AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
PRESS RELEASE
March 17th, 2008
On Fifth Anniversary of Crackdown, Amnesty International Urges Cuba's New Leader to Release 58 Dissidents
Human Rights Organization Says Prisoners' Only Crime is Exercising Basic Freedoms
(New York) -- On the 5th anniversary of the largest crackdown against political opponents in Cuba, Amnesty International today called on the new Cuban president to immediately release the 58 dissidents still being held in jails across the country, many for contacting journalists and human rights defenders.
"The only crime committed by these 58 is the peaceful exercise of their fundamental freedoms. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience. They must be released immediately and unconditionally," said Kerrie Howard, deputy director for Amnesty International's Americas program.
Last month, Amnesty International welcomed the release of four prisoners of conscience and Cuba's signing of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
"Raul Castro has an opportunity to send the world a message that he will uphold Cuba's human rights commitments. By continuing to hold political opponents for exercising their basic rights, Cuba has failed this obligation. It is time for Cuba to accept freedom of expression, an independent judiciary, fair trials and the abolition of the death penalty," said Renata Rendón, advocacy director for the Americas for Amnesty International USA.
Fifty-five of the 58 current prisoners of conscience in Cuba are the remainder of a group of 75 people jailed during a massive crackdown against the dissident movement in March 2003.
Most were accused of "acts against the independence of the state," charged with publishing articles or giving interviews to U.S.-funded media, communicating with international human rights organizations and having contact with groups or individuals considered hostile to Cuba. The men were sentenced to between six and 28 years behind bars after what were considered dubious trials. So far, 20 have been released on medical grounds.
Among the jailed political opponents is Marcelo Cano Rodriguez, a medical doctor and human rights defender who was arrested in Las Tunas on March 25, 2003, as he was investigating the arrest of another doctor, Jorge Luis García Paneque, who had been detained during the crackdown on dissidents.
Rodríguez was tried, convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was accused of visiting prisoners and their families as part of his work with the Cuban Human Rights Commission and maintaining ties to the international humanitarian organization, Doctors without Borders. He is currently being held in Ariza prison in the city of Cienfuegos, making visits by his family in Havana difficult.
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Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150
