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Human Rights Now |
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He was arrested on 19 March, tried and sentenced to 14 years. He began serving his sentence in "El Típico" provincial prison in Las Tunas, with four other men arrested in the crackdown. However, they were all transferred, reportedly after they had staged a protest in the prison. Alfredo Rodolfo Domínguez is now being held in Holguín provincial prison.
15. Oscar Manuel Espinosa Chepe, aged 62, is a former employee of the National Bank of Cuba. He also worked for the Cuban government as economic counsellor for the Cuban Embassy in Belgrade. Later, after expressing criticism of government policies, he became a journalist reporting on economic and other matters.
Since being detained Oscar Espinosa has suffered health problems. He is believed to be suffering from a liver condition, a thoracic hernia, persistent hyper-tension and weight loss. On 20 April he was transferred to a military hospital, though his family maintains that medical treatment was withheld.(136)
Oscar Espinosa was convicted under article 91 of the Penal Code and articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.2a-b, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.1, 8.2, 9.1, 9.2, 10 and 11 of Law 88 to 20 years in prison.(137) He was accused, among other activities, of "having a regular program on Radio Martí called 'Talking with Chepe,' where he gave distorted information on the Cuban economy." (138)
Oscar Espinosa lives and was tried in Havana but has been transferred to Guantánamo provincial prison in eastern Cuba to serve his sentence. His health problems reportedly continue, and he was said to have again been taken to hospital in late May.
16. Alfredo Felipe Fuentes is a member of the Consejo Unitario de Trabajadores Cubanos (CUTC), United Cuban Workers Council, and other organisations. He is said to have been active in collecting signatures for the Proyecto Varela initiative in Artemisa, Havana province, where he lives.
Alfredo Felipe was reportedly sentenced to 26 years. He is being held in Guamajal prison in the municipality of Santa Clara.
17. Efrén Fernández Fernández, age 54, is secretary of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement, and was active in the Proyecto Varela signature drive in Havana.
Efrén Fernández was convicted of state security violations under article 91 of the Penal Code and sentenced to 12 years.(139) The prosecution had requested 15 years.(140) He was tried in Havana and is serving his sentence in Guanajay prison in Havana province.
18. Juan Adolfo Fernández Sainz, 54 years old, is a trained English language translator, and reportedly worked in this field first with official structures and then with unofficial groups. He is also a journalist with the unofficial agency Patria, Fatherland.
In July 2002, the Cuban government reportedly denied him and three other dissidents permission to leave the country to participate in a seminar ''Cómo democratizar Cuba desde dentro,'' "How to democratise Cuba from within," at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
Adolfo Fernández was found guilty of infractions under articles 4.1, 4.2b, 7.1 and 7.3 of Law 88.(141) He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment,(142) and has been transferred from Havana to the prison in Holguín province, eastern Cuba.
19. José Daniel Ferrer García(143) is an active Proyecto Varela supporter and regional co-ordinator for the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement, in Santiago Province.
José Daniel Ferrer has reportedly been detained and harassed on numerous occasions for his work. He was briefly detained in November 2000 together with other dissidents, apparently to prevent them from attending the trial of fellow dissidents. On 22 January 2002, he and other Proyecto Varela activists were said to have been forced from the bus in which they were travelling and beaten by the police. Referring to the incident and to his Proyecto Varela work, he told a US-based reporter, "we're for peaceful change as allowed under our Constitution. We aren't breaking any laws by collecting those signatures, and they know it. They know it."(144)
José Daniel Ferrer was sentenced to 25 years. The prosecution had reportedly requested the death sentence for him. He is serving his sentence in Kilo 5 1/2 prison in Pinar del Río in western Cuba, though he lives and was tried in Santiago de Cuba, at the other end of the island.
20. Luis Enrique Ferrer García, aged 27, is the brother of José Daniel Ferrer García. He also is a member of Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement.
Luis Enrique Ferrer has been harassed and detained on numerous occasions. In December 1999 he was reportedly sentenced to 6 months' restricted freedom for his refusal to pay a fine which he claimed was imposed upon him unfairly.
During his trial, Luis Enrique Ferrer's family members were said to have been denied access to the court room, instead having to wait in the corridor. At the end of the trial, members of the public were said to have insulted and displayed physical aggression against the family members, reportedly pushing Luis Enrique Ferrer's mother to the floor.
Luis Enrique Ferrer was sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment. He was transferred from "El Típico" provincial prison in Las Tunas to Combinado del Este, reportedly after being involved in a protest with other activists caught up in the March crackdown.
21. Orlando Fundora Alvarez, 47 years old, is president of the unofficial Asociación de Presos Políticos 'Pedro Luis Boitel,' or 'Pedro Luis Boitel' Political Prisoners Association. His wife, Yolanda Triana, is director of a private library and is also an active dissident. Orlando Fundora reportedly lived in the US for a period after the 1980 Mariel boatlift. He was accused of illegal entry into Cuba on 27 July 1991 and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. He was released in 1993.
Orlando Fundora and his wife have reportedly been subjected to frequent harassment in recent years, including short-term detention and interrogation. Their house has reportedly been attacked by unknown assailants.
Following his March arrest, Orlando Fundora was tried and sentenced under article 91 of the Penal Code to 18 years in prison.(145) He is being held in Combinado del Este prison in Guanabacoa municipality in Havana province. Since his detention, there have been concerns for his health, as he is said to suffer from hypertension and heart problems.
22. Próspero Gaínza Agüero is the delegate for Holguín province of the unofficial Movimiento Nacional de Resistencia Cívica 'Pedro Luis Boitel,' 'Pedro Luis Boitel' National Civil Resistance Movement.
Próspero Gaínza reportedly took part in a number of activities critical of the government, and in 2002 was said to have been briefly detained for his participation in a protest by members of his group to demand to release of a detainee charged with 'public disorder.'
He was detained on 18 March 2003, and believed to have been charged under Law 88, on the basis of 'subversive' activities and material found during a search of his house. He was tried in Holguín on 3 April 2003 and shortly after, sentenced to 25 years in prison. He is serving his prison sentence in Boniato provincial prison in Santiago de Cuba, and is said to be in poor health.
23. Miguel Galván Gutierrez is 38 years of age. He was born and lives in the town of Güines, Havana province, and is an engineer by profession. He has reportedly written articles for the unofficial press agency Havana Press and served as president of the unofficial Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Cuba, College of Engineers and Architects of Cuba. He is also the area coordinator for Proyecto Varela.
