Is Cuba ready to come in from the cold?

Is Cuba ready to come in from the cold?
14 April 2015, 17:44 UTC
By Robin Guittard, Caribbean Campaigner at Amnesty International

The Cuban government marked a historic first in Panama over the weekend,
as the Caribbean island's President, Raúl Castro, joined leaders from
around the region at the Summit of the Americas. Despite all the past
wounds and ongoing tensions, all 35 countries sat down together for the
first time.

To understand the significance of this moment, it is important to look
back and take stock of the progress Cuba and the region as a whole have
made. In 1962, during a meeting in Uruguay, the Organization of American
States (OAS), which held this weekend's Summit, decided to kick Cuba out
of the regional club after Fidel Castro and his followers led a
revolution to seize power in the Caribbean nation.

Amid the height of Cold War tensions, the OAS bluntly stated its
rationale for such a drastic decision: "The present Government of Cuba,
which has officially identified itself as a Marxist-Leninist government,
is incompatible with the principles and objectives of the Inter-American
system."

At the time, military juntas were mushrooming up across the continent,
making it hard to believe that human rights, freedoms and dignity drove
this regional decision. Over the coming decades, from Cuba's Caribbean
neighbours Haiti and the Dominican Republic, to Central America, to the
Southern Cone, the Americas saw some of its most horrific governments.
But for much of this time, Cuba alone was singled out as a pariah.

"Despite being historic, President Castro's recent trip to Panama was an
opportunity not to dwell on the past, but rather to ask what comes next
for the Cuban people."
Robin Guittard, Caribbean Campaigner at Amnesty International

"Despite being historic, President Castro's recent trip to Panama was an
opportunity not to dwell on the past, but rather to ask what comes next
for the Cuban people.

What does the future hold? This is perhaps one of the constant questions
that Ciro Alexis Casanova Pérez asks himself from his prison cell in
Villa Clara province in central Cuba. Amnesty International recently
named him the latest in a long line of prisoners of conscience on the
island, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his legitimate
rights to freedom of expression and demonstration.

A dissident activist, Ciro was arrested in June 2014 while on his way to
his father's house to celebrate Fathers' Day. Last December he was found
guilty of "public disorder" and sentenced to a year in prison. His
crime: holding a peaceful one-man demonstration against the Cuban
government in the streets of his hometown, Placetas. He is now counting
the days until his release in June.

"In today's Cuba, it remains virtually impossible for anyone to
peacefully express ideas opposing the Cuban government."
Robin Guittard

In today's Cuba, it remains virtually impossible for anyone to
peacefully express ideas opposing the Cuban government. All media are
under the strict control of the state, as are unions. Despite the
subsequent release of dozens of political prisoners early this year,
short-term arrests and harassment of political dissidents and human
rights activists remain a troubling reality on the island.

The harassment of dissidents sometimes takes the form of acts of
repudiation (actos de repudio). These acts are government-coordinated
demonstrations, usually carried out in front of the homes of political
opponents. During an act of repudiation, political opponents and human
rights activists are subjected to verbal and physical abuse by groups of
people chanting pro-government slogans.

The leaders of the OAS should press Cuba to improve its human rights
record. Governments across the region need to drive home the message
that, even if Cuba is inching its way back into the political fold of
the OAS, it should be complemented by adhering to the Inter-American
human rights system.

Through its bodies – the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and
the Inter-American Court of Human Rights – this regional system has
formed a crucial element to complement the human rights protections
provided by national bodies in the Americas. Over the years, thousands
of victims of human rights violations and their families throughout the
continent have found their last hope for justice in these regional
courts after being denied it at the national level.

Working within this system, Cuba's government could send the world a
message it now welcomes accountability, transparency, and independent
monitoring. But so far the message it has been sending is a very
different one. Last month when the Inter-American Commission held a
hearing on Cuba's human rights record, the seats reserved for the Cuban
government delegation remained empty, just like in previous hearings.

"Last month when the Inter-American Commission held a hearing on Cuba's
human rights record, the seats reserved for the Cuban government
delegation remained empty, just like in previous hearings."
Robin Guittard

This conspicuous absence speaks volumes about Cuba's ongoing
unwillingness to be held to the same degree of scrutiny as its peers
across the Americas.

For a country to defend its human rights record, it must be accountable
to the Inter-American system. A good way to start showing this would be
for Cuba to free Ciro Alexis Casanova Pérez immediately and
unconditionally, and to make sure he is the last Cuban prisoner of
conscience. The time has come to ensure that all opinions can finally be
peacefully expressed on the island.

Source: Is Cuba ready to come in from the cold? | Amnesty International
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https://www.amnesty.org/en/articles/blogs/2015/04/cuba-summit-of-the-americas/