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AFL-CIO / Letter to Fidel Castro September 12, 2002 His Excellency Fidel Castro Ruz Dear Mr. President: It has come to my attention that on September 6, security agents of your Government directly interfered with the peaceful assembly of the members of the Confederacion Obrera Nacional Independiente de Cuba (CONIC). We understand that two state security agents arrived unexpectedly and blocked the entrance of the building where the CONIC congress was to take place. Of the more than 40 Cuban workers and labor activists who tried to attend the event, only 15 were allowed to enter. We also understand that the security agents informed all of the workers present that access to the CONIC headquarters was prohibited. The agents demanded and received the full names and identification numbers of the workers present and issued threats against the organizers of the event. We understand that the agents told the workers that they probably would be charged with rebellion and contempt for having appeared at this assembly. The direct state interference and threats just mentioned constitute flagrant violations of ILO Convention 87 guaranteeing freedom of association, a Convention which your county ratified fifty years ago. These actions contradict statements made by your Government's representative in past ILO conferences, asserting that Cuban workers are entirely free to organize the labor organization of their choice and without reprisals. The AFL-CIO, representing over 13 million working women and men in the United States, denounces and condemns these violations of freedom and association. We call on the Cuban Government to respect the right of independent labor activists to express their views and to organize freely, including the members of CONIC. A truly democratic government has no reason to fear dissenting and independent viewpoints. Sincerely, John J. Sweeney |
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