In recent years Miguel Galván was reportedly harassed on numerous occasions, including through interrogation and short term detention. He was arrested on 18 March 2003, reportedly charged under Law 88 and Article 91 of the Penal Code and sentenced to 26 years in prison. He is serving his prison sentence in Agüica prison in the municipality of Colón in Matanzas province. Miguel Galván is said to be physically handicapped due to the effects of a past traffic accident, and his family has reportedly expressed concerns for his health.
24. Julio César Gálvez Rodríguez, aged 58, lives in Havana and works as a journalist. In 2001, he was allegedly sacked from the official radio stations Radio Ciudad de La Habana and Radio Cadena Habana for collaborating with the unofficial organization Cuba Free Press.
He reportedly continued his unofficial journalism work and was detained on 19 March 2003. He was sentenced under articles 4.1, 4.2b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 7.3, and 11 of Law 88, to a penalty of 15 years' imprisonment.(146) Although he is resident and was tried in Havana, he was transferred to the provincial prison in Santa Clara to serve his sentence. There are concerns for his health, as he is reported to suffer from high blood pressure.
25. Edel José García Díaz, 57 years old, worked as director of an unofficial press agency in Havana, and reportedly took part in a workshop on journalistic ethics held just before the crackdown.
According to reports Edel José García was harassed repeatedly during 1997, 1998 and 1999, including through short term detention, interrogation and official warnings.
Edel José García was convicted under articles 4.1, 4.2b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 7.3, and 11 of Law 88 and received a sentence of 15 years.(147) He was accused of writing articles about, among other topics, the poor physical condition of a school building in Havana, "accompanying this article with a photo of the state of this installation."(148) He is being held in Boniato provincial prison in Santiago, on the other side of the island from his home.
26. José Luis García Paneque, 38 years of age, lives in the province of Las Tunas. He is a plastic surgeon by training and a member of the unofficial Colegio Médico Independiente de Cuba, Cuban Independent Medical Association. He has also been involved in journalism, as director of the independent news agency Libertad and member of unofficial Sociedad de Periodistas, Journalists' Society, "Manuel Marquez Sterling." He was also reportedly involved in the Proyecto Varela initiative as well as directing a private library. In 2002, he was reportedly arrested and detained together with other journalists, but was later released.
José Luis García was detained on 18 March 2003. Following a search of his house, materials, correspondence and medical equipment were reportedly confiscated. He was said to have been charged and tried under Law 88 and Article 91 of the Penal Code, and given a 24-year sentence, even though the prosecution had called for a lesser sentence of 18 years. He is being held in Villa Clara prison, having reportedly been transferred from "El Típico" provincial prison in Las Tunas following a protest with other prisoners arrested in the March crackdown.
27. Ricardo Severino Gonzales Alfonso, 53, is president of the unofficial Sociedad de Periodistas "Manuel Marquez Sterling", "Manuel Marquez Sterling" Journalists' Society, and correspondent in Cuba of the international nongovernmental organization Reporters Without Borders. He also has a private library called the 'Jorge Mañach' Library in his home.
Ricardo Gonzales has been detained on many occasions. In October 1997 he was reportedly arrested for distributing reports of alleged human rights violations in the Santa Clara area. He was released without charge after two days but warned that if he did not stop writing such articles, he would have to choose between imprisonment and exile. Amnesty International believed him to be a prisoner of conscience.(149)
In 2001, Amnesty International received reports that he had been detained on 16 February, allegedly to prevent a seminar entitled "Ethics and Journalism" from being held in the library of which he is director. On that occasion, as on similar occasions on 22 February and 15 July 2001, he was apparently released after being questioned for several hours.
Ricardo Gonzales was arrested on 18 March and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment under article 91 of the Penal Code.(150) The prosecution had called for life imprisonment, on charges that he was responsible for "aggressive and untrue publications against the Cuban Government."(151) The sentence document stated that:
"he wrote this type of information for the Fundación Hispano Cubano Americana, Cuban American National Foundation, based in Spain, for which he received sums of money from its president, Orlando Fondevila, who is of Cuban origin, he managed to get his articles, which were subversive and misleading in nature with regard to the Cuban system, published in various newspapers and magazines such as Encuentros en la Red and Reporters Without Borders, among others, from whom he received sums of money for his articles."(152)
Ricardo Gonzales is serving his sentence in Kilo 8 Provincial Prison in the province of Camagüey despite the fact that he lives with his family in the city of Havana.
28. Diosdado González Marrero has been an activist for several years and has been detained on several occasions. In January 2000 he was considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International when he was detained during the government crackdown on dissidents during the Ibero-American Summit held in Havana in November 1999.(153) On that occasion he spent over six months in prison.
Diosdado González, who was arrested at the end of March, was reportedly convicted under Law 88. He is serving a 20-year sentence in Kilo 5½ Prison in the province of Pinar del Río. According to his family, he is being held in solitary confinement in a punishment cell from which he is only taken out for one hour a day to get some sunlight. He is also reportedly only allowed to receive restricted visits from members of his family.
29. Léster González Pentón, 26, is a member of the Movimiento pro Derechos Humanos Razón, Verdad y Libertad, Reason, Truth and Freedom Human Rights Movement, and delegate of the Confederación de Trabajadores Democráticos de Cuba, Cuban Confederation of Democratic Workers, in Santa Clara. Neither group has been recognized by the authorities.
Léster González had suffered police harassment in the past. For example, on 5 August 2002 state security officials apparently prevented him from leaving his house to stop him from participating in events organized by dissidents. In addition, on 9 July 2001 he was said to have been questioned by police and threatened with imprisonment if he did not work, despite the fact that he had reportedly been sacked from his job as a baker because of his activities with the Confederación de Trabajadores Democráticos de Cuba.
Léster González was arrested on 18 March and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for breaching article 91 of the Penal Code.(154) He is serving his sentence in Boniato Provincial Prison, in the municipality of Santiago de Cuba.
30. Alejandro González Raga is 45 years old and lives in Camaguey. According to reports, he is a journalist and helped to collect signatures for the Proyecto Varela, Varela Project.
Alejandro González was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment for breaching article 91 of the Penal Code.(155) He is serving his sentence in "Canaleta" Provincial Prison in the municipality of Ciego de Avila.
31. Jorge Luis González Tanquero, 32, is reportedly a member of a group called Movimiento Independentista Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Independence Movement, which is not recognized by the authorities. He also helped to collect signatures for the Proyecto Varela in Las Tunas.
Jorge Luis González was arrested on 19 March 2003 and has reportedly been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. He is being held in Guanajay Prison in Havana Province.
32. Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares is a member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement, in the province of Santa Clara. He reportedly helped to gather signatures for the Proyecto Varela in that region. He is also said to have a private library called the "Bartolomé Massó" Library.
According to the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Leonel Grave de Peralta was reportedly subjected to harassment in September 2002 when his home was besieged by members of the Brigadas de Respuesta Rápida, Rapid Response Brigades.(156)
Leonel Grave de Peralta was tried at the same time as other members of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación. The alleged basis of the charge against him was that he had been involved in activities related to the Proyecto Varela. He was reportedly sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for breaching Law 88. He is imprisoned in Kilo 5½ Prison in Pinar del Río.
33. Iván Hernández Carrillo is 32 years old. He reportedly belongs to several groups: he is a member of the Partido por la Democracia "Pedro Luis Boitel," "Pedro Luis Boitel" Democracy Party, has worked as a journalist for several agencies, including the "Patria", "Fatherland", agency, and has a private library in his house in the province of Matanzas.
According to reports received by Amnesty International, Iván Hernández has been repeatedly subjected to harassment involving short-term detention, searches and being called in for questioning. For example, he was apparently visited by police officers on two occasions in January 1997, arrested in February 1997 and again arrested in November 1999. On 23 June 2002 he was said to have been arrested with other members of his group to prevent them from attending a meeting of the "Pedro Luis Boitel" Democracy Party in the municipality of Perico.
He was arrested on 18 March 2003. The evidence submitted against him at his trial included a computer allegedly sent from the United States and invoices for moneys said to have been received by the private library. Witnesses for the prosecution stated that cars belonging to the diplomatic corps had visited his home. Iván Hernández Carrillo was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment on the basis of articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 7.3 and 8.2 of Law 88.(157) He is being held in Holguín Provincial Prison.
34. Normando Hernández González, 32, from the province of Camagüey, is the director of the Colegio de Periodistas Independientes, College of Independent Journalists. He has been subjected to harassment on many occasions over the past few years: in February and March 2001, for example, he was reportedly detained and released several miles from his home on at least two occasions, and on 8 March 2002 members of the police apparently threatened to imprison him for his journalism work. He has also reported other types of harassment as well, including that his telephone has been cut off since 15 June 2002 despite having paid the required bills.
Normando Hernández was arrested on 24 March 2003. According to reports, on the day of his arrest the police confiscated documents permitting him and his wife to leave Cuba.
According to the verdict, the activities for which Normando Hernández has been convicted include writing articles on various issues relating to daily life. He was accused of the following activities, among others:
He prepared one hundred and sixteen reports for the ill-named Radio 'José Martí', some of which were untrue and others tendentious, with the aforementioned aim of creating conditions in which our national integrity would be put at risk, reports which were transmitted by those radio stations and monitored in Cuba, and in which he attacked the health system [and] the education provided in this country, questioned the justice system, tourism, culture, agriculture, fishing....(158)
Normando Hernández was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment for breaching article 91 of the Penal Code.(159) He is being held in Boniato Provincial Prison in the province of Santiago de Cuba.
35. Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta, 36, is a member of the Movimiento Cubano de Jóvenes por la Democracia, Cuban Movement of Young People for Democracy, and the Asociación de Presos Políticos 'Pedro Luis Boitel', 'Pedro Luis Boitel' Political Prisoners Association.(160) Neither organisation has been recognised by the authorities. He also works as a journalist in the province of Guantánamo.
Between September 1997 and 2001, Juan Carlos Herrera had served a four-year prison sentence in Combinado de Guantánamo Prison for trying to leave the country illegally. On that occasion he was reportedly held in a punishment cell with no light because of his activities in defence of prisoners' rights and for refusing to cooperate with the prison's re-education program.(161)
He was detained on 19 March 2003 and later tried together with Manuel Ubals González. Despite being accused of having links with 'Comandos F-4,' a Miami-based organization which has reportedly claimed to have committed acts of violence in Cuba, no evidence of this or that they had acted violently or incited others to use violence was presented. The activities for which they were convicted in the verdict appear to have been peaceful in nature and related solely to the exercise of fundamental freedoms. According to the information it has received, Amnesty International believes that the two men, like the other dissidents arrested in March, are prisoners of conscience.
Juan Carlos Herrera was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for breaching articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 7.3 10 and 11 of Law 88.(162) He is serving his sentence in Boniato Provincial Prison in the municipality of Santiago de Cuba.
36. Regis Iglesias Ramírez, 33, is a member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement, in Havana. He has been involved in work related to the Proyecto Varela. According to the prosecution, he had no previous convictions.(163)
Regis Iglesias was arrested at the end of March and tried on 3 April. He was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment under article 91 of the Penal Code.(164) He is serving his sentence in Kilo 8 Provincial Prison in the municipality of Camagüey.
37. José Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernández runs the private "Sebastián Arcos Bergnes" Library and works as a journalist for an agency called "Grupo Decoro."
José Ubaldo Izquierdo has reportedly been a victim of harassment on several occasions. On 8 March 2002, for example, he was apparently arrested when he was on his way to participate in an event connected with International Women's Day and that same night his house was stoned by unknown individuals. On 4 December 2002 he was said to have been threatened with imprisonment if he attended festivities in honour of the Virgin of Santa Bárbara in Güines, Havana province. When he was returning home from the event on his bicycle, he was hit by a car, reportedly suffering injuries to his abdomen and legs.
José Ubaldo Izquierdo was arrested at the end of March, tried in the San Antonio Provincial Court on 3 April and sentenced to sixteen years' imprisonment. He is serving his sentence in Kilo 5½ Prison in the municipality of Pinar del Río.
38. Reinaldo Miguel Labrada Peña, aged 40, is a member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement. He has been involved in the work around the Proyecto Varela initiative.
Reinaldo Labrada was arrested on 19 March in Las Tunas. The prosecution reportedly sought a ten-year sentence. He was sentenced to six years, the shortest sentence imposed on any of the dissidents arrested during the crackdown. He was transferred from "El Típico" Provincial Prison in Las Tunas following a protest with other activists arrested in the March crackdown, and is being held in the provincial prison in Guantánamo.
39. Librado Ricardo Linares García, 42 years old, is president of the unofficial Movimiento Cubano Reflexión, Cuban Reflection Movement, in the town of Camajuaní, Villa Clara province. He is an engineer by training and, after reportedly being expelled from the Communist Party in 1992 for calling for economic reforms, has been involved in dissident activities for a number of years.
Librado Linares was harassed, arrested and fine several times in the crackdown against Concilio Cubano activists in late 1995 and 1996.(165) In November 1999, he was reportedly detained for several days to prevent him from taking part in activities around the Cumbre Iberoamericana, the Inter-American Summit in Havana.(166)
He was arrested on 18 March 2003, and a number of items including a bicycle were reportedly confiscated from his house by the agents who searched it. He was tried in Villa Clara, where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison under article 91 of the penal code. (167)
The trial verdict accused Librado Linares and the four other men from Villa Clara province with whom he was tried of using human rights work as a front for alleged counterrevolutionary activities such as meetings, conferences and seminars:
They acted in agreement, meeting to take organizational measures on how to carry out their struggle against the Revolution, sheltering behind the facade of simple human rights defenders.(168)
Librado Linares is incarcerated in Combinado del Este prison in the municipality of Guanabacoa, Havana province.
40. Marcelo Manuel López Bañobre, is 39 years old and a tugboat captian by profession. He joined the Comisión Cubana de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional (CCDHRN), Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, after the 1994 sinking of the "13 de Marzo" tugboat,(169) later becoming its spokesman. He was initially involved in tracking the detentions of other dissidents as the crackdown began. At the time, he wrote
The wave of searches, confiscations and especially detentions that began on March 18 is the most serious I have witnessed … at the Cuban Commision for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, where I am spokesman, we are busy trying to establish lists of those detained and their whereabouts. It is not easy; people are afraid to speak up because they do not know their own rights, and also simply because transportation is a nightmare, there are constant blackouts and the telephone is virtually useless.(170)
By the time the article was printed, Marcelo López had been detained. He was arrested on 25 March 2003 on the street in Havana. He was tried on 4 April along with five other dissidents, including his CCDHRN colleague and fellow human rights defender Marcelo Cano Rodríguez.
Marcelo López was convicted under article 91 of the Penal Code and articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.2a-b, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.1, 8.2, 9.1, 9.2, 10 and 11 of Law 88 to 15 years in prison.(171) He is currently held in Guanajay prison in Havana province.
According to the trial verdict, Marcelo López was penalised for his association with Amnesty International and other international human rights organisations:
The accused MARCELO MANUEL LOPEZ BANOBRE carries out activities as 'spokesman and secretary' of the illegal Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, dedicating himself to sending information to international organisms like Amnesty International and Human Race [sic], notifying them of people given the death penalty in this country, but without explaining the motive for its imposition. This distorts the information, making the penalty look like extrajudicial assassination by the Cuban State, which helps condemn our country before the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.(172)
Marcelo López was also accused of "approaching the families of those condemned to death so that they will address the aforementioned international organisations."(173)
The Cuban authorities are well aware of Amnesty International's work on the death penalty; as recently as 18 April 2003, for instance, Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque read extensively from an Amnesty International report on the use of the death penalty in the United States during his press conference on the results of the Human Rights Commission vote in Geneva.(174) As such, the authorities are aware that Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, regardless of the 'motive for its imposition,' and that questions of alleged distortion of case information are irrelevant to the organisation's response to death sentences, in any country where they occur.
Amnesty International is deeply disturbed that allegations of contact with this organisation are viewed as grounds for Cuban authorities to sanction human rights defenders. Ironically, Cuban officials have repeatedly cited Amnesty International's work on human rights violations by the US and its allies to support their accusations against these countries.(175)
41. Héctor Fernando Maseda Gutierrez, 60, is reportedly an engineer and physicist by profession. Since becoming involved in dissident activities, he has written many articles, especially on history, economy and culture, which have been published in different sites.
Héctor Maseda has been repeatedly harassed for his activities. He was reportedly detained as part of a sweep at the beginning of September 1997, while in May 2000 he was threatened with prison if he attended a conference on the theme of 'culture and globalisation.'
Héctor Maseda was arrested at his house on 18 March 2003, and some of his journalistic writings, a type writer, a fax and books were confiscated. He was convicted under article 91 of the Penal Code and articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.2a-b, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.1, 8.2, 9.1, 9.2, 10 and 11 of Law 88, and sentenced to 20 years in prison.(176)
In the trial he was accused, among other activities, of "maintaining relations with the International University of Florida, which receives funds from USAID, that is, from the US government, for subversion in Cuba."(177)
Héctor Maseda is currently being held in Manacas prison in the municipality of Manacas.
42. José Miguel Martínez Hernández, aged 39, is from Quivicán in Havana province. He is an area representative for the unofficial political group Movimiento 24 de Febrero, 24 February Movement. He has been active with the Proyecto Varela and has a private library, the "General Juan Bruno Zayas" library, in his house.
José Miguel Martínez has reportedly been harassed and detained on a number of occasions in connection with his activism. In one example, in June 2001 he was said to have been taken into custody by state security agents and driven out of Quivacán for interrogation. He was later released.
After being arrested in March, José Miguel Martínez was tried and sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment. He is currently being held in Kilo 8 prison in Camagüey municipality.
43. Mario Enrique Mayo Hernández, 38, is a lawyer by profession. He has worked as a journalist, publishing articles in a number of media, and is the director of the unofficial press agent "Félix Varela" in Camagüey.
In November 2000 Mario Enrique Mayo was reportedly visited in his house by a state security agent, who threatened him and insisted that he give up his dissident activities.
Mario Enrique Mayo was arrested on 19 March and tried in Camagüey. The trial verdict refers to a number of 'counterrevolutionary' articles Mario Enrique Mayo allegedly wrote, covering topics such as health care, prison conditions, and the situation of families of political prisoners. He is accused of doing so with the intention of "creating in this way the conditions necessary for our country to be condemned in the Human Rights Commission, and consequently creating conditions favourable for a 'humanitarian' intervention into our territory."(178)
Mario Enrique Mayo was sentenced to 20 years in prison under article 91 of the Penal Code.(179) He is currently being held in the provincial prison in Holguín.
