From: ez000281@hamlet.ucdavis.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: Cuba: Amnesty International Report
Date: 28 Jan 93 08:18:40 GMT
Organization: Computing Services, UC Davis

CUBA: Death Squads

Well it seems the Esperantists have left me alone, and following Alberto's 
request, I will return to my favorite topic: CUBA.  I have just recieved this 
years Amnesty International Report ("Silencing Dissent") and would like to 
share some of its findings so that those who claim there is no stalinism in 
Cuba and that the Castro Crimes are chicken feed, think twice:


Some findings include:

(1) The Cuban government openly admits of having undercover agents operating 
within dissident groups, having in certain cases created some of these groups 
themselves in order to entice disgrunted Cubans into the hands of the 
authorities, and have led to splinters within the opposing groups (Divide and 
conquer)

(2) In 1991 Carlos Aldana (a former chief of state) declared that members of 
the 50 dissident groups operating within Cuba were all "CIA agents" and should 
be "summarily punished for treason".  In 1992, Raul Castro (the Cuban VP) 
threatened with reestablishing "revoultionary tribunals" to take care of 
dissent with mass executions.

(3) Fidel creates death mobs.  In June 1991 Fidel created the "Popular 
Brigades of Rapid Resonse" whose objective is to "liquidate any 
counterrevolutionary manifestations" and is "not to be considered a military 
organization [but rather] an organization for the politico-ideological combat 
[..] a revoultionary army in the poltical sense. [and their primary mission is 
to conduct] acts of repudiation"  Among the acitivities of he mobs are:

        (a) Physical harrsment and beating of suspects of dissent.

        (b) Verbal harrasment and abuse of suspects of dissent.

        (c) Kidnappings of suspects of dissent.

        (d) arrests of suspects of dissent and opening files of 
"dangerousness"  on such suspects.

(4) Government gives Amnesty the cold shoulder and denies everything, and 
denies visas to U.N. human rights inspectors.

(5) Families of dissidents are retailiated agains under the argument of "la of 
reliability".  

(6) Members of the foreign press are expelled.

(7) Dissidents are arrested "in the name of the masses" on grounds of being 
"enemy propagandists" or "subversion" 

(8) Labor leaders have been incarcerated for "crimes against the powers of the 
state" and being an "enemy of the revoultion".

(9) Arrest and jailing of Christian leaders for distributing "clandestine 
propaganda".

(10) A retired university professor (Roland Prats) is mugged in the street for 
"carrying enemy propaganda" while onlookers are told to leave the area and not 
to offer help.

(11) Mobs get involved frequently in "acts of repudiation" in front of homes 
of dissidents.  In one particular case, government agents tell the dissident 
that they have "lost control" of the mob and that they would be "guaranteed 
their saftey if they ask for clemency".

(12) An engineering professor is fired from his job for "having quit the 
Communist Paty." 

(13) 17 employees of the Jose Marti library are summarily fired and called 
"counterrevolutionaries" for having asked to meet with party officials to 
discuss the results of the Party Congress.

(14) 9 University professors are also fired and interrogated for having signed 
a "declaration of human rights".

(15) Two Jehova's Witnesses were sent to prison for four years for having 
distributed "religious propaganda".

(16) Angel Guerra is tried without lawyer on the charge of "insulting the 
President" and sentenced toa year in prison.

(17) Entrapment of dissidents.  In one case a person is given a flask of 
perfume as a give and a few minutes laters members of the "Technical" division 
of the police come in and arrest the person for having "enemy propaganda" 
hidden in the flask.

(18) Dissidents are sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to 
"escape illegaly from the country".

(19) Cuban coast guard shoots and kills Orlando Formes in the open sea where 
he was attempting to scape with his pregnant wife and his 3 year old son.

(20) Prisoners infected with AIDS riot in prison (Combinado del Este) and were 
subsequently isolated and starved to death.

(21) Families cannot visit prisoners.

(22) Joel Matos was shot point bland in the arm for distributing religious 
pamphlets in front of the San Lazaro church.

(23) A security guard shoot and kills Orelvis Martinez for eating sugar that 
had dropped from a railroad car and fallen to the track.

(24) Jose Ocampo was taken to the police for being involved in a bycycle 
accident.  He is orderd to lie on the floor and was hit on the head.  He asked 
why  they were hitting him, tried to get up, was shot in the chest and died in 
the Hospital.

(25) Javier Nogueira was cuaught eating mangoes and taken to prison where he 
was beated.  Aparently his femur was broken and prison doctors asked to treat 
him.  Treatment was denied and his is now rippled.

(26) Silvio Yanes was on a hunger strike in prison while enjoying a 30 year 
sentence for having tried to escape from Cuba in a boat.  He is forced fed and 
is chained to his bed in his wet prison cell.

(27) Francisco Diaz died in  prison after medical attention was denied to him. 
He was ill from neumonia and after bangin the bars asking for help, guards 
proceeded to beat him in the chest.

(28) Felipe Timoneda was taken into custody and three days later his family is 
told he died of an epilepsy attack.  The family was given a body full of 
bruises broken boned and with a hole in the chest.

(29) Lazaro Gutierrez was killed in a labor camp after being beaten while 
chained for havng visited his family and violated his house arrest in search 
of food.

(30) Political prisoner Alain Hermida  was killed in prison afer being beaten 
by guards while handcuffed with his hand in the back.

(31) Felipe Achin was detained for a "labor dispute" and a few days later was 
pronunced deat.  Autopsy reports dying from internal injuries to vital organs 
which had been squashed by the beating.

(32) Rodolfo Gomez, while undergoing a 4 year prison sentence for trying to 
"escape" from Cuba died of an ulcer attack in spite of his leas for medical 
help.

(33) Alfredo Diaz, age 67 was accused of "enemy propaganda" in spite of having 
no hard evidence.  While in prison the 67 year old Dias was subjected to 
hearing taped voiced of family members to make him believe they were also 
imprisoned.  He went on a hunger strike and died a few weeks later.

The report goes on and on...

Is this the government Harel Brazilai, Jose Otero, Jose Camacho, David 
Sangurima, Alberto Pinkas and others defend so much and apologize for it on 
account of having "worse" regimes in Central America??  Is this the government 
that the Freedom Caravan Organizers defend so much???  It seemsFidel Castro 
has had a busy 1992 with the help of the U.S. left and their foreign cronies.  
These criminals against humanity will have to prosecuted some day, and when 
that day comes these victims will become the unknown heroes of Cuba under 
Castro.  On the day of liberation I will personally send flowers to Cuba for 
their rememberance.

Edelmiro.