICAL DETAINEES IN JANUARY, A NEW RECORD IN CUBA