44. Luis Milán Fernández is reportedly a medical doctor by profession. He is a member of the unofficial Colegio Médico de Cuba, Cuban Medical Association.
In June 2001 he and his wife, also a doctor, signed a document called 'Manifiesto 2001,' calling among other measures for recognition of fundamental freedoms in Cuba. Together with other health professionals they carried out a one-day hunger strike to call attention to the medical situation of detainees and other issues.
Luis Milán was reportedly sentenced to 13 years in prison. He is currently being held in the provincial prison of Ciego de Avila (called "Canaleta").
45. Nelson Moliné Espino, 38 years old, is president of the unofficial Confederación de Trabajadores Democráticos de Cuba, Confederation of Democratic Workers of Cuba, and a member of the unofficial Partido 30 de noviembre, 30 November Party.
Nelson Moliné had previously been harassed by the authorities for his activities. In May 2002, for instance, he was reportedly called into the local police station in San Miguel del Padrón, Havana province, and threatened with arrest if he did not give up his trade union work.
On 20 March 2003 Nelson Moliné's home was searched and he was detained. The indictment states that at his home "many books and magazines containing subversive material", "múltiples libros y revistas de contenido subversive", were found. The indictment also claims that he "mixes with people dedicated to subversive activity, and leads a comfortable life due to the monetary rewards of his subversive activity," "Se relaciona con personas dedicadas a la actividad subversiva, y lleva un modo de vida holgado por las cuantiosas entradas monetarias derivadas de la actividad subversiva."(180)
Nelson Moliné was convicted on the basis of article 91 of the Penal Code to 20 years' imprisonment.(181) He is currently being held in Kilo 8 prison in Pinar del Río municipality, a distance which reportedly makes it difficult for his wife and four year old daughter to visit. He is reportedly suffering from ill health due to rapid weight loss and low blood pressure.
46. Angel Juan Moya Acosta, aged 38, is president of the Movimiento Opción Alternativa, Alternative Option Movement, in Matanzas province, as well as a member of the Consejo Nacional de Resistencia Cívica, National Council of Civic Resistance, both organisations which have not been recognised by the authorities. He was active in the "Todos Unidos," ''All United'' umbrella movement.
Angel Moya has been imprisoned several times in the past and has previously been considered to be a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. He was detained on 15 December 1999 after participating in a peaceful demonstration to celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and was eventually released without having been tried.(182) In December 2000 he was sentenced to one year's imprisonment and 10 years' confinement to his home province, Matanzas, charged with ``disrespect," "desacato." The sentence was reportedly imposed because, in the course of a mass celebrated at his home in November 2000, prayers were said for political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including calls for them to be amnestied. He was released on 4 December 2001.(183)
Angel Moya was arrested in the March crackdown and tried on 7 April in the Tribunal Popular de 10 de Octubre, 10 October Popular Tribunal, in Havana. He was found guilty and sentenced under article 91 of the Penal Code to 20 years in prison.(184) He is currently held in the Holguín provincial prison.
47. Jesús Miguel Mustafa Felipe, aged 58, is a member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación (MCL), Christian Liberation Movement. He was involved in collecting signatures for the Proyecto Varela in his home town of Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba province.
Jesús Mustafa had been detained on 17 December 2002 along with Robert Montero Tamayo, after they went to a police station to find out about the detention of fellow MCL member, Ramuel Vinajera Stevens. Both men were released a few days later but on 19 February 2003 they were tried and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, charged with "disobedience," "desobediencia" and "resistance," "resistencia." Amnesty International wrote to the Cuban authorities about these events but did not receive a reply.
Jesús Mustafa was apparently tried again in the context of the March crackdown. He is reported to have received a 25-year sentence, after the prosecution had requested a life sentence. He is currently held in Combinada del Este prison in Havana province.
48. Félix Navarro Rodríguez, 49 years old, is a member of the unofficial Partido Solidaridad Democrática, Democratic Solidarity Party, in Matanzas province and works as a journalist. He was reportedly fired from his position as a school headmaster in the city of Perico in 2001 after being arrested in connection with dissident activities. He has reportedly been active in the Proyecto Varela campaign and the "Todos Unidos" umbrella movement.
Félix Navarro has been subjected to harassment and detention for his dissident activities since at least 1992. According to reports he was detained in December 1992 for putting up pro-democracy posters on the street, and in November 1996 he was taken for questioning for activities such as not paying his union dues and having an issue of the US-published "El Nuevo Herald" newspaper at work He was reported to have been detained briefly in November 1999, and again in September 2001 for participating in a commemoration of two political prisoners who were said to have died in custody. In February 2002 he was apparently briefly detained again; during the search of his house, State Security agents reportedly confiscated materials for the Proyecto Varela initiative.
Félix Navarro was arrested in the March crackdown and tried in Matanzas. The activities on which his conviction was based included the following: "he received, among other things, leaflets and literature; the latter was proved by the confiscation of aggressive and corrosive writings and printed material from his house." (185)
Félix Navarro was sentenced to 25 years under articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 7.3 and 8.2 of law 88.(186) He is being held in Guantánamo provincial prison.
49. Jorge Olivera Castillo, 41, a former national television editor, is director of the unofficial Havana Press agency. The agency's articles have been featured on the US-based Nueva Prensa Cubana, New Cuban Press, website.
Jorge Olivera has been repeatedly detained and harassed during the course of his reporting activities. He was said to have been expelled from his house in the Lawton neighbourhood of Havana in February 1997 in retribution for his contacts with foreign press, and arrested in September 1997 after trying to cover the trial of dissident Maritza Lugo Fernández in the municipality of Playa, Havana province. In the weeks preceding the Ibero-American Summit in Havana in November 1999, President Castro reportedly mentioned Jorge Olivera and other journalists by name during a television broadcast, accusing them of counterrevolutionary activities.
Jorge Olivera was convicted under articles 4.1, 4.2b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 7.3, and 11 of Law 88 and received a sentence of 18 years.(187) Though he was tried in Havana, he was transferred to the other extreme of the island to begin serving his sentence in a prison in Guantánamo province.
50. Pablo Pacheco Avila, 31, works for the unofficial agency Cooperativa Avileña de Periodistas Independientes (CAPI), Avileña Cooperative of Independent Journalists, in Ciego de Avila.
