CUBA
Newly declared prisoners of conscience
Amnesty
International, 25 January 2004.
In June 2003 Amnesty International declared
75 new prisoners of conscience after they
were detained in a massive government crackdown
on dissent which began on 18 March 2003.
Most of the detainees were subjected to
hasty and unfair trials, and, just weeks
after their arrest, were given long prison
terms of up to 28 years. Having reviewed
the trial verdicts and other documents of
most of the 75 dissidents sentenced, Amnesty
International declared that they were prisoners
of conscience, imprisoned solely for the
peaceful exercise of fundamental freedoms.
Amensty International's detailed report
on the crackdown also mentioned eight other
possible prisoners of conscience, Rafael
Ernesto Avila Pérez, Javier García
Pérez, Félix Jaime González
Martínez, Rolando Jimenez Posada,
Rafael Millet Leyva, Miguel Sigler Amaya,
Pablo Solís Cubilla and Orlando Zapata
Tamayo(1). The organization has been following
these cases closely and has now declared
four of them to be prisoners of conscience
(Rolando Jimenez Posada, Rafael Millet Leyva,
Miguel Sigler Amaya and Orlando Zapata Tamayo).
The other four were reportedly released
(Rafael Ernesto Avila Pérez, Javier
García Pérez, Félix
Jaime González Martínez and
Pablo Solís Cubilla).
Details of the four new prisoners of conscience
are as follows:
Rolando Jiménez Posada
Date of arrest: 25 April 2003
Charges/Sentence: No formal charges yet.
Rolando Jiménez Posada, aged 33,
is a lawyer and Director of the Centro Democrático
Pinero de Derechos Humanos, Pinos Democratic
Human Rights Centre, in Isla de Pinos, which
was created in July 2002. In January 2002
he was dismissed from his job as legal adviser
of a veterinary medicine company, reportedly
due to his problems with state security.
He has been detained and threatened numerous
times over the past few years. For example,
according to reports, on 10 December 2001,
while taking part in a peaceful celebration
to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, he and several
others were reportedly beaten and pushed
into police vehicles and then dumped in
remote areas of Isla de la Juventud. On
12 June 2002, after taking part in a peaceful
march calling for the release of political
prisoners, he was temporarily detained and
threatened with imprisonment if he continued
carrying out opposition activities. On 31
July 2002 he was said to have been threatened
at his home in Nueva Gerona, capital of
Isla de la Juventud, after handing out copies
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On 25 August 2002 he was again reportedly
threatened at his home by State Security
who told him that he would be imprisoned
if he continued carrying out public activities
in support of political prisoners.
Most recently, he was detained on 25 April
2003 when his home was searched by the Department
of State Security and police officers. They
reportedly confiscated printed materials,
including a book containing addresses of
anti-Castro exile groups. He was initially
said to be held at the Ministry of the Interior
headquarters in Nueva Gerona. An official
there reportedly told his wife and mother
of their four year old son that if she abandoned
her husband, she would get economic help
and a good job.
In June 2003 it was reported that Rolando
Jiménez would be tried along with
Rafael Millet Leyva at a court in Isla de
la Juventud, charged with "propaganda
enemiga", "enemy propaganda",
"desacato", "disrespect"
and "espionaje", "espionage",
allegedly for writing anti-government slogans
on public buildings. However, as yet no
formal charges have been made or a trial
taken place.
He is currently imprisoned in Guayabo Prison,
Isla de la Juventud.
Rafael Millet Leyva
Date of arrest: 21 March 2003
Charges/Sentence: No formal charges yet.
Rafael Millet Leyva, aged 33, is President
of the Movimiento de Resistencia Cívica
"Martin Luther King", "Martin
Luther King" Civic Resistance Movement
in Isla de los Pinos.
He has been detained several times in the
past. For example, on 10 December 2001 he,
like Rolando Jiménez Posada, was
reportedly pushed into a police vehicle
and beaten and dumped in a remote area,
after attempting to participate in an event
celebrating the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights; in June 2002 he was temporarily
detained.
Most recently he was arrested on 21 March
2003 when his home was searched and books
and documents, including the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, were confiscated by officials
of the Department of State Security and
police. He was said to be charged with "propaganda
enemiga" and "desacato",
for writing anti-government slogans on public
buildings in Nueva Gerona, along with Rolando
Jiménez Posada. However, as yet no
formal charges have been made.
Rafael Millet is currently imprisoned in
Guayabo Prison, Isla de la Juventud. He
was due to be tried in December 2003 but
as far as Amnesty International is aware,
no trial has yet taken place.
