International Human Rights Day in Cuba is the Castro Regime's Day to Target Human Rights Defenders

We cannot celebrate Human Rights Day here in Cuba. We can't because they repress us and beat us. Right now there's an act of repudiation in front of the Ladies in White headquarters." - Bertha Soler, Lady in White, The Associated Press, December 9, 2011 

Today is International Human Rights Day in Cuba and over the past several years it has been a day in which the regime in Cuba does not celebrate human rights but carries out systematic and nationwide acts of repression to impede Cuban nationals from observing and celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. It is a day when human rights defenders are specially targeted in order to silence and terrorize them, but it starts before that.

According to independent journalist Robert Guerra in a tweet published on December 4, 2014 state security agents arrested activists in order to threaten them for organizing activities on December 10th.


Today at 11:00am EST in Havana, Cuba the Ladies in White have announced that a human rights activity will be held on L and 23. In years passed the Castro regime has organized violent acts of repression to stop activists from peacefully assembling and exercising that fundamental right: the right to assembly.

2014 saw the Castro regime working hard both inside and outside of the United Nations to defend one of the few regimes in the world with a worse human rights record then Cuba's: North Korea. In March of 2014 a United Nations report confirmed that the dictatorship in Cuba had violated international sanctions smuggling weapons to North Korea that included rockets and MiG jet fighters hidden under bags of sugar. At the United Nations General Assembly the Cuban dictatorship worked hard to defend the regime in North Korea leading the fight to to block, the regime's referral to the International Criminal Court for its gross and systematic human rights violations. Thankfully the Castro regime failed on this occasion.

Cuba wasn't always this way. 63 years ago Cuban diplomats representing a democratic Cuba assisted in the drafting and passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR). Despite the claims of the dictatorship in Havana, the UNDHR is a document profoundly influenced by the Latin American tradition.

Sonia Garro Alfonso and Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González

Amidst the dreary news this year there is one positive item: Yesterday, December 9, 2014 Sonia Garro and her husband Ramon Alejandro Muñoz were released from their arbitrary detention after being unjustly imprisoned for 2 years, 8 months, and 22 days. They are now under house arrest.

Amnesty International reported on July 18, 2012 that "Lady in White Sonia Garro Alfonso, and her husband, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González, were arrested at their home in Havana [on March 18, 2012]: around 50 police forced their way into the house and fired rubber bullets at them. According to her sister, Sonia Garro Alfonso was wounded in the foot by one of these bullets." The same document revealed that "Sonia Garro Alfonso was suffering a kidney problem before her arrest that may require surgery. "

Elaine Muñoz Garro

Sonia Garro Alfonso and her husband should never have been arrested, much less arbitrarily detained over these past 997 days. The human cost of the dictatorship is difficult to measure but take into account that Sonia and Ramón have a young daughter who has not been able to live with her parents for all this time. Her name is Elaine Muñoz Garro and she is also a victim of the Castro regime's tyranny.

All eyes on Cuba today. Human rights defenders, pro-democracy activists and independent civil society need your solidarity and vigilance.

Protests for the freedom of Sonia Garro in Cuba and New York City

"Opponents of freedom would like us to believe that our choices when facing conflict are to use violence in which they have superior capacity or do nothing, history shows there is a more powerful alternative." - Jamila Raqib in the Oslo Freedom Forum 2014

Protest in front of the Cuba mission in New York City

The Cuban dictatorship had scheduled a trial for Sonia Garro Alfonso and Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González for October 21, 2014 and for the third time suspended it. This may have had to do with the mobilization of activists inside and outside of Cuba.  Dozens of Ladies in White were arrested to prevent them attending demonstrations in support of Sonia Garro, but the demonstrations went on any way. In New York City, Sara Marta Fonseca organized a demonstration outside of the Cuban mission demanding Sonia's release.