Pablo Pacheco has been subjected to harassment in the past. In one example, in November 2002 he was reportedly detained for six hours after attempting to video police officers ill-treating two women, and in March 2002 he was reportedly detained for the third time in a month for providing news coverage on the meeting of an unofficial group.
He was sentenced under articles 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 7.3 and 11 of Law 88 to 20 years imprisonment.(188) He is currently being held in Agüica prison in the municipality of Colón in Matanzas province. He is reportedly suffering from high blood pressure and migraines, for which he is said to have received some treatment.
51. Héctor Palacios Ruiz, aged 61, is director of the unofficial Centro de Estudios Sociales, Centre of Social Studies, and secretary of the reporting committee of the "Todos Unidos," "All United," coalition.
Héctor Palacios is a well-known and longstanding figure among Cuban dissidents, and has been considered by Amnesty International to be a prisoner of conscience following arrests in 1994, 1997 and 1999. In August 1994, he was among a group of activists targeted for arrest in the wake of violent clashes between police and protesters who had gathered on the Havana shore following a spate of attempted armed hijackings of local ferries.(189) In January 1997, when he was president of the unofficial Partido Solidaridad Democrático (PSD), Democratic Solidarity Party, and member of Concilio Cubano, Cuban Council, he was detained and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for "disrespect, "desacato," following an interview with a German television station in which he criticised the Cuban government. He was released in February 1998 following Pope John Paul IIs visit to Cuba.(190)
Héctor Palacios was detained on 20 March 2003 and subsequently tried in Havana. He was convicted under article 91 of the Penal Code and articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.2a-b, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.1, 8.2, 9.1, 9.2, 10 and 11 of Law 88 to 25 years in prison.(191) The prosecution had called for life imprisonment.(192)
Hector Palacios was accused, among other activities, of
having in his home one of the so-called independent libraries, a program created at the request of the already mentioned organisations based in Miami that financed this project with money received by USAID, in other words the United States government, the majority of the books sent being subversive and counterrevolutionary. (193)
Héctor Palacios is currently imprisoned in Kilo 5 1/2 prison in Pinar del Río province. His wife, Gisela Delgado Sablón, was reportedly refused permission to visit him in May and threatened with imprisonment if she participated in public demonstrations on his behalf.
52. Arturo Pérez de Alejo Rodríguez is president of the unofficial organisation Frente Escambray de Derechos Humanos, Escambray Human Rights Front. He was also involved in the Proyecto Varela initiative in Villa Clara province. In January 2003, he was said to have been briefly detained for handing out copies of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Arturo Pérez de Alejo was arrested on 18 March 2003. He was tried, found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is currently imprisoned in Kilo 5 1/2 prison in Pinar del Río province.
53. Omar Pernet Hernández, 57, lives in Placetas in Santa Clara province and is a leader of the unofficial Movimiento Nacional por los Derechos Humanos, National Movement for Human Rights, "Mario Manuel de la Peña." He is active in a number of other organisations and in the Proyecto Varela in the area.
Omar Pernet Hernández received a 25 year sentence under article 91 of the penal code.(194) The accusations upon which he was convicted included
carrying out subversive activities through denunciations of supposed human rights violations in Cuba, which were disseminated by counterrevolutionary stations based in the terrority of the United States of North America [sic], such as the mis-named Radio Martí, Radio Mambí and "La Poderosa," that have as their only objective to provoke the North American government into intensifying its aggressive policy towards our country.(195)
Omar Pernet Hernández is imprisoned in Guanajay prison in the province of Havana.
54. Horacio Julio Piña Borrego, aged 36, lives in Sandino in the province of Pinar del Río. He has been involved with the Proyecto Varela for the region as well as being a provincial delegate for the Partido Pro Derechos Humanos en Cuba, Party for Human Rights in Cuba, which is affiliated with the Sajarov Foundation. He had been briefly detained by security forces in May 2001.
He was arrested on 19 March 2003, during the wave of arrests. He was tried and convicted under articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.3a-b, 7.1, 7.3 and 11 of Law 88.(196) He received a 20-year sentence and is currently being held in the Pínar del Río provincial headquarters of the Department of State Security.
55. Fabio Prieto Llorente lives on the Isla de Pinos and works for the island's unofficial news agency, Agencia de Prensa Independiente de Isla de Pinos.
Fabio Prieto Llorente was involved in independent journalism since at least November 1999. He was said to have received regular visits, threats and warnings from police and other security agents to discontinue his activities. In January 2002, he was briefly detained, and harassment reportedly continued throughout that year.
He was arrested on 18 March 2003, tried and sentenced to 20 years in prison. As of this writing he is being held in Guanajay prison in Havana province.
56. Alfredo Manuel Pulido López, 42, lives in Camagüey. He worked as a journalist for the unofficial news agency El Mayor in Camagüey. In addition, he was reportedly a member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación and was involved in Proyecto Varela activities.
Alfredo Pulido was arrested on 18 March 2003. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison under article 91 of the Penal Code.(197) He was transferred from his home province and is currently being held in Combinado del Este prison in the municipality of Guanabacoa, Havana province.
57. José Gabriel Ramón Castillo(198) is said to be a trained teacher. He is the director of the unofficial Instituto Independiente Cultura y Democracia, Independent Culture and Democracy Institute, based in Santiago de Cuba. He also works as an independent journalist and has had articles and news items published in a variety of websites include CubaNet. He was repeatedly subjected to persecution and harassment by the authorities from the beginning of his involvement in these activities.
José Gabriel Ramón was detained on 19 March 2003 and tried in the first week of April 2003. He was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is currently being held in the provincial prison in Santa Clara.
58. Arnaldo Ramos Lauzerique, 60 years of age, lives in the city of Havana and is a member of the Instituto Cubano de Economistas Independientes, the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists. He is also a member of the umbrella group Asamblea para promover la sociedad civil, Assembly to promote civil society.
After being detained during the wave of arrests in March 2003, he was tried under article 91 of the Penal Code. He received a sentence of 18 years.(199) He is being held in the provincial prison in Holguín.
59. Blas Giraldo Reyes Rodríguez, aged 46, lives in Sanctí Spiritus. He is a member of the steering committee of the Proyecto Varela in Sancti Spíritus and director of a private library located in his residence.
Following his arrest in March 2003, he was tried and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He is being held in Agüica prison in the municipality of Colón in Matanzas province.