Miguel Sigler Amaya
Date of arrest: 18 March 2003
Charges/Sentence: 26 months' imprisonment
for "desobediencia", "disobedience"
and "resistencia", "resistance".
Miguel Sigler Amaya is Director of the
Movimiento Independiente Opción Alternativa,
Alternative Option Independent Movement,
in Pedro Betancourt, Matanzas province.
He has been detained many times in the
past. For example, in October 2001 he wrote
an article for the press stating that he
had been arrested and threatened on numerous
occasions and his home had been attacked.
In December 2001 he also was arrested and
dumped, in a remote area in Villa Clara,
after trying to celebrate the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. In January
2002 he and his brothers (Guido and Ariel
Sigler Amaya) were arrested, reportedly
to prevent them from putting flowers in
a central Havana park. In July 2002 Miguel
Sigler and his two brothers were arrested
when they attempted to carry out a remembrance
for the victims of the 13 March Tugboat
disaster. In August 2002 he and his brothers
were temporarily detained.
Most recently, he was arrested on 18 March
2003. On 26 March 2003 he was sentenced
to six months' imprisonment for "desobediencia"
at the Tribunal de Jovellanos, Matanzas
province. In April he was tried at the Tribunal
Popular Municipal in Pedro Betancourt, Matanzas
province, and sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment
for "desobediencia" and "resistencia",
which he is said to have committed at the
time of his arrest. He is also said to be
awaiting a third trial in which the prosecutor
is asking for 15-25 years' imprisonment
although it is not known what the charges
are. He is reportedly being held in Agüica
Prison, in the province of Matanzas, where
he is said to be constantly threatened by
the prison authorities and harassed by common
prisoners. He is reported to be suffering
from a respiratory infection and diabetes.
His two brothers, Guido and Ariel are also
prisoners of conscience, sentenced to 20
years' imprisonment, following their detention
on 18 March 2003.(2)
Orlando Zapata Tamayo
Date of arrest: 20 March 2003
Sentence: No trial yet, but charged with
"desacato", "desordenes publicos",
"public disorder", and "desobediencia".
Orlando Zapata Tamayo is a member of the
Movimiento Alternativa Republicana, Alternative
Republican Movement, and a member of the
Consejo Nacional de Resistencia Cívica,
National Civic Resistance Committee.
He has been arrested several times in the
past. For example he was temporarily detained
on 3 July 2002 and 28 October 2002. In November
2002 after taking part in a workshop on
human rights in the central Havana park,
José Martí, he and eight other
government opponents were reportedly arrested
and later released. He was also arrested
on 6 December 2002 along with Oscar Elías
Biscet(3), but was released on 8 March 2003.
Most recently, he was arrested on the morning
of 20 March 2003 whilst taking part in a
hunger strike at the Fundación Jesús
Yánez Pelletier, Jesús Yánez
Pelletier Foundation, in Havana, to demand
the release of Oscar Biscet and other political
prisoners. He was reportedly taken to the
Villa Marista State Security Headquarters.
He has not been tried yet, but the prosecutor
is reportedly asking for three years' imprisonment
for "desacato", "desordenes
publicos", "public disorder",
and "desobediencia".
He has reportedly been moved around several
prisons, including Quivicán Prison,
Guanajay Prison, and most recently, Combinado
del Este Prison in Havana. According to
reports, on 20 October 2003 he was dragged
along the floor of Combinado del Este Prison
by prison officials after requesting medical
attention, leaving his back full of lacerations.
Recommendations
Amnesty International once again urges
the Cuban authorities
· to immediately and unconditionally
release all prisoners of conscience, imprisoned
solely for having peacefully exercised their
rights to freedom of expression, association
and assembly.
· to ensure that, pending their release,
the four prisoners of conscience, Rolando
Jimenez Posada, Rafael Millet Leyva, Miguel
Sigler Amaya and Orlando Zapata Tamayo,
arrested in March/April 2003 have access
to appropriate medical care and that their
conditions of detention meet international
standards.
· to put an immediate end to all
forms of harassment and intimidation directed
against dissidents who are solely attempting
to legitimately exercise fundamental human
rights.
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT,
1 EASTON STREET, LONDON WC1X 0DW, UNITED
KINGDOM
SC/CC/CO/GR AI Index: AMR 25/002/2004
(1) See Cuba:
"Essential Measures"? Human rights
crackdown in the name of security (AI
Index: AMR 25/017/2003), page 85.
(2) See Cuba:
"Essential Measures"? Human rights
crackdown in the name of security (AI
Index: AMR 25/017/2003), page 81.
(3) See Cuba:
Continued detentions following mass arrests
in February and December 2002 (AI Index:
AMR 25/001/2003).
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