Presentación de Libro: “El Hundimiento del Remolcador 13 de Marzo” por Jorge A. García

This event is in Spanish, but if you want to learn more about this topic in English then visit here for information on the sinking of the "13 de Marzo" tugboat massacre of July 13, 1994 off the coast of Havana by agents of the Castro regime. This is not an isolated incident but part of the Castro regime's pattern of repression which also includes an act of international state terrorism in which three U.S. citizens and one resident were extrajudicially executed on the Castro brothers' orders. Below is the invite to event and an interview with the author from 2009 and excerpts from the event on January 19, 2017.

El Instituto de Estudios Cubanos y Cubanos-Americanos

Anuncia la presentación del libro

“EL HUNDIMIENTO DEL REMOLCADOR 13 DE MARZO”

por

Jorge A. García

                                   

El 13 de julio de 1994, García Más Jorge Andrés (nombre en Cuba) pierde 14 familiares en el hundimiento del remolcador 13 de marzo. Hecho criminal cometido por el régimen cubano, a siete millas del litoral habanero, donde mueren infinidad de niños, madres y personas inocentes, ahogados en el mar. Desde entonces, García comienza a investigar el hecho por su cuenta y logra en unión de sus colaboradores, hacer entrevistas y obtener fotos que evidencian la naturaleza criminal del suceso. El fruto de este trabajo de terreno por las calles de La Habana, queda atrapado en las páginas de lo que en principio se bautiza bajo el nombre de “SOS a siete millas del litoral”, más tarde denominado “El hundimiento del remolcador 13 de marzo”.

PRESENTACIÓN:   Carlos Alberto Montaner, periodista y escritor, autor de numerosos libros.  Su columna periodística aparece semanalmente en docenas de publicaciones de Europa, América Latina y Estados Unidos.  Carlos Alberto es investigador asociado a ICCAS.
                   

AUTOR:   Jorge A. Garcia, es autor de numerosos libros, entre ellos “Un grito de amor” poemario romántico, ganador del Premio Nacional de Cuento con la obra Operación Secuestro, La Habana 1997; Premio de Ensayo con la obra, Un jubileo por los Derechos, esbozo y reflexiones y Convocatoria por el 50 aniversario de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos, 1er lugar Cuba 1998.  Ya en Miami trabaja en la radio “La Voz de la Fundación” como locutor y guionista de programas especiales en el área digital; en “La Poderosa” programa Medicina, Arte y Cultura junto al Dr. Omar Vento; y en Radio Paz programa “Así es mi Cuba”. Actualmente, García conduce su programa “Íntimamente” en un espacio radial, de 24 horas en Online, de la emisora global Ivoox.com..  También colabora con instituciones literarias y participa de Concursos en distintos países donde gana algunas menciones.   

FECHA: Jueves 19 de enero, 2017
                6:30 Recepción
                7:00 p.m. Presentación


LUGAR: Casa Bacardi
                 Instituto de Estudios Cubanos  y Cubano-Americanos
                 Universidad de Miami,
                 1531 Brescia Avenida,
                 Coral Gables, FL  33146

RSVP:     Para reservar llamar al Instituto al
                 (305) 284-CUBA (2822).
                 Capacidad limitada.

Amnesty International Urgent Action Update on Danilo Maldonado Machado (‘El Sexto’)

Imprisoned since November 26, 2016 for writing "He's gone" on a wall in Havana

URGENT ACTION

graffiti artist still in maximum-security prison

By Amnesty International

Cuban graffiti artist Danilo Maldonado Machado (‘El Sexto’) continues to be detained in a maximum-security prison, a month and a half after his arrest. He is a prisoner of conscience who must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Danilo Maldonado Machado (also known as ‘El Sexto’) continues to be detained in El Combinado del Este, a maximum-security prison on the outskirts of Havana, the capital, and has now been detained for a month and half.  Amnesty International has not had access to Cuban jails since 1988. According to news reports, El Combinado del Este is a high-security prison, where convicted murderers and political prisoners being punished for their political views are traditionally held.

