EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 88/390

(2004/C 88 E/0396)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2199/03

by Marco Pannella (NI) to the Commission

(27 June 2003)

Subject: Imprisonment in Cuba, in inhuman and degrading conditions, of 75 opposition figures sentenced by show trial in April 2003, and the particular case of Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello

Knowing that:

— in Cuba in April 2003, 75 opposition figures (intellectuals and independent journalists) received sentences following a show trial;

— human Rights Watch has said that the only crime committed by these prisoners was to promote ideas which are forbidden in Cuba;

— the one woman member of this group is Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello (aged 58), the director of the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists named after Manuel Sánchez Herrero. She is also a writer, economist and political activist;

— martha Beatriz Roque Cabello was sentenced to 27 years' imprisonment and is being kept under a maximum-security regime in the Manto Negro jail, in a windowless, 1,5 m by 3 m cell infested by rodents and cockroaches, with only a hole for her personal necessities and the light permanently on, and is obliged to drink foul water;

— she is now suffering from severe rheumatic ailments and a stomach ulcer, and has high blood pressure; the entire left-hand side of her body is paralysed; since April, she has lost more than 14 kilos and has been denied proper medical care and the drugs needed for treatment;

— ms Roque Cabello is well known in Cuban dissident circles: in 2002 the New York Academy of Sciences awarded her the Human Rights for Scientists prize, and she has recently been declared a prisoner of conscience by a number of international organisations. Since the 1980s she has been a member of the Transnational Radical Party.

The Commission:

— is it aware of these facts? If so, what initiatives has it taken, or what initiatives does it intend to take, vis-à-vis the Cuban authorities to secure the release of the 75 prisoners or, at all events, to ensure that they are guaranteed conditions of imprisonment that are compatible with fundamental human rights;

— has it asked for the prisoners — and especially and immediately Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello — to be visited by a delegation from the EU and any other relevant and recognised international organisation? If not, when does it intend to do so?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2003)

The Commission is closely following the human rights situation in Cuba and the recent detention and sentencing of 75 dissidents and independent journalist in Cuba, including Martha Beatriz Roque, particularly through our Delegation in Havana.

The recent large-scale arrest of dissidents, the unfair trials and the arbitrary sentences imposed on them have had a prompt, firm and sustained reaction from the Union. The Commission has fully and actively supported the actions that have been taken in this context.

The Union has strongly condemned such arrests in two declarations published on 26 March 2003 and 5 June 2003, followed in each case by a formal démarche in Havana, calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners. In its declaration and démarche of 5 June 2003, the Union also appealed to the Cuban authorities that, in the meantime, the prisoners do not suffer unduly and are not exposed to inhumane treatment.

The Union has decided a series of political sanctions against Cuba, including limits to high-level visits and an early re-evaluation of the Union common position.

The Commission considered on 30 April 2003, that the examination of the Cuban request for membership of the Cotonou Agreement should be delayed, signalling that these recent developments are not conducive to furthering cooperation between the Union and Cuba. The Cuban authorities decided on 16 May 2003 to withdraw their application to accede to the Cotonou Agreement.

Through these actions, the Cuban authorities have been made aware that detentions on political grounds are not acceptable and that the Union urges the release of all prisoners held due to their opinions or political activities. In this context, we will certainly bring the case of Martha Beatriz Roque to the attention of the Cuban authorities, and will follow this matter closely, exerting continued political pressure on the Cuban authorities.