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CUBA
NEWS
The
Miami Herald
Cuba bishops speak out about jailed dissidents
By Nancy San Martin, nsanmartin@herald.com.
After a decade of virtual silence on Cuba's human-rights
record, the island's Roman Catholic bishops Tuesday
criticized the government's return to hard-line
revolutionary ideology and urged compassion for
the 75 dissidents sentenced to lengthy prison
terms five months ago.
''Ever since the pope's visit [in 1998], Cuba
has increasingly experienced a return to the language
and methods typical of the early years of the
revolution,'' said an 11-page document issued
by the 13-member Cuban Bishops Conference in Havana.
''We again ask the country's authorities for
a gesture of clemency toward these people who
are in jail, above all considering -- from a humanitarian
standpoint -- the conditions of their age, state
of health and sex that require special attention,''
the statement added.
The statement, couched in strong but respectful
language, was the first time in a decade that
the Cuban bishops have criticized the human-rights
record of President Fidel Castro's government
in such a formal and public manner.
The document also reiterated the Cuban church's
traditional demands: access to state-controlled
media, the right to operate parochial schools,
build more churches and have more foreign priests
to work in Cuba.
It also reprimanded the government for impeding
efforts intended to create greater economic and
social freedom.
''It is worrisome to realize that, at present,
everything that in thought and action does not
coincide with the official ideology is considered
to be lacking in legality and is disqualified
and rebuffed,'' the document said.
The statement, which stressed that the church
has no political alignments with the government
or opposition groups, said the bishops were also
not trying to compete with the government.
''We exhort all Cubans, for the good of Cuba,
to overcome the common temptation to defeat one
another and to seek together, in a responsible
dialogue, a solution to our conflicts,'' the bishops
declared.
The declaration spurred emotional reactions in
Cuba and Miami from relatives of the jailed activists,
who include independent journalists, opposition
political party leaders, citizens who converted
their homes into independent libraries, other
professionals and activists involved in the Varela
Project, which seeks a referendum on democratic
reforms.
''It's about time the church does something,''
said Miami resident Isabel Roque Cabello, the
older sister of opposition leader Martha Beatriz
Roque, who is among several dissidents whose health
has deteriorated behind bars. ''Hopefully it will
have an effect. Those poor prisoners are living
like animals,'' she added.
After reviewing excerpts of the document, Auxiliary
Bishop Agustín Román of Miami called
the document "prophetic and valiant.''
''It appears we are saying verities before [a
government] with a closed-minded ideology,'' Román
said. "The church is again calling for constructive
and reconciliatory dialogue.''
Miriam Leiva, wife of independent journalist
Oscar Espinosa Chepe, 62, said the document "served
as a great, public, moral support for the terrible
situation, the subhuman situation, in which these
activists find themselves.''
''It will have an impact,'' Leiva said in a telephone
interview from Havana. "What I don't know
is whether it will have a response from a government
that keeps its ears and eyes closed to the suffering
of the people.''
The dissidents, arrested in March, were sentenced
to prison terms ranging from six to 28 years on
charges of working with American diplomats at
the U.S. Interests Section in Havana to undermine
the socialist system.
The crackdown received worldwide condemnation
and public appeals by Pope John Paul II and other
world leaders for the release of the political
prisoners. The Cuban government has said the roundup
was necessary to protect its national security.
The pontiff's visit to Cuba in 1998 initially
raised hopes that the Castro government would
ease restrictions on the church and opposition
activists. But the Vatican is known to be bitterly
disappointed with the lack of change in Cuba since
the weeklong visit.
The bishop's letter, titled ''The Social Presence
of the Church,'' was released on the heels of
the feast day of Cuba's patron saint, the Virgin
of Charity. It also came a day after the 10-year
anniversary of another lengthy statement -- ''Love
Hopes For All Things'' -- in which the church
urged the government to open a dialogue with its
own people.
The document was expected to be circulated to
Roman Catholic parishes across the island.
Herald translator Renato Pérez contributed
to this report. Excerpts of the document were
selected from reports out of Havana by The AP,
AFP and EFE.
Excerpts from letter released Tuesday by the
Cuban Bishops Conference
Translation by The Herald
"We again ask the country's authorities
for a gesture of clemency toward these people
who are in jail, above all considering -- from
a humanitarian standpoint -- the conditions of
their age, state of health and sex that require
special attention, and [we ask] that all of them
be brought closer to their places of residence
and [be given] better prison conditions.''
****
"Ever since the Pope's visit, Cuba has increasingly
experienced a return to the language and methods
typical of the early years of the revolution in
everything regarding ideology.''
