SANTIAGO DE CUBA, August 31 (Luis Alberto Rivera, APLO) – Cuban political police are harassing independent journalist Juan Carlos Garcell for exposing labor abuses committed by the Cuban government with the connivance of Canadian mining giant Sherritt International.
Garcell has been arrested three times in the past two weeks in an apparent attempt by authorities to intimidate him. On the night of August 17 Garcell was arrested in Sagua de Tánamo and taken by car to a deserted spot in the outskirts of the city. There the head of State Security in
neighboring Moa, where Sherritt has a large nickel mining operation, told him "You, with your news, have shown up the prestigious Canadian company Sherritt." Later, before releasing him, the officer told Garcell "Be careful, because something could happen to you."
Garcell had also been arrested on August 15 and was later arrested again on August 21, by officers of the Department of State Security and of the Technical Department of Investigations. At that time, he was fingerprinted and was given an official warning that he could be jailed for his
activities.
Garcell wrote a story posted on the Internet by Cubanet (www.cubanet.org ) on July 13 in which he explained that the government provides Cuban workers to Sherritt at its Moa nickel operation in eastern Cuba, charging Sherritt 8 dollars an hour and paying the
workers approximately 8 dollars a month.
At present, Garcell is denied the use of a phone in Sagua de Tánamo, where he lives, by police order. He has to leave the city surreptitiously to file his dispatches.
Versión original en español
CubaNet does not require sole rights from its contributors. We authorize the reproduction and distribution of this article as long as the source is credited.
| 