14ymedio, Havana, 3 May 2018 — The prohibition on leaving the country in force against numerous dissidents and activists of independent civil society, in addition to the 330 arbitrary arrests and 66 cases of harassment are the most relevant data reported in the April report of the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) for the month of April.
The NGO, based in Havana, points out that despite the fact that most of the dissidents detained for “purely political reasons” were released a few hours after their arrest, there are at least 10 cases of individuals who remain imprisoned “under inhumane conditions.”
The organization also denounces that the activists Nieves González and Lázaro García were convicted and are in a high security prison “on the pretext that they had failed to pay arbitrary fines imposed by the secret political police.”
The Commission’s report emphasizes acts of harassment aimed at “maintaining an atmosphere of intimidation” and wearing down dissidents and their families. The CCDHRN recognizes that there are no internal or external conditions for the current government to feel pressured to accept “the need for democratic reforms” and to respect “international standards on human rights.”
The organization does not believe that there are grounds to expect improvements in the situation of civil and political rights “as a result of the recent name changes in the formal power structures in Cuba while all the reins of real power remain in the hands of General Raúl Castro.”
The monthly and annual reports of the CCDHRN serve various institutions as a barometer of the repression index on the Island. In its dossier for the year 2017 the organization reported at least 5,155 arrests. The lowest figure reported by the organization was for the year 2011, with 4,123 arrests for political reasons.
In March of this year, the CCDHRN denounced the harassment of one of its members, Amanda Durán Dalmau, who was twice summoned by the political police, who threatened her with prison if she did not give up her work promoting human rights on the island.
____________________
The 14ymedio team is committed to serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time by becoming a member of 14ymedio. Together we can continue to transform journalism in Cuba.
