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Czech senators support
Cuban dissidents' request for help
Prague
Daily Monitor,
February 22, 2006.
PRAGUE, Feb 22 (CTK) - The Open Democracy
Club (KOD) group of senators has supported
the call by Cuban dissidents on the international
community to help stop repressions against
leaders of the opponents of Fidel Castro's
regime and create a special international
committee for this purpose.
KOD member Jaromir Stetina (unaffiliated,
for the Greens), paid "a semi-illegal
visit" to local dissidents in Cuba
last week. He also handed the Cuban opposition
appeal to Rene van der Linden, head of the
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly,
in Prague today.
The 13-member KOD group comprises senators
from the junior ruling Freedom Union (US-DEU)
and several small parties that are not represented
in the lower house.
The authors of the Cuban request point
out that Castro's regime has recently intensified
its pressure against people voicing their
disapproval of the economic, political and
situation in the country.
Tens of Cubans have been mobilised to exert
physical and verbal force against the opposition
and pass it off for spontaneous disagreement
with the latter, the authors say.
The EP in early February condemned the
persecution of the opposition, repressions
and non-observance of fundamental human
freedoms in Cuba. It called on Havana to
immediately release all political prisoners.
The EP also indirectly asked the EU countries
to change their policy towards Cuba. Early
last year, EU countries decided to suspend
previous diplomatic sanctions towards Cuba
in belief that Castro's regime would show
more accommodating positions in exchange.
This story copyright 2005
CTK Czech News Agency.
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