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Human Rights in Cuba Deteriorating,
Says European Union
Number of political
prisoners in Cuba said to be increasing
By Eric Green, Washington
File Staff Writer. USINFO,
June 13, 2006.
Washington -- The European Union (EU) says
it deplores what it calls "further
deterioration" of the human rights
situation in Cuba since June 2005.
In a June 12 statement, the EU's foreign
ministers said that according to Cuban human
rights organizations, the number of political
prisoners in Cuba has risen in the last
year to more than 330 documented cases.
This figure includes several individuals
detained without charge or trial since 2005.
In addition, the EU's ministers said, hundreds
of young Cuban citizens have been detained
and sentenced under a Cuban penal code that
makes it unlawful to show the "propensity
to commit a crime." The foreign ministers'
statement was released after the Luxemburg
meeting of the EU's General Relations and
External Relations Council, which deals
with the EU's foreign affairs.
The foreign ministers reiterated their
call for the Cuban government to "unconditionally"
release all political prisoners in Cuba,
including a group of 75 people who were
detained and sentenced to prison in 2003.
The EU foreign ministers expressed particular
concern about several dozen acts of violent
harassment and intimidation against members
of Cuba's peaceful political opposition
and civil society reported since July 2005.
The Cuban authorities, said the ministers,
were not fulfilling their obligations to
protect all Cuban citizens. The foreign
ministers "urgently" called on
Cuba's government "to take prompt action
to stop the ongoing harassment and to undertake
every effort to effectively prevent its
resumption."
EU relations with Cuba are governed by
what is called the EU's "Common Position"
adopted in 1996. Among other things, it
requires regular evaluations of the situation
in Cuba.
The Common Position says the EU's objective
in its relations with Cuba is to encourage
"a process of transition to a pluralist
democracy and respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, as well as sustainable
recovery and improvement in the living standards
of the Cuban people."
The United States and other members of
the international community repeatedly have
condemned human rights abuses in Cuba. A
report released April 5 by the U.S. State
Department says that for the past 47 years,
the Cuban government of Fidel Castro has
"consistently spurned domestic and
international calls for greater political
tolerance and respect for human rights."
(See related article.)
The department's report, called Supporting
Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record
2005-2006, says that in 2005, the Cuban
government continued to ignore or violate
virtually all of its citizens' fundamental
rights, including the right to change their
government. The Cuban people did not enjoy
freedom of speech, press or movement, and
were denied the right to assemble peacefully
or freely form associations, said the report.
The Cuba section of the report dealing with
Cuba and the Western Hemisphere is available
on the State Department Web site.
The full text of the EU foreign ministers'
statement is available on the EU Web site.
http://www.eu2006.at/en/News/Council_Conclusions/1206Cuba.pdf
For more on U.S. policy, see Cuba.
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