Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08HAVANA574
2008-07-18 20:46:00
CONFIDENTIAL
US Interests Section Havana
Cable title:
HUMAN RIGHTS ROUND-UP, JULY 5- JULY 18
how-toVZCZCXRO1307 OO RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHMT RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC DE RUEHUB #0574 2002046 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 182046Z JUL 08 FM USINT HAVANA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3526 INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS IMMEDIATE RUCOGCA/NAVSTA GUANTANAMO BAY CU IMMEDIATE RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMDIATE RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RUCOWCV/CCGDSEVEN MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3527
C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000574
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR WHA/CCA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2017
TAGS: CU PGOV PHUM PINR PREL
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS ROUND-UP, JULY 5- JULY 18
Classified By: COM: Jonathan Farrar For reasons 1.4 b/d
C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000574
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR WHA/CCA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2017
TAGS: CU PGOV PHUM PINR PREL
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS ROUND-UP, JULY 5- JULY 18
Classified By: COM: Jonathan Farrar For reasons 1.4 b/d
1. (SBU) LARGE SCALE DETENTIONS TO STOP COMMEMORATIONS OF
TUGBOAT SINKING. Noted dissident leader, Francisco Chavianao,
asked for official permission to hold in Havana a
demonstration commemorating the sinking on July 13, 1994 of
the tugboat 13 de Marzo. (Several individuals had seized the
boat hoping to commandeer it to the US. Forty-two people
drowned when a Cuban patrol boat deliberately rammed the
vessel. At 6:00 PM on July 12 state security forces picked
up Chaviano and held him at a police station until 4:00 PM on
July 13. Human rights groups reported that police detained
on July 12 at least five other activists in the Havana area
who were planning on attending the demonstration. There were
also reports of four people detained in Guatanamo overnight
to prevent them from organizing a local demonstrations.
Police stopped on the highway in Santiago de las Vegas eight
dissidents and detained them for several hours. Dissidents
also reported that security forces prohibited activists in
Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Pinar del Rio from leaving their
homes. On July 13 police in San Juan y Martinez, Province of
Pinar del Rio stopped and detained for five hours five people
who were marching to throw flowers in the river. Despite
widespread efforts by police and security forces to prevent
any demonstrations, small commemorations took place in Villa
Clara, Sancti Spiritus, Holguin and Havana, although in the
case of Havana it appears that protesters only quickly threw
a floral wreath into the harbor. All of those detained have
been released without charges.
2. (C) POLITICAL PRISONER GIVEN A 48 HOUR PASS. On July 3
prison officials in Santiago de Cuba gave Luis Milan
Fernandez, one of the 75 dissidents jailed in a massive
crackdown in 2003, a 48 hour pass to visit his family. This
is the first time this has been known to have been granted to
one of the "75'ers" in the absence of a family emergency,
such as the funeral of a close family member. Laura Pollan,
spokesperson for the organization, Damas de Blanco, told
poloff in her opinion this was due to the fact that the
family of Milan never has had anything to do with Damas de
Blanco. Pollan feels that this is a deliberate attempt by
the government to spread the message that families will be
rewarded for staying away from the Damas and their protest
activities.
3. (SBU) INDEPENDENT LIBRARY RAIDED. Nereyda Rodriguez
Rivero of Campo Florida, Province of Havana, who had
participated on November 27, 2007 in a video-conference with
first Lady Laura Bush, reported during the first week of July
that police confiscated all the materials in her independent
library.
FARRAR
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR WHA/CCA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2017
TAGS: CU PGOV PHUM PINR PREL
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS ROUND-UP, JULY 5- JULY 18
Classified By: COM: Jonathan Farrar For reasons 1.4 b/d
1. (SBU) LARGE SCALE DETENTIONS TO STOP COMMEMORATIONS OF
TUGBOAT SINKING. Noted dissident leader, Francisco Chavianao,
asked for official permission to hold in Havana a
demonstration commemorating the sinking on July 13, 1994 of
the tugboat 13 de Marzo. (Several individuals had seized the
boat hoping to commandeer it to the US. Forty-two people
drowned when a Cuban patrol boat deliberately rammed the
vessel. At 6:00 PM on July 12 state security forces picked
up Chaviano and held him at a police station until 4:00 PM on
July 13. Human rights groups reported that police detained
on July 12 at least five other activists in the Havana area
who were planning on attending the demonstration. There were
also reports of four people detained in Guatanamo overnight
to prevent them from organizing a local demonstrations.
Police stopped on the highway in Santiago de las Vegas eight
dissidents and detained them for several hours. Dissidents
also reported that security forces prohibited activists in
Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Pinar del Rio from leaving their
homes. On July 13 police in San Juan y Martinez, Province of
Pinar del Rio stopped and detained for five hours five people
who were marching to throw flowers in the river. Despite
widespread efforts by police and security forces to prevent
any demonstrations, small commemorations took place in Villa
Clara, Sancti Spiritus, Holguin and Havana, although in the
case of Havana it appears that protesters only quickly threw
a floral wreath into the harbor. All of those detained have
been released without charges.
2. (C) POLITICAL PRISONER GIVEN A 48 HOUR PASS. On July 3
prison officials in Santiago de Cuba gave Luis Milan
Fernandez, one of the 75 dissidents jailed in a massive
crackdown in 2003, a 48 hour pass to visit his family. This
is the first time this has been known to have been granted to
one of the "75'ers" in the absence of a family emergency,
such as the funeral of a close family member. Laura Pollan,
spokesperson for the organization, Damas de Blanco, told
poloff in her opinion this was due to the fact that the
family of Milan never has had anything to do with Damas de
Blanco. Pollan feels that this is a deliberate attempt by
the government to spread the message that families will be
rewarded for staying away from the Damas and their protest
activities.
3. (SBU) INDEPENDENT LIBRARY RAIDED. Nereyda Rodriguez
Rivero of Campo Florida, Province of Havana, who had
participated on November 27, 2007 in a video-conference with
first Lady Laura Bush, reported during the first week of July
that police confiscated all the materials in her independent
library.
FARRAR