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Wife of prisoner of conscience
writes letter to Fidel Castro after husband's
most recent beating
Information
Bridge Cuba Miami.
(ISLE OF YOUTH, Cuba, November 7 / Puenteinfocubamiami.org)
- Dolia Leal Francisco, wife of the peaceful
opponent and prisoner of conscience Nelson
Aguiar Ramírez, sent a letter
Fidel Castro pointing out the abuses perpetrated
against his husband, who is serving and
a sanction of 13 years in jail.
A section of the missivae states:
"Today I received the terrible news
from Guantánamo that my husband Nelson
was victim of another beating. Nelson is
69 years old and suffers several illnesses
all of which have been aggravated in that
brutal prison.
"How can such an ill, peaceful and
defenseless individual be brutally beaten?
Why such terror? Is having him in such inhumane
conditions not enough? They want to kill
him too? Why so much abuse against peaceful
people?"
In another section of the letter sent to
Castro and the State Council, Mrs. Leal
points out:
"My husband is not allowed to call
me on the telephone. I haven't heard from
him for over a month now, I don't receive
letters from him, he is being held 'incommunicado'
and subjected to the most brutal persecution
and oppression this country has ever seen.
"Mr. President, as the highest authority
in this country the solution to this grave
problem is in your hands."
In another section of the letter Dolia
Leal Francisco says that on September 6th
she had written a letter explaining all
the abuses against her husband to Abelardo
Colomé Ibarra, General Minister of
the Interior, but that she had not received
a reply to date.
Nelson Alberto Aguiar Ramírez, born
in the municipality of Regla, is president
of the Cuban Orthodox Party, with the acronym
(POC). He is one of "The 75" arrested
and tried in summary trials, and sentenced
to 15 years in prison.
A Havana residente, he was serving his
prison term at Guantánamo provincial
prison, and was recently transferred to
the prison in Bayamo, both at the other
end of the Island.
Reporting from the Isle
of Youth for the Information Bridge Cuba
Miami and Net For Cuba International Carlos
Serpa Maceira, an independent journalist
with UPECI, also correspondent in the Isle
of Youth, of the Information Bridge Cuba
Miami Given on the 5th day of November 2004.
Nelson Alberto Aguiar Ramírez,
58
Sentence: 13 years
Home town: Havana city
Prison: Guantánamo provincial prison,
since September 2003.
Background: President of the unofficial
Partido Ortodoxo de Cuba, Cuba Orthodox
Party, and a member of the recent initiative,
Asamblea para Promover la Sociedad Civil,
Assembly to Promote Civil Society. He is
an electrician by profession.
Nelson Alberto Aguiar Ramírez
reportedly suffers from arteriosclerosis
(narrowing of the arteries). This condition
leads to reduced blood circulation, high
blood pressure and the likelihood of heart
failure. His symptoms include swelling of
the legs. He is also reported to have an
enlarged prostate, which has led to retention
of urine and urinary infection. He is also
apparently suffering from sores on the skin.
On 31 August 2003 he, along
with five other prisoners of conscience
in Boniato prison, reportedly started a
hunger strike to call attention to conditions
of detention which included poor hygiene,
insufficient food and limited medical assistance.
In a move that may have been aimed to break
their hunger strike, they were all transferred
to different prisons. Nelson Alberto Aguiar
was taken to Guantánamo Provincial
Prison. Since his arrival he has been, according
to reports, in a punishment cell. In these
cells, according to reports, conditions
habitually fall far below international
standards.
Amnesty International
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