Resistance campaign "Yes, I do want" spreads in Cuba with marches, anti-government messages and other activities

Resistance Leader: Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez"

Cuba, July 3, 2013

by Assembly of the Cuban Resistance.  

Campaign "Yes, I do want, Republic of Cuba in Resistance" increases throughout the the Isle of Cuba, with the aim to mobilize a citizen movement in support of civil resistance. The Assembly of the Resistance reports on the detailed information it has received from across the island about public protests, posters and other activities in support of the Campaign.

Placetas, public protest - Members of the Orlando Zapata Tamayo National Civic Resistance Front held a public protest on morning of July 2 in front of the monument to Jose Marti in that city. Demonstrators made known to the people the campaign "Yes, I do want", which advocates for the freedom of all citizens, and also highlight the situation of hunger striker Luis Enrique Santos Caballero. Demonstrators were from Havana, Villa Clara and Sancti Spiritus. Link to video: http://youtu.be/QwacXli92GE

In Placetas, Villa Clara province. Appearance of posters in support of the campaign - This Wednesday, June 26 appeared numerous signs with messages in favor of freedom and against the Castro dictatorship in the city of Placetas, Villa Clara. This greatly worries the political police, who tried to erase the messages. Opponents took to the streets to continue painting messages. Link to Audio: http://youtu.be/tPJMYniYWew

Catalina de Güines, Mayabeque Province. Activists embrace campaign and numerous posters in support of "Yes I do want" appear - According to the report received from Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez",  on the 1st of July, the delegation of the Human Rights Party of Cuba Affiliated with the Andrei Sakharov Foundation of Catalina de Güines joined in support of this campaign, appearing in that town anti-government posters that read: "Yes, I do cooperate with the resistance," " Yes, I do struggle for freedom ". Link to Audio: http://youtu.be/y1RSHWg4nbw

Cespedes, Camaguey Province. Support for Campaign - July 1, 2013. Members of Independent and Democratic Cuba (CID) of the municipality of Cespedes, also joined in support of the campaign according to the report of Jorge Luis García Pérez Antúnez. Link to Audio: http://youtu.be/y1RSHWg4nbw

City of Camagüey. Working meeting in support of the campaign - On June 29, several activists gathered in the city of Camagüey to create a new working partnership between the Central Opposition Coalition (CCO) and the Camagüey Unit, reports in this audio Damaris Moya Portieles, president of the CCO. The purpose of the meeting was to unify efforts to achieve the freedom of Cuba working on the campaign "Yes I do want". Link to Audio: http://youtu.be/63suckHWiCg

 The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance reaffirms its support for the internal resistance of Cuba and the campaign "Yes I do want, Republic of Cuba in resistance."

Cubazuela: The hunger strikes of Franklin Brito and Luis Enrique Santos

Former Cuban political prisoner Luis Enrique Santos Caballero evicted, humiliated and left homeless along with the rest of his family for political reasons in Cuba by State Security is slowly dying.  Luis Enrique began a hunger strike on May 24, 2013 demanding housing for him and his family. His health was compromised to begin with, he has only one kidney. He lost consciousness today and is said to be near death.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that such a case has drawn international attention. In Cuba the names of Pedro Luis Boitel and Orlando Zapata Tamayo are remembered as is Bobby Sands of Northern Ireland (who the Cuban dictatorship built a memorial to in Cuba) and Venezuela's Franklin Brito joined this select grouping that paid the ultimate price when engaging in a hunger strike on August 31, 2010. Unlike the other men mentioned above, Franklin was not in prison at the time of his hunger strike.

Franklin Brito was a farmer and a biologist whose land was expropriated by Hugo Chavez in 2000 according to CNN. Other news agencies place the date of expropriation anywhere between 2003 and 2004. He exhausted every recourse and was driven to the final option: the hunger strike in 2005
Brito began a series of hunger strikes that resulted in his death five years later.

On November 19, 2009 Franklin Brito in the midst of one of these hunger strikes, he explained what motivated him:

"I am not doing this strike for something material or because persons have behaved badly towards me - that one could say are corrupt. I am doing this strike for dignity and justice. I believe that these are the greatest values that a human being should have."

 Luis Enrique Santos Caballero like Franklin Brito is engaged in a hunger strike to defend his dignity and to demand justice for himself and his family. Both men are confronting regimes that claim to champion social and economic rights but in practice violate them as much as they violate civil and political rights. 

Sadly, as time passes the plight of the Cuban and Venezuelan peoples appears to become one. Let us pray that the struggle for dignity in the face of tyranny does not claim another casualty with Luis Enrique today as it did with Franklin Brito on August 31, 2010.