Castro's Latest
Victim: Himself
By Vladimiro Roca. Published:
March 22, 2004 in The
New York Times.
HAVANA - As we mark one year since the
brutal government crackdown on the peaceful
opposition in Cuba, my mind goes back to
the morning of March 18, 2003. I was at
a meeting of dissident leaders; we were
discussing the hostile tone of the previous
day's "Mesa Redonda," a political
TV talk show that the government uses to
convey its point of view to the population.
"It is surprising that after yesterday's
'Mesa Redonda' we are still able to meet
today," one of my colleagues said.
Little did we know that this comment would
be a prophecy - within hours the arrests
began around the country. In the end, more
than 75 of my brothers and sisters were
behind bars, with sentences of up to 28
years. I was spared, perhaps because I had
been free for less than a year after spending
more than four years in prison on charges
of sedition.
The government, apparently concluding that
the American invasion of Iraq would distract
international scrutiny from its actions,
had decided to destroy a growing opposition
movement. That movement had been energized
by the Varela Project, a petition calling
for a referendum on democratic change that
was presented to the National Assembly in
2002 with the signatures of more than 10,000
registered voters.
But Fidel Castro was mistaken. The international
news media rushed to cover the wave of repression
- and the executions last April of three
Cubans who tried to flee the country by
hijacking a ferry. Relations with the European
Union soured, and Cuba was unable to negotiate
its entrance to the Cotonou Agreement, a
trade and aid pact among Europe and more
than 70 countries in Africa, the Pacific
and the Caribbean.
In addition, many European intellectuals
and political groups who had sympathized
with the regime - including the Nobel laureates
José Saramago and Dario Fo, the filmmaker
Pedro Almodóvar, the Socialist International
and the Communist Party of Italy - joined
the condemnation. Many European embassies
in Havana have begun to welcome Cuban dissidents
to celebrate national days.
Some Castro supporters justify the political
cost, arguing that the global condemnation
was worth it. Many feel it was necessary
not only in response to the Varela Project
but also as a warning to some high-ranking
government officials who seemed to be considering
starting discussions with the opposition.
Many Cubans feel that the wave of repression
was more random - intended to prove to them,
once again, that the government is willing
to go to any lengths to preserve its power.
I believe the true motivation combines
a bit of all of these ideas - along with
the fact that this government is consumed
by irrationality and hatred, which often
leads it to take action without considering
the consequences.
It is clear that the most negative outcome
for the opposition has been the unjust imprisonment
of 75 brave men and women, many of whom
are elderly or in poor health. Most are
incarcerated hundreds of miles away from
their homes, making family visits difficult
and in some cases impossible.
On the favorable side of the ledger, there
is a robust international campaign to free
them. This has been illustrated not only
by the European actions but also by several
international awards granted to imprisoned
dissidents, like the Unesco World Press
Freedom award given to the imprisoned poet
and journalist Raúl Rivero.
On the island, the opposition has persevered
- admittedly with a lower profile - and
has begun to regroup. The Varela Project
has collected an additional 14,000 signatures.
Most hearteningly, many of the new advocates
are in their 20's and 30's, which is vital
to a movement led mostly by people who lived
through the Cuban Revolution.
On the whole, I believe that the consequences
of the crackdown have been a severe setback
to the government. The regime was not able
to subdue the opposition. Despite the regime's
effort to exploit America's global unpopularity
over the last year and its vigorous efforts
to play up what it described as the "imminent
threat of the imperialists," it has
lost support among democratic countries.
On the one-year anniversary of the crackdown,
I want to pass along a message to those
behind bars: we will not give up in our
fight to bring democratic change to our
country; in spite of the government repression,
we will maintain our international campaign
for the freedom of each and every one of
our prisoners of conscience.
Vladimiro Roca is the spokesman for
Todos Unidos, a coalition of Cuban dissident
groups. This article was translated by Joseph
McSpedon from the Spanish.
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