****
[After the Pope's visit in 1998] ''an apparent
process of revision began in the country that
did not favor the aspirations to pluralism, tolerance
and aperture that were glimpsed in the national
horizon'' [during the visit.]
****
"Added to this, there was an open involution
into the economy's opening to the just aspirations
of the people [regarding] small businesses, private
jobs, etc., which were increasingly burdened by
taxes, large fines, [and] denial of permits that
discourage or impede those economic activities.''
****
"When Government ideology identifies with
the entire juridical order and the country's ethical
reality, society becomes identified with the State;
thus, the State turns itself into the conscience
of the citizens.''
****
"It is worrisome to realize that, at present,
everything that in thought and action does not
coincide with the official ideology is considered
to be lacking in legality and is disqualified
and rebuffed without considering the truth and
the good it may possess.''
****
"The Church does not have political interests
as a group, because it is not aligned with the
government or the opposition.''
****
[The Church eschews both] "the attempts
to manipulate groups of different types within
the church to exercise a political role ... [and]
the type of mentality that conceives theology
as a tool of liberation in this world.''
****
"We have the impression that in our country
a subtle struggle against the Church persists,
where [the Church] is treated as either a private
entity or a marginal fact that might rob the revolution
of its strength or energy.''
****
[In Cuba today] "the Church is viewed as
either an ally or an enemy, without an alternative,
according to an unmodifiable ideological budget
that, only for temporary convenience, can be expressed
in forms of great courtesy, in contrast to other
forms showing little tolerance.''
****
"It is necessary to promote other rights
... [such as] the right to freedom of expression
and social and political participation.''
****
"The Church of Cuba has always said, in
this revolutionary stage, that it hopes against
all hope and recognizes in dialogue the channel
and the style that best can help serve the people.''
****
"We exhort all Cubans, for the good of Cuba,
to overcome the common temptation to defeat one
another and [we exhort them] to seek together,
in a responsible dialogue, a solution to our conflicts.''
****
[We know our proposal] 'is unwelcome both by
the country' authorities and by some Cubans outside
the country.''
House attacks Cuba embargo by voting to lift
travel ban
By Frank Davies. fdavies@herald.com
WASHINGTON - The U.S. House on Tuesday renewed
its efforts to weaken the embargo on Cuba by lifting
a ban on U.S. citizen travel to the island, but
the measure still faces obstacles in Congress
and a veto threat from President Bush.
The House voted 227-188 to lift the ban, but
the margin of passage was smaller than last years
vote of 262-167, and may reflect a backlash against
Cuba for its crackdown on dissidents earlier this
year.
This was the fourth time the House has voted
to end travel restrictions. In the past, House
Republican leaders have firmly opposed any changes
in the trade embargo and have stripped them from
the final version of legislation.
A similar vote may come up in the Senate this
fall, but Bush last week reiterated his promise
to veto any bill that tinkers with the embargo.
As they did last year, House members also voted
222-196 to lift a cap on how many dollars U.S.
citizens can send to Cubans each year. Current
law limits individual remittances to $100 a month.
Rep. Jeff Flake, a conservative Republican from
Arizona, sponsored the amendment to a spending
bill that would lift the travel ban, saying the
freedom of citizens to travel was "an important
American right.''
He acknowledged the Castro governments crackdown
but said the 40-year embargo had failed and Cuba
would sustain itself with tourist revenue without
Americans.
''All were doing now is curtailing the freedoms
of our own citizens,'' Flake said. "American
travelers are the best ambassadors of American
values.''
The Houses four Cuban-American members spoke
out in favor of keeping the ban during an hour
of lively debate. They said lifting the ban would
simply enrich President Fidel Castro and prop
up his government.
''Dont reward the dictatorship for its reign
of terror with hard currency,'' said Rep. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, a Miami Republican.
Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, another Miami
Republican, displayed a quotation from Castro
last year praising the House vote. Reps. Mario
Díaz-Balart, also a Miami Republican, and
Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, belittled
arguments that tourists would help bring change
to Cuba.
Some of the strongest language came from House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who said the
amendment "would reward Fidel Castro and
his thugocracy.''
The amendments backers ''would have us believe
that vacationers in flip-flops and Hawaiian shirts,
sipping mojitos at Cuban beach resorts, will somehow
improve human-rights conditions,'' DeLay said.
"Instead, it will subsidize Castros oppression
and torture.''
Menendez said that the issue of remittances,
and whether removing restrictions would "help
families or help the regime is something Cuban
Americans struggle with all the time.''
He said the additional dollars would ''mainly
enrich'' the Cuban government.
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