Ladies in White demonstrating their support for Sonia Garro and her husband

Lady in White Sonia Garro Alfonso, and her husband, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González, have been imprisoned since March 18, 2012 when 50 police officers forced their way into their home firing rubber bullets at them and wounding Sonia in the foot with one of the bullets. This attack and arrest took place around the time Pope Benedict was visiting Cuba.

Less than two years earlier while taking part in a march on October 7, 2010 at 23rd Avenue in Havana with a makeshift banner that read: "Down With Racism and Long Live Human Rights" she was detained by police for seven hours and badly beaten. Sonia Garro Alfonso suffered a fracture of the nasal septum and other injuries reported by EFE.
  

Sonia Garro Alfonso jailed since March 18, 2012

March 18: A day of historic significance in Cuba

"Eleven years since the Cuban Spring and the witch hunt by state security against the heroes of the Varela Project." - Rosa Maria Payá Acevedo, March 18, 2014

"Cuba also marks 11 years of the 2003 Black Spring. My thoughts today are with those who paid the ultimate price: their lives." - Iván Hernández Carrillo, March 18, 2014


As Venezuelan democrats observe the one month mark of the imprisonment of Leopoldo Lopez and denounce the murder of students such as Anthony Rojas, their Cuban counterparts are also observing today March 18, an important date for a number of reasons.

Democrats the world over should also take into account the importance of  March 18 inside of Cuba. It was 11 years ago today that 100 activists were arbitrarily detained and sentenced up to 28 years in prison for their nonviolent dissent. Many of them were Project Varela activists. The crackdown became known as the Black Cuban Spring.

Imprisoned arbitrarily since March 18, 2012

 At the same time, today marks two years that Sonia Garro Alfonso and her husband Ramón Alejandro Muñoz have been arbitrarily detained in Cuba. They are political prisoners. In Cuba nonviolent dissent is punishable by up to 28 years in prison as was demonstrated in the Cuban Black Spring. Amnesty International recognized the individuals rounded up in March of 2003 as prisoners of conscience. What saved this activists from serving out their sentence was the emergence of the Ladies in White, Cuban women who took to the streets in protest demanding their loved ones freedom.

If the people of Venezuela fail to restore their civil liberties and fundamental freedoms this is what they have to look forward to.

Sonia Garro and the cost of Castro's repression

Sonia Garro Alfonso arbitrarily detained since 3/18/12

Amnesty International reported on July 18, 2012 that "Lady in White Sonia Garro Alfonso, and her husband, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González, were arrested at their home in Havana [on March 18, 2012]: around 50 police forced their way into the house and fired rubber bullets at them. According to her sister, Sonia Garro Alfonso was wounded in the foot by one of these bullets." In the same document it is revealed that "Sonia Garro Alfonso was suffering a kidney problem before her arrest that may require surgery. "

Sonia Garro Alfonso after 2010 assault

She has also been a victim of political violence at the hands of state security agents when she took part in a march on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 23rd Avenue in Havana with a sheet with the inscription "Down With Racism & Long Live Human Rights" when she was detained by police for seven hours where she was beaten. Sonia Garro Alfonso suffered a fracture of the nasal septum among other injuries reported by the EFE newswire.

Sonia Garro Alfonso and her husband should never have been arrested, much less arbitrarily detained over these past eight months. The human cost of the dictatorship is difficult to measure but take into account that Sonia and Ramón have a young daughter who has not been able to live with her parents for all this time. Her name is Elaine Muñoz Garro and she is also a victim of the Castro regime.

Elaine Muñoz Garro

Amnesty International: Activists must be allowed to mark anniversary of Cuban leader's death unhindered

11 October 2012

Cuba: Activists must be allowed to mark anniversary of leader’s death unhindered

by Amnesty International

Laura Inés Pollán Toledo:  February 13, 1948 – October 14, 2011

The Cuban authorities must allow a group of local activists known as the Ladies in White to commemorate freely the first anniversary of the death of their leader Laura Pollán on 14 October in Havana, Amnesty International said today.

Laura Pollán died of cardio-respiratory arrest on 14 October 2011.

