| Subject: |
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Yara pt. 4 |
| Name: |
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Neri Martinez |
| Date Posted: |
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Aug 9, 05 - 5:44 PM |
| Email: |
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freecubanow@hotmail.com |
| Website |
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http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/ |
| Message: |
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The Cuban government issued a statement denying that force was used against La Democracia, but acknowledged that there was "physical contact" between the vessels as the Cuban gunboats maneuvered to force the flotilla out of Cuba's territorial waters. The vessel, Democracia, had received repeated warnings from the Cuban patrol boats to turn back before two gunboats collided with it in a pincer movement. Cuban aircraft had been close enough to some of the Brothers to the Rescue airplanes to write down their tail numbers and, reported the numbers to U.S. aviation officials.
Every year at 12 noon on July 13 FCF has organized a silent call for justice for the victims of the "13 de marzo" tugboat massacre. A minute is added for each year that justice has not been done. On the tenth anniversary the group marked 10 minutes of silence, one for each year that has passed. "This was a massacre,'' said FCF coordinator Neri Martinez to The Miami Herald, adding "it's a silent call for justice. Not only are we remembering the victims, but we are also condemning the crimes committed by the Cuban government on its own people.''
On March 2, 1996 FCF participated in the flotilla to honor the four pilots who on February 24, 1996 were blown to bits by Cuban MiGs. Since then, every year on February 24 between 3:21pm to 3:27pm (the time when both planes were shot down) FCF has organized along with the victims' families silent vigils at the main fountain at FIU.
On February 24, 2000 at 3:21 pm FCF members formed two chains of silence, one at FIU's main fountain and another in Washington DC in front of the Department of Justice. Afterwards FCF (FIU) members left white roses under the tree planted in memory of the 4 young men who died four years earlier trying to save the lives of others. FCF(DC) delivered a formal communication to Attorney General Reno demanding justice for the four victims and the indictment of the individuals responsible. Meanwhile members of FCF(DC) marched in a picket line for the next few hours demanding justice in front of the Justice Department.
On January 28, 1997 FCF published "A Petition for the Release of Prisoners of Conscience" announcing a conference for that evening hosted by FCF to listen to the men and women who have served, in some cases, decades in Castro's prisons for their "crime" of having struggled for freedom. At the conference, FCF announced the formation of "The International Committee to Defend the Life and Liberty of Armando Alonso Romero." Romero left his job as an officer in the Cuban merchant fleet to join the Cuban Committee For Human Rights (CCFHR) in the late 80's. He worked with the CCFHR - a nonviolent human rights organization - until he came to the United States in 1991. He continued his collaboration with the CCFHR from Miami, where he lived with his wife and daughter. In April 1993 Armando Alonso Romero returned to Cuba "illegally" to collect on-site reports of human rights violations, and was arrested by the Cuban secret police. After months of isolation in Villa Marista - state security headquarters in Havana - Alonso was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crimes of “enemy propaganda" and "illegal entry". He endured terrible living conditions, and poor health.
On October 5, 1997 FCF organized a press conference to announce that a member had traveled to Russia and successfully obtained the support of Russian human rights organizations and Russian political leaders on behalf of Armando Alonso Romero.Letters addressed to Cuba's Ministry of the Interior were signed by Anatoly Shabad, Deputy of the Fifth Russian State Federation, by A. Smirnov, Director of the Moscow Center of Investigation for Human Rights and Lev Ponomariev, Co-Chairman of the movement "Democratic Russia", in which they request the liberation of Armando Alonso Romero.
On January 17, 1998 members of the Free Cuba Foundation traveled to Rome, on the eve of the Pope's historic visit to Cuba, to take part there in a conference, FCF co-organized with Cuba Libera, to press for greater freedoms in Cuba and the release of political prisoners. An FCF member served as spokesman for the conference stating in the AP article that reported the event, "The consensus is that in terms of a spiritual reawakening, the Pope's visit is very important, and that is ultimately important for the future of the Cuban nation.'' Once again the case of Armando Alonso Romero was raised and publicized. Armando Alonso Romero was released on February 27, 1998 one of just 19 political prisoners released after the Pope's visit.
In 1998, FCF organized a three-day conference that began on Jose Marti's birthday (January 28) and ended on the 50th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's death (January 30). The conference was titled: Gandhi, King, and Marti: Brothers in Thought. Panels, papers, and round table discussions on a wide array of topics relevant to the writings and |
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