Synopsis of a Report Detailing the first Semester of 2011 in 5 Cuban Provinces / Luis Felipe Rojas

Photo by Jose W. Camejo

*This report was born here, where the accredited Cuban agencies never visit and where the orders of the General (‘the streets belonging to the revolutionaries‘) are upheld through beatings, detainments, and prison bars. With the political and economic crisis plaguing the country, the Cuban government has implemented new measures which go directly against the lives of Cubans. This situation has given rise to massive discontent against the government’s politics. However, the current context has been planned by the governmental authorities who have held a tight grip on the half a century long political model.

The solution of the militants has been the increased repression within society in order to avoid the accumulation of open criticism which would endanger the stability of the country. This is why the government has applied a heightened level of repression against independent civil society, and as consequence there are more detainments of multiple dissidents, beatings of protestors in the streets, acts of mob repudiation, threats against the relatives of dissidents, restrictions of movement for activists within the national territory, deportations, harassment of activists, and forced house arrests in order to impede public civic activities in the streets.

The outcome of this abusive system has brought the death of another dissident, this time in a public park during the month of May. His name was Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia. This death was even mentioned through the very own words of General Raul Castro when he came out on television and authorized the repression against those who do not agree with socialism.

It is not dismissible, and we warn, with time, that there will be other possible victims of Castro’s system. The mob repudiation attacks continues as a practice of the government implemented in order to try and frighten the human rights activists and the opposition. These actions constitute a highly dangerous factor, for it endangers the lives of civilians and defenseless people, among them children, women, and the elderly.

These photos are the most recent proof. It occurred on Sunday, July 17th. Various women went to the sanctuary of El Cobre to attend mass. Upon concluding mass, the women carried out a silent march through the streets with their gladiolus in hand. Such an act scared the regime so much that beatings were indiscriminately carried out against the women. This time they were not detained and taken to a police unit because they had to be taken to the hospital first.

Photos taken by Jose W. Camejo

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*Translator’s note: The ‘report’ Luis Felipe mentions is the mid-annual report of human rights abuses and repression which have occurred in Cuba for 2011, and which has been published on the blog of the Eastern Democratic Alliance, “El Palenque“. In the report, one can notice the increase of violence and attacks against the Cuban people during 2011.

Translated by Raul G.

20 July 2011