The activists – who will be traveling from across the country - plan to attend mass at the Church of Santa Rita in Havana and carry out a silent march. “Given the Cuban authorities’ shameful record when it comes to the treatment of human rights activists, we are concerned for the safety of the Ladies in White as they commemorate the anniversary of the death of one of their members,” said Javier Zúñiga Mejía Borja, Special Advisor for Regional Programmes at Amnesty International.

“Our request is simple: the Cuban authorities must ensure that the Ladies in White and other activists in the country can express themselves freely.”

Members of the Ladies in White have been subjected to a permanent campaign of intimidation, harassment and short term detentions to stop them from peacefully campaigning for the release of political prisoners and greater civil and political freedoms in Cuba.

On 20 September around 50 members of the group were arrested as they travelled to Havana to participate in activities to celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Mercy (Virgen de la Merced) and in memory of late political activists.

They were held for several days before being released without charge. Various members of the Ladies in White based in the capital also received intimidating notes aimed at discouraging them from taking part in activities.

On 17 March, 18 Ladies in White were arrested during a peaceful demonstration on the ninth anniversary of a crackdown on dissidence which led to the imprisonment of 75 government critics.

All were released except for Niurka Luque Álvarez, who was released on 5 October pending trial on charges of “violence or intimidation” against a state official (“atentado”).

On 18 March, Lady in White Sonia Garro Alfonso, and her husband, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González, were detained at their home in Havana when around 50 police forced their way into the house and fired rubber bullets at them. They remain in prison without charge.

In February this year, authorities in Cuba prevented members of the Ladies in White from reaching the group’s headquarters to attend an event in memory of the second anniversary of the death of activist Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who died on hunger strike in protest at his unfair incarceration.

Those who had already congregated inside remained there for nearly 48 hours as they feared they would be arrested if they tried to leave.

“We are all peaceful women, we have the right to walk on the streets of our country and campaign for the freedom of all political prisoners and for greater freedoms in Cuba,” said Berta Soler, spokesperson for the Ladies in White.

Background information 

The organization Ladies in White was formed by a group of female relatives of the 75 prisoners of conscience who were imprisoned in March 2003 for their peaceful expression of critical opinions of the government.

The group attends mass every Sunday in the capital, Havana, dressed in white, to pray for the release of their relatives. Afterwards they take part in a procession from the church to a nearby park, carrying white flowers.

Following the release of all the prisoners of conscience from the March 2003 crackdown, the Ladies in White have been campaigning for the release of other political prisoners and for the lifting of restrictions on fundamental civil and political freedoms in Cuba.

Laura Pollán died of cardio-respiratory arrest on 14 October 2011. Her husband, Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez, was one of 75 individuals arrested and sentenced during a crackdown against peaceful dissidents in 2003, all of whom Amnesty International adopted as prisoners of conscience.

Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in March 2003 and conditionally released on 12 February 2011.

AI Index: PRE01/487/2012

AI Index: PRE01/487/2012

Amnesty International: Protesters held without charge since March 2012

Two Ladies in White and the husband of one them has been unjustly imprisoned since March 2012 and Amnesty International has issued an urgent action on their behalf.

Document - Cuba: Protesters detained without charge

UA: 215/12 Index: AMR 25/018/2012 Cuba Date: 18 July 2012

URGENT ACTION 

 

PROTESTERS DETAINED WITHOUT CHARGE

 

Ladies in White Niurka Luque Álvarez and Sonia Garro Alfonso, and Sonia’s husband Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González, are believed to have been detained without charge since March.

On 17 March in the Cuban capital, Havana, the Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco) were demonstrating peacefully to commemorate the anniversary of the 2003 crackdown on dissidents, when 18 of them were arrested and taken to police stations across the city. All but Niurka Luque Álvarez, were released a few hours later.

The following day, Lady in White Sonia Garro Alfonso, and her husband, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González, were arrested at their home in Havana: around 50 police forced their way into the house and fired rubber bullets at them. According to her sister, Sonia Garro Alfonso was wounded in the foot by one of these bullets.

