Cuban dentist, a prisoner
of conscience in Cuba, gravely ill claims
he prefers to die rather than renounce his
ideals
Coalition
of Cuban-American Women.
Camagüey, Cuba, April 22, 2006 - On
April 18, 2006, Rebeca Rodríguez
Sauto went to Kilo 7 Prison in the province
of Camagüey for a family visit, which
is permitted every 45 days, with her husband,
Dr. Alfredo Pulido López, and found
that his health has significantly worsened.
Dr. Pulido, a prisoner of conscience, continues
to lose weight, according to Rebeca. He
is now at least 20 pounds under what he
weighed when he was incarcerated in 2003.
She had never seen her husband so depressed
and psychologically distraught. According
to the Cuban dentist's testimony, his condition
is related to the fact that "the situation
in prison is very serious because there
is a lot of aggression among the prisoners,"
and he pointed out that a few days beforehand,
one prisoner had killed another. "We
are constantly under inspection. They call
those of us that are political prisoners
'counter-revolutionaries' and treat us like
common criminals."
Chronic bronchitis and a lack of air also
affect Dr. Pulido's health, and recently,
dark bruises of an unknown origin have appeared
on his skin.
The prisoner of conscience told his wife
that because of the serious illnesses from
which he suffers, the authorities should
have granted him a medical parole some time
ago, and he added that they will not grant
him release "because my convictions
are firm, and I make them quite clear."
Dr. Pulido stated that he has no real reason
to ask for a medical parole since he is
an innocent man to begin with and what the
Cuban authorities really have to give him
is FREEDOM. He continued telling his wife,
"I am more firm in my convictions every
day. I am not going to renounce them. They
(the prison authorities) know that my health
is affected. They can do what they want."
Rebeca Rodríguez Sauto stated that
her husband told her the reason he believed
that in 2003 the authorities in Cuba tried
and incarcerated him along with 74 other
Cuban citizens who peacefully expressed
their independent ideas on the island: "the
objective is to eliminate us physically."
Dr. Pulido, 46, practiced dentistry for
22 years until 1998 when he was expelled
from his clinic for linking himself to the
dissident movement through the Christian
Liberation Movement. In 2001, he began to
work as an independent journalist in Camagüey,
and he is a Master Mason as well. He was
detained on March 18, 2003, and sentenced
in a summary trial to 14 years in prison
under Article 91 of the Cuban penal code
and Law 88, also known as the Gag Law. He
is confined to a barrack with 100 common
prisoners, many of whom are condemned for
murder, in Kilo 7 Prison in Camagüey.
We make an urgent request to dignitaries
of democratic nations, to human rights organizations,
to religious, civic, and political leaders,
to the international press, and to men and
women of good faith in the world to demand
that the Cuban government grant unconditional
freedom and immediate release to Dr. Alfredo
Pulido López and all those in Cuba
imprisoned for exercising fundamental freedoms.
Testimony of Rebeca Rodríguez
Sauto given by telephone from Cuba. Taped,
transcribed, and translated into English.
Coalition of Cuban-American Women / LAIDA
CARRO / TANYA WILDER
E-mails: Joseito76@aol.com / tswilder@charter.net
Rebeca Rodríguez Sauto: Address:
Palomino #445 entre Línea y Primera,
Reparto La Mascota, Camagüey, Cuba.
Tel: + 53-32-25391
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