Danilo Maldonado was arrested at his home in Havana the morning of 26 November 2016, hours after the announcement of Fidel Castro’s death. That same day, Cuba-based newspaper 14 y medio reported that he had graffitied the words “He’s gone” (Se fue) on a wall in Havana.

According to his relatives who last visited him on 10 January 2017, Danilo Maldonado is suffering from frequent asthma attacks due to the damp in the prison. His family had difficulties getting an asthma preventer inhaler through security. When Danilo Maldonado sought medical attention he was given pills which made him feel worse and was forced to sign a document that he was not allowed to read, according to family. On 13 January, Danilo Maldonado called his relatives in a conversation that lasted around a minute, and said a rumour was going around in the prison that “they are going to shoot me” (me van a fusilar). His family say they do not know the source of the rumour, if Danilo Maldonado is having an emotional reaction to being detained, or if he has received a direct threat. According to his relatives, members of his family and friends have been questioned by the police since they filed for his immediate release on 29 December.

Danilo Maldonado’s family understand he has been accused of damage to state property but have not seen official documents specifying these charges. His lawyer filed for his immediate release on 29 December.

Please write immediately in Spanish or your own language:

• Calling on the authorities to release Danilo Maldonado Machado (‘El Sexto’) immediately and unconditionally, as he is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression;
• Calling on them to guarantee the peaceful right to freedom of expression, assembly and association including for dissident, opponent or activist voices and to repeal all legislation which unduly limits these rights;
• Urging them to ensure that, pending his release, he is provided with any medical care which he may require, in particular if he refrains to eat; that he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated; and that he is granted regular access to family and lawyers of his choosing.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 27 FEBRUARY 2017 TO:

President of the Republic

Raúl Castro Ruz    

Presidente de la República de Cuba

La Habana, Cuba                                  

Fax: +41 22 758 9431 (Cuba Office in Geneva); +1 212 779 1697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)

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

Salutation: Your Excellency

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/ Señor Fiscal General

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

Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation          

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the third update of UA 273/16. Further information: www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr25/5301/2016/en/

URGENT ACTION

graffiti artist still in maximum-security prison

Additional Information

On 20 October 2015, Danilo Maldonado Machado was released after spending almost 10 months in prison without trial following accusations of “aggravated contempt”. Amnesty International considered him a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression (see: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr25/2710/2015/en/).

Danilo Maldonado Machado was accused of “aggravated contempt” after being arrested on 25 December 2014 for transporting two pigs with the names “Raúl” and “Fidel” painted on them, which he intended to release in an art show in Havana’s Central Park. He was never formally charged nor brought before a court during the almost 10 months he spent in detention.

Name: Danilo Maldonado Machado, also known as ‘El Sexto’ Gender m/f: m

Further information on UA: 273/16 Index: AMR 25/5509/2017 Issue Date: 16 January 2017

PDF formats in English https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr25/5509/2017/en/ and Spanish https://www.amnesty.org/es/documents/amr25/5509/2017/es/

 

The Madness of the Obama Administration: Sharing law enforcement information with an outlaw regime

A counterproductive agreement

The Office of the Spokesperson at the U.S. Department of State issued a statement that "On January 16, the United States and Cuba signed a bilateral Law Enforcement Memorandum of Understanding to deepen law enforcement cooperation and information sharing." Let that sink in for a moment. The United States is sharing law enforcement information with an outlaw regime that in the span of the past four years has been exposed: smuggling tons of heavy weapons to North Korea and Colombia in violation of international sanctions; acquiring a U.S. hellfire missile then refusing to return it to the U.S. for over a year; linked to drug smuggling in Venezuela and a shipment of cocaine intercepted at the Panama Canal;  and was only taken off the list of state terror sponsors in 2015 because of the Obama Administration's normalization drive.