Since then the two women have been sent to various detention centres, and are now held in Guatao women's prison in the outskirts of Havana. Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González is being held in Havana's Combinado del Este prison. Both women are reported to be in poor health. Sonia Garro Alfonso was suffering a kidney problem before her arrest that may require surgery. According to her daughter, Niurka Luque Álvarez regularly suffers epileptic fits. The women are allowed visits every week, and Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González every two weeks.

Although all three have access to a lawyer, it is not clear what they have been charged with. Relatives told Amnesty International that the authorities have accused Sonia Garro Alfonso of attempted murder and public disorder, but none of them has been formally charged. They have yet to be told if or when they will be put on trial. They think they were arrested because of the visit of the Pope Benedict XVI to Cuba in March 2012 and their activism with the Ladies in White, and that it is intended to intimidate other government critics. 

Niurka Luque Álvarez

Please write immediately in Spanish or your own language:

Calling on the authorities to charge Niurka Luque Álvarez, Sonia Garro Alfonso and Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González with internationally recognizable criminal offences or release them immediately;
Asking them to ensure that anyone charged is given a fair trial in compliance with international standards;
Urging them to cease immediately the harassment and intimidation of Ladies in White and other citizens who peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association.

 

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 29 AUGUST 2012 TO:

Head of State and Government

Raúl Castro Ruz

Presidente de la República de Cuba

La Habana, Cuba

Fax: +53 7 83 33 085 (via Foreign Ministry)

+1 212 779 1697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)

Email: cuba@un.int (c/o Cuban Mission to UN)

 

Salutation: Your Excellency

Interior Minister

General Abelardo Colomé Ibarra

Ministro del Interior y Prisiones

Ministerio del Interior, Plaza de la Revolución, La Habana, Cuba

Fax: +1 212 779 1697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)

Email: correominint@mn.mn.co.cu 

Salutation: Your Excellency

And copies to:

Attorney General

Dr. Darío Delgado Cura

Fiscal General de la República, Fiscalía General de la República, Amistad 552, e/Monte y Estrella, Centro Habana

La Habana, Cuba

 

Salutation: Dear Attorney General

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. 

Sonia Garro Alfonso, and Sonia’s husband Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González

URGENT ACTION

PROTESTERS DETAINED WITHOUT CHARGE

Additional Information

The Ladies in White were commemorating on 17 March 2012 the anniversary of the 2003 Black Spring (Primavera Negra). In 2003, over several days, the Cuban authorities arrested 75 men and women for their peaceful expression of critical opinions of the government. They were subjected to summary trials and were sentenced to prison terms of up to 28 years. Amnesty International declared the 75 convicted dissidents to be prisoners of conscience, and the last of them was released in April 2011.


The Ladies in White were formed at that time as the group of female relatives of the 75 prisoners of conscience. After their releases in 2011, the Ladies in White continued their activity of campaigning for the release of remaining political prisoners and for the lifting of restrictions on fundamental civil and political freedoms in Cuba. Members of the organization have been repeatedly prevented from meeting for any purpose, including to attend mass on Sundays.


Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba from 28-30 March 2012, and celebrated open air masses in the city of Santiago de Cuba and the capital, Havana, and held meetings with the leaders of the Cuban Catholic Church and the Cuban authorities. Government critics had hoped the Pope’s visit might herald an opening on the part of the Cuban authorities, but instead they were subjected to further repression. Over 200 government critics were apparently detained during the Pope's visit, and many others held under house arrest, with the express purpose of preventing them from traveling to attend the masses and take part in protest activities.





Names: Niurka Luque Álvarez (f), Sonia Garro Alfonso (f), Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González (m)
Gender m/f: both

UA: 215/12 Index: AMR 25/018/2012 Issue Date: 18 July 2012

https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/018/2012/en/85eb4df9-e340-41f6-90a9-46dfcbb5e2c3/amr250182012en.html