60. Raúl Rivero Castañeda is a 57-year-old poet and journalist. He was founder, and serves as director, of the unofficial press agency Cuba Press.
Raúl Rivero has been detained and threatened many times in the past. For example, in January 1996 he was detained for one day and threatened with imprisonment if he did not stop his work with Concilio Cubano, of which Cuba Press had just become a member.(200) In February 1996 he was again detained, in a roundup of Concilio Cubano activists.(201) In July 1997 he was detained, following an article he wrote about dissident Vladimiro Roca, and he was again arrested in August 1997.(202) In March 1999 after Law 88 came into force, Raúl Rivero was reportedly interrogated for three hours. The officers reportedly told him that he would be one of the first to whom the new law would be applied if he did not stop his journalistic work.(203)
Raúl Rivero was detained on 18 March 2003 and tried on 4 April 2003, along with journalist Ricardo Severino González.
Raúl Rivero was accused under article 91 of the Penal Code. The indictment accused him of carrying out unspecified "actividades subversivas encaminadas a afectar la independencia e integridad territorial cubana," "subversive activities, aimed at affecting the territorial independence and integrity of Cuba." It also stated that he disseminated "falsas noticias para satisfacer los intereses de sus patrocinadores del gobierno norteamericano," "false news to satisfy the interests of his sponsors of the North American government."(204)
He was found guilty and received a 20-year sentence.(205) The trial verdict highlighted his contacts with international organisations:
The accused RIVERO CASTANEDA, in addition to the facts already described, from 2000 began disseminating information via the Encuentro en la Red webpage belonging to the International Press Society. [The information] was all of a nature destabilising to the Cuban state.(206)
The verdict also accused him of working as a paid correspondent for Agence France Presse and of having contacts with the international organisation Reporters without Borders.
Raúl Rivero is currently being held in the provincial prison of Ciego de Avila (called "Canaleta").
61. Alexis Rodríguez Fernández, aged 33, is a member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement. He was involved in the Proyecto Varela initiative.
Alexis Rodríguez had been detained several times in the past. For example, when he was municipal delegate of the unofficial group Movimiento de Jóvenes Cubanos por la Democracia, Movement of Cuban Young People for Democracy, he was reported to have been temporarily detained on 14 October 1997. In January 2002, after collecting signatures for the Proyecto Varela he was attacked and threatened, reportedly by plain clothes state security agents, and later abandoned in a remote area.
Alexis Rodríguez was arrested in the March crackdown and tried in early April. He was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment and is currently imprisoned in Agüica prison in the municipality of Colón in Matanzas province.
62. Omar Rodríguez Saludes, aged 37, is director of the unofficial Nueva Prensa news agency. In addition to reporting, he is also a photographer.
He has been arrested several times in the past. In December 1998, he was among a group of dissidents apparently detained to prevent them from taking part in activities to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.(207) He was also said to have been detained in February and November 1999 and November 2000. On 17 January 2002 he was temporarily detained after reporting on a meeting between a visiting Spanish official and some dissidents. He was reportedly interrogated for several hours and told that his work was illegal and counter-revolutionary.
In 2002 he is reported as telling The New York Times¸ "We know the risks we are taking… The risk is even in our homes. The government knows what we do and it watches. They know our lives better than we do." Due to restrictions on freedom in Cuba, he said that he had never seen the webpage that runs his photographs, or seen the photos themselves except as negatives. "I am a blind photographer," he stated.(208)
Omar Rodríguez was convicted on the basis of accusations such as "he photographed places that, because of the state they were in, gave a distorted image of Cuban reality, and he sent them to be published in the foreign, mainly counterrevolutionary, press."(209)
Omar Rodríguez was convicted under state security charges in article 91 of the Penal Code and given a penalty of 27 years.(210) The prosecution had argued for a sentence of life imprisonment.(211) He is imprisoned in Kilo 8 prison in Camagüey municipality.
63. Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello, aged 57, has been recognised by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience in the past. She is an an economist who heads the unofficial Instituto Cubano de Economistas Independientes, Cuban Institute of Independent Economists. She is also the head of the Asamblea para promover la sociedad civil, Assembly to promote civil society, an umbrella organization of dissident groups created in October 2002 to call for democracy and greater respect for freedoms.
Marta Beatriz Roque previously served out a 3 1/2 year prison sentence following her arrest on 16 July 1997.(212) She was sentenced along with three other members of the Grupo de Trabajo de la Disidencia Interna para el Análisis de la situación Socio-Económica Cubana, Internal Dissidents' Working Group for the Analysis of the Cuban Socio-Economic Situation. They were all charged with "otros actos contra la seguridad del estado," "other acts against state security" (Article 125 (c) of the Cuban Penal Code) in relation to a charge of "sedición," sedition (Art 100 (c) of the Cuban Penal Code). Their arrest took place one month after a press conference attended by foreign press during which they criticised an official discussion document and gave journalists a copy of their own critique of the document, entitled "La Patria es de Todos," The Homeland is for Everyone. The latter document advocated peaceful democratic changes in the country. She was released on 23 May 2000. The other three members were released later, and have not been re-arrested in the recent crackdown.
Marta Beatriz Roque was most recently arrested on 20 March 2003.
The indictment against her charges that she carried out unspecified "acciones dirigidas a subvertir el orden interno del Estado Cubano, provocar su desestabilización y la pérdida de su independencia, actividades por las que recibió cuantiosos recursos monetarios del Gobierno de Los Estados Unidos", "activities aimed at subverting internal order of the Cuban State, provoking its destabilisation and the loss of its independence, activities for which she received substantial monetary funds from the US Government." It also states that she had links with the head of the US Interests Section, James Cason, who paid visits to her house.(213)
Marta Beatriz Roque was found guilty, among other activities, of having
Created a website on a North American internet server, for use by the self-proclaimed Institute of Independent Cuban Economists 'Manual Sanchez Herrero,' which she used to put out propaganda articles and work that disfigured the economic reality … for the execution of the abovementioned activities, the incriminated Roque Cabello received enough financing and considerable material assistance, fundamentally from the United States Agency for International Development. (214)
The prosecution requested a life sentence.(215) She was convicted under article 91 of the Penal Code and received a 20-year sentence.(216) She is currently being held in Manto Negro Prison in the municipality of La Lisa, Havana province.
