• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: RELEASE ALL PEACEFUL PROTESTORS (Cuba: UA 88.21)

July 22, 2021

On July 11, 2021, protests took place across Cuba over the economy, lack of medicines, and long-term restrictions on freedom of expression. Potentially hundreds of protestors are in prison and many are being charged with “public disorder” or other crimes long used to silence alternative views in the country. We demand all those who peacefully protested to be released immediately and unconditionally.

TAKE ACTION:
  1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on September 16, 2021.
  2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 88.21. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Miguel Díaz Canel President of the Republic of Cuba Hidalgo, Esquina 6. Plaza de la Revolución La Habana, CP 10400, Cuba Email: [email protected] Twitter: @DiazCanelB Facebook: @PresidenciadeCuba
Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera Embassy of Cuba 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20009 Phone: 202 797 8515 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @EmbaCubaUS @Lianystr Facebook: @EmbaCubaUS Salutation: Dear Ambassador

SAMPLE LETTER Dear President Díaz-Canel, I write to you to condemn the detention of potentially hundreds of people following the protests of July 11, 2021. According to international human rights law, the right to freedom of expression and assembly can only be restricted in very limited circumstances. It is incompatible with international law to harass, intimidate, stigmatize, arrest, detain, trial, or imprison a person solely on the grounds of an opinion they hold. I demand the immediate and unconditional release of all those who were detained and are being held for their peaceful participation in the protests on July 11, 2021. Furthermore, I call on you to immediately inform families of the whereabouts of detainees, and to grant those detained communication with the outside world, as required by international law, including the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES