Remembering the Black Cuban Spring, the failure of the UN Human Rights Council, and the legacy today

 Remembering the Black Cuban Spring, the long winter, and the future spring

2003 - 2021 Spring will return

Eighteen years ago on March 18, 2003 a crackdown began in Cuba on the eve of the United States going to war in Iraq. Scores of Cuban dissidents were rounded up and subjected to political show trials. 75 were condemned to lengthy prison terms of up to 28 years in prison. This became known as the Black Cuban Spring. 

 

The majority of the imprisoned activists had participated in the Varela Project, a petition drive that called for a referendum under the terms of the Cuban Constitution on whether there should be more freedom of expression, an amnesty for political prisoners and a chance for ordinary citizens to own small businesses. 11,020 signatures had been turned in 10 months earlier on May 10, 2002. 

 

The regime responded with its own mandatory petition drive to make the Cuban Constitution unchangeable. 

 
The Economist in its December 14, 2005 issue published a conversation with Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas titled "An unsilenced voice for change" that outlined what had taken place:

Between 2001 and 2004, Mr Payá's movement gathered 25,000 signatures in a vain attempt to persuade Cuba's National Assembly to change the constitution to allow multi-party democracy. Activists of his Christian Liberation Movement made up more than two-thirds of the 75 dissidents and journalists rounded up and jailed for long terms in April 2003. [...] Spain is “complaisant” with Mr Castro's regime, Mr Payá says. “We need a campaign of support and solidarity with peaceful change in Cuba” of the kind that brought an end to apartheid in South Africa and to the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile.

It took over eight years, but the last of the group of the 75 were eventually released. Oswaldo was murdered along with the Christian Liberation Movement's youth leader Harold Cepero on July 22, 2012. His successor Eduardo Cardet was a prisoner of conscience from November 30, 2016 through September 3, 2019. He was jailed for giving a frank assessment of Fidel Castro's legacy following his death on November 25, 2016.

11,020 Varela Project signatures turned in on May 20, 2002

On April 2, 2003 three young black men were arrested, tried and executed by firing squad nine days later on April 11, 2003 for trying to flee the island in a hijacked ferry, in which no one had been physically harmed. This drew worldwide condemnation at the time, and became known as Cuba's Black Spring, but it did not prevent the end of the mandate for monitoring human rights violations in Cuba in a backroom deal for the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council on March 15, 2006.

Fifteen years ago the United Nations Human Rights Council was founded on a small moral compromise that sacrificed human rights oversight in Belarus and Cuba in what U.N. officials called the dawn of a new era. Special rapporteurs with mandates to specifically monitor the human rights situation in those two countries were formally gotten rid of in 2007 and a code of conduct established that undermined the independence of all special rapporteurs.

Ending oversight of Belarus and Cuba not only left the victims of these dictatorships exposed to more repression, with impunity by their oppressors, but emboldened these dictatorships not only to worsen their practices at home but to undermine human rights abroad. Worse yet, both would be elected to serve on the UN Human Rights Council with other outlaw regimes.

These failings have real world consequences.

UN Human Rights Council member 🇨🇺 Cuba gives speech justifying genocide by UN Human Rights Council member 🇨🇳 China. On behalf of 64 countries.

We urged 🇪🇺 European Union & member states to oppose the election of China & Cuba to the UNHRC. They did nothing. This is the result. pic.twitter.com/y4ktdGH3nJ

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) March 12, 2021

Cuba led the charge to back up China's new security law for Hong Kong that strips citizens of Hong Kong of their human rights last year. On July 1, 2020 the Cuban dictatorship introduced a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council praising China for passing the Hong Kong National Security Law, also known as the 66 article law. 53 governments backed this resolution, endorsing the death of a free Hong Kong. Official Chinese media "celebrated" their victory at the human rights body. Belarus has also continued to back the new security law at international forums.

In spite of Cuba's terrible human rights record at home, and leading the charge to back China stripping Hong Kongers of their rights the Castro regime was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council on October 12, 2020 with 170 out of a possible 192 votes at the General Assembly.

This did not improve Havana's behavior.

"Cuba, speaking on behalf of 64 countries including China [on March 12, 2021], said Xinjiang is 'an inseparable part of China' and urged states to 'stop interfering in China’s internal affairs by manipulating Xinjiang-related issues, (and) refrain from making unfounded allegations against China out of political motivations'." These countries led by the Castro regime are defending an ongoing genocide. 

Over the past 15 years the world has entered a long winter when it comes to human rights.

Spring will return to Cuba, but the struggle continues today in 2021 and the failures of solidarity by the international community with free Cuban is having a negative impact on human rights globally as the Castro regime backs the end of a free Hong Kong, and defends genocide in Xinjiang.

Union activist, journalist arbitrarily detained, beaten up and denied high blood pressure medication

A man of conscience whose life is in danger

Detained & beaten up labor union activist, journalist Iván Hernández Carrillo

 Iván Hernández Carrillo returned to Cuba on July 31, 2016 and was retained at the airport,  beaten up and had medication for his high blood pressure confiscated. He is both an independent labor union activist and journalist. In Cuba, under the Castro dictatorship, this makes him a target of repression. Below is an account of what took place beginning this past Sunday.

Estoy en aeropuerto d Habana #Cuba. Los agentes d Castro quieren abrir y registrar mis maletas. Me tienen q matar primero para robarme algo.

— Iván Hdez Carrillo (@ivanlibre) July 31, 2016

On July 31, 2016 at 10:25am an ominous tweet appeared stating "I'm in Havana Cuba's airport. Castro agents want to open and search my bags. They'll have to kill me first to steal something." This would be his last tweet as this blog entry is being prepared on August 2, 2016 at 1:00am.

However his plight would be reported over other twitter accounts that would reference Lady in White Asunción Carrillo and Iván Hernández Carrillo's mom who was demanding that her son be freed and the he be given his blood pressure medication. Another former prisoner of conscience would deliver a writ of habeus corpus demanding Iván's immediate release.

@ivanlibre fue arrastrado y pateado n aeropuerto y llevado a estacion policial d Stgo. d ls Vegas @RosaMariaPaya @karenonmarti @MVallejoTV

— CUBADECIDE (@CUBADECIDE) July 31, 2016

At 6:38pm on July 31, 2016 Cuba Decide reported that Iván Hernández Carrillo had been dragged and kicked at the airport and taken to the police station Santiago de Vegas.

"Todo tiene consecuencias, lo q yo hago pero lo q uds. hacen tambien" Ivan Hernandez Carrillo le dijo a sus represores @RosaMariaPaya @OLPL

— CUBADECIDE (@CUBADECIDE) July 31, 2016

Eight minutes later Cuba Decide generated another tweet quoting the Cuban activist who explained to the repressive forces of the Castro regime:  "Everything has consequences, what I do but also what you do."

Asuncion Carrillo @sucy2011 madre de @ivanlibre continua insistiendo para que entreguen medicamentos para control d presion alta a Ivan.

— CUBADECIDE (@CUBADECIDE) August 1, 2016

On August 1, 2016 at 1:38pm Cuba Decide reported that his mom, Asuncion Carrillo, @sucy2011 continues insisting they give Iván his medication for high blood pressure.

En l mañana d hoy Felix Navarro entrego n la Fiscalia Prov. d Habana 1 recurso legal d Habeas Corpus n el caso de @ivanlibre @RosaMariaPaya

— CUBADECIDE (@CUBADECIDE) August 1, 2016

Later that same day Cuba Decide tweeted above that "this morning Felix Navarro gave Havana's Provincial Prosecutor a writ of Habeas Corpus in the case of Iván Hernández Carrillo."

 The International Group for Corporate Social Responsiblity in Cuba published an article yesterday reporting that his mom made known on Monday that agents from the police station where her son is being held informed her that they had turned in Ivan's case file to the prosecutor and that he would remain detained 3 to 7 days to determine charges. During the day, an official told her that Iván could be accused of "disrespect" for refusing to have his belongings searched. 

Iván Hernández Carrillois a former prisoner of conscience who on two occasions was jailed for his dissenting views and has been detained for short periods on numerous occasions, and frequently harassed by the Castro dictatorship.

The first time was in 1992 when he was sentenced to two years in prison for "enemy propaganda" and "disrespect for the figure of Fidel Castro." The second time was eleven years later in what became known as the Black Spring on March 18, 2003 he was arbitrarily detained, subjected to a political show trial and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Iván was freed nearly eight years later on February 19, 2011 after sustained campaigns for his release from prison both internally and internationally.

Iván has broken important stories over the years and provided a historical context to where Cuba is today, this blog has also followed his activism in and out of prison over the past seven years. It was an honor to finally meet him on July 6, 2016 in Miami, Florida.

 My prayers and thoughts are with him and his family in these difficult hours.  Please spread the word to others concerning his plight and use the hashtags #FreeIvánHernándezCarrillo and #LibertadParaIvánHernándezCarrillo.

Amnesty International Statement on Black Cuban Spring 10th Anniversary

AI Index: AMR 25/003/2013
15 March 2013

10 years on from crackdown on dissidence, fundamental freedoms still lacking in Cuba

On 18 March 2003, a group of 75 political dissidents were detained across Cuba in an unprecedented crackdown on spurious charges related to state security and, following summary trials, they were sentenced to long prison terms of up to 28 years.

They were subsequently declared prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International as they had been imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of fundamental freedoms.

In July 2010, following the intervention of the Cuban Catholic Church, the Cuban authorities agreed to release those of the 75 who remained in prison. However, the majority of them were forced into exile in Spain.

Those who refused to leave Cuba were kept in prison until early 2011. Although they were allowed to remain on the island their release was conditional - their prison sentences hang over them even though they are no longer confined.

Their release has not heralded a change in human rights policy in Cuba. The authorities remain determined to contain government critics with new tactics, including intimidation, harassment, multiple short-term detentions and restrictions on movement to stop them from carrying out their activities or as retaliation.

In spite of recent changes to the migration law which makes travel abroad easier for Cubans, the Cuban government continues to maintain a swathe of laws aimed at preventing political dissidents and human rights defenders from exercising their freedom of expression, association and assembly Amnesty International has been monitoring the human rights situation in Cuba for decades.

Experts from the organization are available to comment on the 10th anniversary of the crackdown and the current human rights situation on the island. We can also facilitate contact with former Cuban prisoners of conscience who were detained in March 2003’s crackdown on political dissidence.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Juan I. Cortes - Press Officer for the Americas
Email: JuanIgnacio.Cortes@amnesty.org
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 3036 5801
Mobile: +44 (0) 7956 612 329

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR25/003/2013/en