Cocaine shipment on Cuban ship camouflaged among tanks of molasses 

Despite all this the Obama Administration has agreed that "under this memorandum, the United States and Cuba will continue the Law Enforcement Dialogue process, which includes technical exchanges on specific law enforcement issues of mutual concern such as counternarcotics, money laundering, fraud and human smuggling, and counterterrorism."

Sadly, human trafficking experts have called out the Obama Administration and the State Department for watering down its human trafficking report for political reasons in order to give Cuba a better score than it actually warrants.

To say that sharing law enforcement information is counterproductive at best is an understatement. January 20th can't come fast enough.

Update on Cuban opposition MCL leader Eduardo Cardet Concepción imprisoned since November 30, 2016

Update on the plight of political prisoners Eduardo Cardet

Imprisoned opposition leader: Dr. Eduardo Cardet Concepción

Regis Iglesias Ramirez is a Cuban political and civil society activist and a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience. He is currently the spokesman of the Christian Liberation Movement. This past Sunday, January 15, 2017 he sat down and gave a brief interview on the plight of  Eduardo Cardet Concepción, the national coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement. The interview is in Spanish but a summary of the information provided is reproduced below in English.

Eduardo Cardet Concepción was born in Holguin, Cuba on October 25, 1968. He is a Cuban physician, politician, and national coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL). He joined the MCL, one of the most important opposition groups in Cuba, then headed by Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas in the early 2000s.  Eduardo was an active participant in various MCL initiatives aimed at achieving a nonviolent transition in Cuba to democracy. He was a manager of the Varela Project, the Heredia Project, The Peoples Path and  One Cuban, One Vote. Cardet held various responsibilities within the organization and was a member of the movement's coordinating council.  Eduardo was appointed Vice-President of the Christian Democratic Organization of America (ODCA) on August 23, 2013.

Following the extrajudicial killing of Oswaldo Payá  and Harold Cepero on July 22, 2012, the Christian Liberation Movement restructured its leadership and Eduardo Cardet was appointed national coordinator of the movement in November of 2014.

Due to his opposition activity Eduardo Cardet has been arbitrarily detained on several occasions. The last time he was taken prisoner by the Cuban political police was on November 30, 2016, shortly after the death of Fidel Castro. The MCL has denounced that on that occasion he was also badly beaten by Castro's state security agents. The beatings continued following his arrest in the detention center. Eduardo was taken to prison on December 7, 2016, pending a trial with a fabricated charge by the Castro regime to end his work as national coordinator of the  Christian Liberation Movement.

Eduardo Cardet is married with two children, works as a family doctor at the health center in the town of Velasco in Holguín province, where he lives. One year before his appointment as leader of the Christian Liberation Movement he was expelled from his work in retaliation for his opposition activity. However, protests over this punishment measure and popular support led to Eduardo Cardet's reinstatement to his old job.

Christian Liberation Movement: Regis Iglesias, Tony Díaz Sánchez, Eduardo Cardet

Ronald Reagan's remarks on signing the bill making Martin Luther King Jr's birthday a national holiday

"America is a more democratic nation, a more just nation, a more peaceful nation because Martin Luther King, Jr., became her preeminent nonviolent commander." - President Ronald Reagan, 11/2/83

Remarks on Signing the Bill Making the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., a National Holiday

November 2, 1983


The President. Mrs. King, members of the King family, distinguished Members of the Congress, ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, I'm very pleased to welcome you to the White House, the home that belongs to all of us, the American people.

When I was thinking of the contributions to our country of the man that we're honoring today, a passage attributed to the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier comes to mind. "Each crisis brings its word and deed." In America, in the fifties and sixties, one of the important crises we faced was racial discrimination. The man whose words and deeds in that crisis stirred our nation to the very depths of its soul was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King was born in 1929 in an America where, because of the color of their skin, nearly 1 in 10 lived lives that were separate and unequal. Most black Americans were taught in segregated schools. Across the country, too many could find only poor jobs, toiling for low wages. They were refused entry into hotels and restaurants, made to use separate facilities. In a nation that proclaimed liberty and justice for all, too many black Americans were living with neither.

