By Nancy San Martin. Nsanmartin@herald.com. Posted on Tue,
Aug. 27, 2002 in The Miami
Herald.
For five years, independent journalist Bernardo Arévalo Padrón
has issued clandestine reports on inhuman conditions from his cell at a prison
in southern Cuba.
But a recent letter in which Arévalo Padrón for the first time
expressed fear for his life has raised concern among human rights groups,
unleashing an effort to bring international attention to his case.
''We are very worried,'' Ricardo González, president of an
independent group of journalists in Havana, said by phone. "We are making
our concern public because it is the only way we can try to prevent anything
from happening to him.
''We want to, first of all, save his life,'' Gonzalez said. "Secondly,
we want him to be given his freedom.''
Arévalo Padrón, 34, was arrested in 1997 after calling
President Fidel Castro and Vice President Carlos Lage liars in a telephone
interview with a radio program in Miami. He was sentenced to six years and is
serving the term at a prison in Cienfuegos called Ariza.
Known for his outspoken manner and unwavering beliefs, Arévalo Padrón
has consistently vowed to continue his journalistic work even behind bars. But
that conviction has led to threats from prison authorities, according to a
letter sent last week to other independent journalists on the island.
According to colleagues, Arévalo Padrón was told by prison
authorities that if he did not stop sending bulletins from the jail, family
visits for all of the prisoners in his prison unit would cease.
Supporters said that could lead to violent attacks from the other inmates.
''The international community should be concerned about his case,'' said
Vladimiro Roca, a prominent dissent who was released from the same prison in May
after serving nearly five years on charges of sedition. "He is a prisoner
of conscience. He is in jail because of his ideas.''
The Inter-American Press Association has issued a statement saying the
threat by prison authorities has put the journalist's life at risk.
''We are afraid that a measure of that nature would incite reprisals from
the common prisoners,'' the IAPA said.
Similar statements have been issued by other international organizations.
Arévalo Padrón is among an estimated 300 political prisoners
in Cuban prisons.
Meanwhile, efforts are under way to bring another prominent Cuban dissident
to Washington next month for an award issued by the National Democratic
Institute. Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, coordinator of a grassroots
movement known as the Varela Project, will be the first Cuban to receive such an
honor.
The Varela Project, an initiative that calls for a referendum on sweeping
democratic reforms, has been recognized internationally as the largest
non-government grassroots campaign since Castro rose to power in 1959. It was
given unprecedented legitimacy by former President Jimmy Carter during a visit
to Havana in May.
''It's an award recognizing the courage of the Cuban people and their
commitment to the universal principles,'' said Kenneth Wollack, institute
president. "The Varela Project unleashed the beginning of a genuine
movement. It set off a democratic spark in the country.''
The institute, founded in 1982, provides assistance to civic and political
leaders to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Payá, who will
share this year's honor with the Organization of American States, is being
recognized for his work dedicated to democracy and human rights.
Other democratic movements recognized include the Dominican Republic's
Participación Ciudadana, for its role in preventing violence and
contributing to the peaceful resolution to the 1994 electoral crisis;
Nicaragua's Centro de Estudios Estratégicos, for helping to create the
first civilian-led defense ministry in 1996; and Mexico's Alianza Civica , for
promoting electoral reforms that ushered in the historic 2000 elections. |