64. Omar Moisés Ruiz Hernández, aged 56, is a journalist for the unofficial Grupo de Trabajo Decoro, Decoro Working Group.
Previously Omar Rodríguez was vice delegate of the Partido Solidaridad Democrática, Democratic Solidarity Party, in Villa Clara. During this time he was reportedly arrested several times, for example in January and March 1996. Similarly, he was said to have been summoned and interrogated in October 1997. Such harassment was ongoing as he continued to carry out his activities.
Omar Ruiz Hernández was sentenced to 18 years under article 91 of the penal code.(217) He is currently being held in Guantánamo provincial prison.
65. Claro Sánchez Altarriba, 49, is a member of the unofficial Movimiento de Jóvenes Cubanos por la Democracia, Movement of Cuban Young People for Democracy, in Santiago de Cuba. He had suffered some prior harassment for his activities, including a short-term detention and a fine in October 2002.
Claro Sánchez was detained on 19 March 2003. He was tried and was sentenced to 15 years in prison under articles 4.1, 6.1 and 7.1 of Law 88.(218) He is imprisoned in Kilo 8 prison, Camagüey municipality.
66 and 67. Ariel and Guido Sigler Amaya were detained on 18 March 2003. (Their brother Miguel is also in prison, as mentioned in the chapter below, and is facing a range of charges apparently relating to different incidents.) Ariel and Guido Sigler are both members of the unofficial Movimiento Opción Alternativa, Alternative Option Movement, in Matanzas Province.
The Sigler brothers have been detained and harassed several times in the past. They were declared prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International following their detention in December 1999 after participating in a peaceful demonstration to celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.(219) Guido was released in July 2000 and Ariel in August 2000.(220) Most recently, in December 2002 Ariel and Guido were detained along with Oscar Elías Biscet and 14 other dissidents after they attempted to meet at a home in Havana to discuss human rights. Ariel and Guido were later released.(221)
Ariel Sigler Amaya, 39, received a 20-year sentence under articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.11 of Law 88.(222) He is being held in the Ciego de Avila provisional prison, 'Canaleta.' Guido, aged 46, was like Ariel sentenced to 20 years in prison under articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.11 of Law 88.(223) He is currently imprisoned in Combinado del Este prison in Guanabacoa municipality, Havana province. Family members have reported that both men are being held in solitary confinement. There are concerns about their heath, particularly that of Guido, and the family has requested that he receive specialised medical attention for a prostate condition.
68. Ricardo Silva Gual is a medical doctor and a member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement. He has reportedly suffered a number of forms of harassment related to his activities.
Ricardo Silva was detained on 18 March 2003 and was reportedly sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment under articles 4.1 and 6.1 of Law 88. He is currently being held in the Guantánamo provincial prison.
69. Fidel Suárez Cruz, 33, is a farmer and a member of the unofficial Partido Pro Derechos Humanos en Cuba, Party for Human Rights in Cuba, in Pinar del Río. He also heads the private library "San Pablo."
In 2000 he was sentenced to six months' restricted freedom for "desobediencia", "disobedience," for fishing in a restricted area; however, in December 2000 this sentence was reportedly changed to imprisonment after he was arrested for carrying out peaceful political activities. He was also believed to have been detained in 1999.
Fidel Suárez was arrested on 18 March 2003 and subsequently tried on 3 April at the Tribunal Provincial, Provincial Court, in Pinar del Río. He was convicted under articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.3a-b, 7.1, 7.3 and 11 of Law 88 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.(224) He is being held at Agüica prison in Matanzas province.
70. Manuel Ubals González, 34, is President of the unofficial Consejo por la Libertad de Cuba, Council for the Freedom of Cuba. He lives in Guantánamo province.
In 1994 he was reportedly sentenced to three years' correctional work with internment for "salida illegal del territorio nacional," "illegal exit from the national territory."
Manuel Ubals was detained on 20 March 2003 and subsequently tried on 3 April at the Provincial Court in Guantánamo province.
Although he, with Juan Carlos Herrera, was accused of links with 'Comandos F-4,' a Miami-based organisation that, according to the information received, claims to have committed acts of violence in Cuba, there is no evidence given of such a link. Neither were Manuel Ubals and Juan Carlos Herrera accused of acting violently or inciting others to violence. The activities described in the verdict, on the basis of which they were convicted, amounted to the peaceful exercise of fundamental freedoms. Based on the information available, therefore, Amnesty International considers these two men, like the other dissidents tried after the recent crackdown, to be prisoners of conscience.
Manuel Ubals was sentenced to 20 years under articles 4.1, 4.2a-b, 6.1, 6.3b, 7.1, 7.3 10 and 11 of Law 88.(225) He is imprisoned in Agüica prison, in the municipality of Colón in Matanzas province.
71. Julio Antonio Valdés Guevara,(226) aged 52, is director of the private library of an unofficial group, Unión de Activistas y Opositores "Golfo de Guacanayabo", Union of Activists and Opponents "Gulf of Guacanayabo," in Manzanillo, Granma province.
Julio Antonio Valdés was reportedly detained on 19 March 2003, tried, and sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment.
He is believed to be suffering from high blood pressure, renal insufficiency and dizzy spells and is not receiving any medication. He is reportedly being held in the Prisión Provincial de Ciego de Avila, Ciego de Avila Provincial Prison (called "Canaleta").
72. Miguel Valdés Tamayo, aged 46, is vice president of the unofficial group "Hermanos Fraternales por la Dignidad", Fraternal Brothers for Dignity. At the time of his detention he was reportedly working as a television mechanic in a state run workshop in Havana province.
Miguel Valdés had previously been detained on 23 October 2002 in Havana, when he and other members of his organisation reportedly tried to light candles in a park.
He was detained on 19 March 2003, tried and sentenced under article 91 of the Penal Code to 15 years in prison.(227) He is currently in prison in Kilo 8 prison in the municipality of Camagüey. He is reportedly suffering from a number of health problems including ulcer, high blood pressure and heart problems.
73. Héctor Raúl Valle Hernández, aged 35, is vice president of the unofficial Confederación de Trabajadores Democráticos de Cuba, Confederation of Democratic Workers of Cuba, and an activist of the unofficial Partido Pro-Derechos Humanos, Pro Human Rights Party, in San José de las Lajas.
He had previously been detained and harassed on several occasions. For example, on 16 November 2002 he was |
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