In one city, a rule required all blacks to sit in the rear of public buses. But in 1955, when a brave woman named Rosa Parks was told to move to the back of the bus, she said, "No." A young minister in a local Baptist church, Martin Luther King, then organized a boycott of the bus company—a boycott that stunned the country. Within 6 months the courts had ruled the segregation of public transportation unconstitutional.

Dr. King had awakened something strong and true, a sense that true justice must be colorblind, and that among white and black Americans, as he put it, "Their destiny is tied up with our destiny, and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom; we cannot walk alone."

In the years after the bus boycott, Dr. King made equality of rights his life's work. Across the country, he organized boycotts, rallies, and marches. Often he was beaten, imprisoned, but he never stopped teaching nonviolence. "Work with the faith", he told his followers, "that unearned suffering is redemptive." In 1964 Dr. King became the youngest man in history to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. King's work brought him to this city often. And in one sweltering August day in 1963, he addressed a quarter of a million people at the Lincoln Memorial. If American history grows from two centuries to twenty, his words that day will never be forgotten. "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

In 1968 Martin Luther King was gunned down by a brutal assassin, his life cut short at the age of 39. But those 39 short years had changed America forever. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had guaranteed all Americans equal use of public accommodations, equal access to programs financed by Federal funds, and the right to compete for employment on the sole basis of individual merit. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 had made certain that from then on black Americans would get to vote. But most important, there was not just a change of law; there was a change of heart. The conscience of America had been touched. Across the land, people had begun to treat each other not as blacks and whites, but as fellow Americans.

And since Dr. King's death, his father, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., and his wife, Coretta King, have eloquently and forcefully carried on his work. Also his family have joined in that cause.

Now our nation has decided to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by setting aside a day each year to remember him and the just cause he stood for. We've made historic strides since Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus. As a democratic people, we can take pride in the knowledge that we Americans recognized a grave injustice and took action to correct it. And we should remember that in far too many countries, people like Dr. King never have the opportunity to speak out at all.

But traces of bigotry still mar America. So, each year on Martin Luther King Day, let us not only recall Dr. King, but rededicate ourselves to the Commandments he believed in and sought to live every day: Thou shall love thy God with all thy heart, and thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. And I just have to believe that all of us—if all of us, young and old, Republicans and Democrats, do all we can to live up to those Commandments, then we will see the day when Dr. King's dream comes true, and in his words, "All of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, '... land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'"

Thank you, God bless you, and I will sign it.

Mrs. King. Thank you, Mr. President, Vice President Bush, Majority Leader Baker and the distinguished congressional and senatorial delegations, and other representatives who've gathered here, and friends.

All right-thinking people, all right-thinking Americans are joined in spirit with us this day as the highest recognition which this nation gives is bestowed upon Martin Luther King, Jr., one who also was the recipient of the highest recognition which the world bestows, the Nobel Peace Prize.

In his own life's example, he symbolized what was right about America, what was noblest and best, what human beings have pursued since the beginning of history. He loved unconditionally. He was in constant pursuit of truth, and when he discovered it, he embraced it. His nonviolent campaigns brought about redemption, reconciliation, and justice. He taught us that only peaceful means can bring about peaceful ends, that our goal was to create the love community.

America is a more democratic nation, a more just nation, a more peaceful nation because Martin Luther King, Jr., became her preeminent nonviolent commander.

Martin Luther King, Jr., and his spirit live within all of us. Thank God for the blessing of his life and his leadership and his commitment. What manner of man was this? May we make ourselves worthy to carry on his dream and create the love community. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 11:06 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White House.

As enacted, H.R. 3706 is Public Law 98-144, approved November 2.





Sources:

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=40708

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/13/archives-president-reagan-designates-martin-luther-king-jr-day-federal-holiday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oEt0P-056s