Obama Invites Cuban Dissidents to Washington

Obama Invites Cuban Dissidents to Washington
November 20, 2013
Fernando Ravsberg*

Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet accompanies his wife to the airport in Havana
from where she flew directly to Miami . Photo: Raquel Perez
HAVANA TIMES — Cuban dissident Oscar Elias Biscet and his wife, Elsa
Morejon, were invited by President Barack Obama to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the establishment of the Medal for Freedom, issued
directly by the White House.

Dr. Biscet received this award in 2007, issued by then-President George
W. Bush, something that, according to the dissident, "sent a strong
message to the Castro dictatorship because I was in prison and that
accelerated the process of my release."

However, only Elsa could travel to Washington. Oscar, released in 2010,
was one of the few political prisoners who wanted to stay in Cuba and
now is subject to the "Provisional release" clause, a kind of probation
that prevents you from leaving the country.

The invitation to Biscet and his wife adds to the meeting Obama recently
held with Cuban dissidents Guillermo Fariñas and Berta Soler, during a
fundraising dinner in Miami, where he voiced that things are changing in
Cuba.

Biscet without permission to travel

"The event will be held today at the White House and all those who have
received this medal awarded by the US government are expected to attend,
but my husband did not receive permission to leave Cuba," said Elsa
Morejon shortly before leaving for Miami.

The wife of the opposition leader said she intended to "inform president
Obama of the lack of freedom that exists in my country and the situation
of political prisoners." However when asked how many there are she said
that "there are many and those who were freed in 2010 can't travel."

That year the government of Raul Castro set free all prisoners of
conscience, most of them chose to go to Spain with their families, only
a dozen decided to stay in Cuba, on probation, one of them is Dr. Oscar
Elias Biscet.

The 12 former prisoners attempted to unify the opposition but their
efforts were unsuccessful, the leaders of the different organizations
never agreed and dissent has continued fragmented into small groups to
the present.

In the doldrums

In the interview, Dr. Oscar E. Biscet said "that the contact (from
Washington) with the dissidents is a message of solidarity being sent by
the US president, as did President Bush, who awarded me the Medal of
Freedom in 2007."

Biscet, released in 2010, was one of the few who decided to stay in Cuba
on probation to try to unify the dissent. Photo: Raquel Perez
However, the opponent does not share the view that there are changes in
Cuba, recently expressed by Obama in Miami. "What we have is a process
of improving its communism, they are changes within the dictatorship,"
he said.

Dr. Biscet thanked "the president for this gesture to two simple
citizens," and asked that "this visit serve to make a deep analysis of
the situation in Cuba and to generate direct support, firm and decisive
to our people."

However, all the support of Washington has been unable to prevent
dissidents from being at a low point as to their social influence,
something recognized by Jonathan Farrar, the former US Interests Section
chief, in his cables to the State Department from Havana, revealed later
by Wikileaks.

The ways of the Lord …

Nobody knows for sure why Obama initiates contacts with Cuban
dissidents. It could be framed within the campaign to raise funds but
the recognition of changes on the island makes it harder to understand
the direction that policy towards Cuba might take.

In making the atmosphere even more strange, Washington sent its
diplomatic mission in Havana an open message – that could be read by the
Cuban government – with the names of US organizations and beneficiaries
in Cuba of a multi-million-dollar project to support dissidents.

For his part, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that he supports
eliminating the travel restrictions to the island for US citizens and
reaffirmed that "we are encouraged by some changes that are occurring in
Cuba", although he qualified himself by talking about "the authoritarian
situation faced by Cubans."

The atmosphere causes such uncertainty that some dissidents seem
concerned. Guillermo Fariñas and Berta Soler asked Barack Obama in Miami
to not leave out the opposition if he should start negotiations with the
Cuban government.
—–
(*) Visit Fernando Ravsberg's blog in Spanish.

Source: "Obama Invites Cuban Dissidents to Washington - Havana
Times.org" - http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=100181