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Political prisoners
"plantados*" in prison
Information
Bridge Cuba Miami.
(JOVELLANOS, Cuba, December 21 / Puenteinfocubamiami.org)
- Political Prisoners Félix Navarro
Rodríguez and Víctor Rolando
Arroyo Carmona were transferred to cells
with common criminals.
In a telephone interview given to Agenda
Cuba in their radio program of Sunday, December
21, Saylí Navarro, daughter of political
prisoner Félix Navarro, stated that
before the transfer, her father and Arroyo
Carmona were interrogated by a major at
the prison and at the time were told that
that the transfer was a new government strategy
to silence the constant denouncements of
the mothers and wives of the political prisoners".
Also, they were informed that their political
prisoner's status would be respected, that
their only interest was for them to have
breakfast lunch and dinner with the common
prisoners.
Both political prisoners responded that
they would start a hunger strike to the
end, once their political status was violated.
"At the moment we have no information
regarding the fate of the political prisoners
at the prison in Guantánamo for Félix
Navarro, Rodríguez, my father, was
not allowed to call us last Friday as he
was supposed to, therefore we suspect that
they are presently 'plantados'. The situation
is critical. As daughter of Félix
Navarro Rodríguez I hold Fidel Castro
and the State Security responsible for whatever
happens to my father".
Also alarming is the situation at the
prison in Holguín where we know that
Iván Hernández Carrillo, an
independent journalist and member of the
Party For Democracy Pedro Luis Boitel, who
was condemned to 25 years in prison last
march, was mistreated, beaten and dragged
through the floor demanding the sweater
his mother brought for him but authorities
refused to give it to him claiming it was
not white, as per required by prison's dress
code. Immediately thereafter, Hernández
Carrillo began a hunger strike and is presently
"plantado". His relatives are
not allowed to have any communications with
him.
Also "plantados" in the Pinar
del Río Prison are Héctor
Palacio Ruiz, Director of the Center for
Social Studies and promoter of the Varela
Project, sentenced to 25 years in prison
in the wave of repression which began on
March along with Diosdado González
Marrero, president of the Freedom, Love
and Peace Party, who was sentenced to 20
years in prison. This situation is quite
alarming and we don't know how it will end.
Testimony given over the
telephone by Saylí Navarro, daughter
of the prisoner of conscience Félix
Navarro Rodríguez, on December 21,
2003, at the Agenda:Cuba radio program which
airs on Sundays from 1:00 to 3:00 in the
afternoon on WQBA 1140 AM. Recorded, Transcribed
and translated to English by the Information
Bridge Cuba Miami, on December 21, 2003.
*A "plantado"
is a political prisoner who refuses to participate
in the government's reeducation or rehabilitation
programs and as a result garners a longer
term or other additional punishment. Sometimes
plantados even refuse to wear prisoners'
uniforms and are confined to their cells
naked or in their underwear.
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