Anti-democratic actions
have boomerang effect
By Jorge Luis Ramon Castillo.
Posted on Wed, Jan. 21, 2004 in The Miami
Herald.
HAVANA -- While some believe that 2003
was a negative year for Cuba, for the internal
opposition and the country's democratic
fate, the opposite is more accurate.
The Cuban government intensified its ideological
bombardment nationally and internationally
and took a number of cruel steps against
those who believe in democracy:
o It imprisoned dozens of activists as
it had never done before.
o It took measures to block Cubans from
Internet access.
o It attacked private-enterprise initiatives.
o It rejected the Varela Project's proposal
for a referendum.
o It sharpened its harassment of journalists.
o It executed three desperate young men,
making an example of the lengths to which
it was willing to go.
o It refused to comply with a U.N. resolution
that called for a human-rights monitor to
visit Cuba.
o It vilified the heads of state of several
democratic countries, deepening its dispute
with the United States through attacks and
counterattacks.
Such actions, however, have had a boomerang
effect. The great majority of countries
are democratic and disapprove of the lack
of freedoms, thus, close ranks with those
of us who struggle to revert this incoherent
behavior.
The European Union, for instance, finally
turned its eyes on Cuba and saw a reality
that the beaches and palm trees of a supposed
tropical paradise had kept hidden. It immediately
took a firm stance, condemning the violations
that the Cuban government commits daily.
It also limited the financial and humanitarian
aid that it had been extending to a regime
that would not honor its own international
accords or implement greatly needed democratic
changes.
The United States highlighted its commitment
to democracy in the world, and the Cuban
nation was no exception. Latin America gained
new consciousness of the true nature of
the island's government, as several countries
supported the resolution that required sending
to Cuba a representative of the U.N. Human
Rights Commission.
The internal opposition grew, politically
and morally, in March and April. The regime
itself contributed to this growth by imprisoning
dozens of human-rights activists, intellectuals
and members of political parties of the
opposition. If anyone had harbored doubts,
the crackdown and the lengthy sentences
meted out for the simple act of attempting
to think freely clarified some important
points.
A long list of friends of the revolution
said ''Enough.'' Through its institutions,
the international community recognized the
courage, dignity and decency of several
Cuban thinkers who were forced into their
status as prisoners of conscience. Manuel
Vázquez Portal, Oscar Elías
Biscet, Raúl Rivero and José
Ramón Castillo were among those who
received international recognition in 2003.
Despite these imprisonments, the movement
has continued to grow and, speaking without
triumphalism, its health is comforting.
The personal cost has been great for all,
but it is a part of any civic effort. Let
us thank God for these 365 days, and let
us pray for those who suffer in body and
spirit for us. About them, José Martí
said the following: "In the world,
there should be a certain amount of light,
as there also should be a certain amount
of dignity. When a nation has many men who
lack dignity, there are also men who carry
with them the dignity of many men.''
Jorge Luis Ramón Castillo is vice
president of the Culture and Democracy Independent
Institute in Santiago de Cuba. His brother,
José Ramón Castillo, was sentenced
to 20 years in prison during the Cuban government's
March 2003 crackdown.
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