U.S.-Cuba relations improve, but Castro keeps beating dissidents

U.S.-Cuba relations improve, but Castro keeps beating dissidents
BY FABIOLA SANTIAGO
fsantiago@MiamiHerald.com

A Cuban-American who visits family and friends on the island every year
—and shares her experiences with me — told me shortly after the
remarkable turnaround in U.S.-Cuba policy that what she appreciated
about my columns was that they're not "saccharine but reality-based."

"I'm way out of sugar on the Cuban topic," I found myself answering her.

Six months after the historic announcement, that feels all the more
true. The fast pace of change calls for more facts, not emotions — and
although the latter are plentiful on all sides of this new day in
Cuba-U.S relations, people need less rhetoric and more real information
about where all this is headed. The currency should be truth and not
emotional manipulation.

That's why I see the opening of embassies in Havana and Washington D.C.
with pragmatism.

That's why I continue to take note of the Cuban government's
human-rights abuses with horror but can continue to hope (note that the
word is not "think") that opening up — shining the light of democratic
principles — is the way forward.

But it does take a strong stomach to digest the Cuba news feed.

One day, U.S. and Cuban diplomats exchange letters pledging to resume
diplomatic relations and open embassies, and on his end, Cuban leader
Raul Castro agrees to abide by the United Nations Charter and Vienna
Convention, and I quote from his letter, "promoting and encouraging
respect for human rights and fundamental freedom for all."

Three days later, his thugs beat up and arrest dissidents in Havana.

This is not an isolated incident under question, but an act of violence
available to anyone who cares to see the photo and video of Antonio
Rodiles widely circulating on the Internet, posted by activists from his
civic project Estado de Sats.

Under the noses of ordinary American visitors enjoying their newly
minted legal status in Havana, and in the light of a modern-connected
world, Rodiles, one of Cuba's peaceful dissident leaders — a man of
intellectual eloquence on civil rights — was shackled and shoved into a
state security car where he was punched, his nose broken, blood gushing
all over his shirt.

He was one of almost 100 dissidents arrested and beaten by Cuban police
in Havana for joining the Ladies in White on their weekly walk after
church to ask for the release of Cubans jailed for exercising universal
rights that the Cuban government denies them.

The abuse, however, shouldn't come as a surprise.

On June 25, while engaged in historic negotiations to restore diplomatic
relations, the State Department singled out Cuba as a serial
human-rights abuser in its annual worldwide report.

"Engagement is not the same thing as endorsement," said Tom Malinowski,
assistant secretary of democracy, human rights and labor, explaining why
the Obama administration could condemn and engage in the same breath.
"Our opening to Cuba... was designed because we felt that the new policy
is better suited to promoting human rights in Cuba than the old policy.
We very firmly believe that in the long run... this is going to put us
in a much stronger position to promote human rights and to stand by
civil society on the island."

Was the report, which also called out Iran, blasted all over social
media by the warring factions on U.S.-Cuba policy?

Not at all. It didn't fit anyone's agenda in a world seemingly more
transparent than ever, but missing nuance, reality checks and facts.

In the cacophony of ready-made, knee-jerk opinions delivered with a
clever conceptual hashtag, Castro can get away with an empty pledge on
paper and blunt oppression.

All a State Department spokesman would say Tuesday is that the
administration is "concerned" and would remain "vocal and very candid"
about rights abuses, but would not delay the process of normalizing
relations.

Operating under the veil of diplomacy has been the hallmark of this process.

The State Department is willing to discuss timelines and procedural
details with the diplomatic press corps, but no significant information
about all that has been negotiated with the Cuban government has been
revealed. The information is not even available to journalists covering
the story — and that's part of the problem. Information is lacking, but
everyone's opining.

Hard not to, when, if we were to measure the U.S. perks delivered to the
Cuban government against the freedoms gained by the Cuban people, Castro
appears to be on the winning end of the strategy.

How else could beatings and arrests be followed by news that the largest
cruise ship company in the world —– South Florida-based Carnival — has
been licensed by the U.S. government to ferry hordes of tourists to Cuba
by 2016?

No matter how one dresses it up, cruising is the most frivolous way to
travel — and the small print in this deal is filled with restrictions
for tourists that can only benefit the Cuban government.

But no, I don't feel betrayed by President Obama. No, I don't feel
jubilant about the new state of relations either. There's not enough
information to approve or condemn, and, as in the days of detente, no
crystal ball.

All I know is that I'm all out of sugar.

Source: Fabiola Santiago: U.S.-Cuba relations improve, but Castro keeps
beating dissidents | Miami Herald Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article26696947.html