MOUNTING GOC PRESSURE ON CIVIL SOCIETY

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000178

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2019
TAGS: CU PGOV PHUM PINR
SUBJECT: MOUNTING GOC PRESSURE ON CIVIL SOCIETY

REF: A. HAVANA 150

B. HAVANA 153

C. 2008 HAVANA 835

Classified By: COM Jonathan Farrar for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Concurrent with changes in leadership
(reftels) the GOC appears to be tightening its ongoing crack
down on dissident and other civil society activity.
Traditional opposition groups, an emerging civil society
leader, and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transvestite)
activists have all reported increased harassment from MinInt
and law enforcement agents. Tactics have included: arrests,
short-term detentions, interrogations, threats, travel
prohibitions, and general physical and psychological
intimidation. Reports from civil society members have been
widespread and consistent, but no unifying theory has emerged
to explain the rise of this new wave of repression.

Traditional Opposition Groups


2. (C) The Damas de Blanco (or "Ladies in White") and their
supporters report that they have been the victims of overt
repression as they organize six days of activities from March
17-22, memorializing the sixth anniversary of the "Black
Spring," (i.e., the 2003 GOC crackdown on dissidents).
MinInt agents or local police have detained various members
of the group in order to prevent their participation in Damas
meetings and activities; other members have been unable to
attend events because their houses were surrounded by MinInt
agents. Before their usual Sunday activities on March 8,
2009 (the same day the official Federation of Cuban Women
concluded its national congress in preparation for the
proposed Communist Party congress later his year),two Damas
supporters were detained and three were prevented from
leaving their houses by the presence of MinInt agents outside
their doors; another was detained when she returned home that
afternoon following the Damas activities. One Dama has been
arbitrarily detained three times in the past month for
anywhere from a few hours to an entire day; another was
detained briefly and threatened with 6-20 years of
imprisonment if she continues to support the Damas; a third
active supporter and prominent independent journalist was
ordered to appear at her neighborhood tribunal court on March
20th, in order, she believes, to weaken the Damas' numbers
during their week of activities.


3. (C) One of the leading Damas, Laura Pollan, dates the
current wave of repression back to mid-February, when fifteen
Damas gathered in peaceful protest outside the hospital where
a prominent political prisoner was receiving treatment, and
were quickly gathered up by police and shoved into a police
van. Pollan noted that State pressure on the Damas has not
only increased, but has also become more physically abusive,
with numerous Damas having been shoved or manhandled while
being taken into custody or rounded up. She had also heard
reports that the GOC has been preparing the women and the
youth of the Communist Party to engage in "actos de repudio"
against the Damas during their various events this week.


4. (U) Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello has produced two press
releases in the past week citing similar pressure on members
of the opposition umbrella organization Agenda para la
Transicion, as the group led up to a major meeting on
Wednesday, March 11, 2009. At least eight Agenda members
were detained throughout three provinces and prevented from
attending the Agenda meeting; State Security also prevented
at least five others from attending the meeting by
surrounding the meeting site. One, a member of the
Coordinating Board, was "reminded" by State Security that he
was out of jail on conditional parole and could be sent back
to prison for attending.


5. (C) The above typify the types of repression being
reported to USINT from numerous opposition group members.
Detentions have generally lasted anywhere from a few hours to
a day, and have included seemingly low-level interrogations
about opposition activities as well as mild physical abuse
(manhandling, etc.). Detainees have been threatened with
long-term incarceration, and told that if they continue to
support opposition groups, their family members will also
suffer adverse consequences at work or in school.

Civil Society Leaders


6. (C) Lilvio Fernandez Luis, an emerging dissident leader,
was arrested and held at Villa Marista (MinInt's detention
center) for approximately 44 hours in early March. President
of the Comision Martiana de Atencin al Presidio Politico en
Cuba, Fernandez focuses on raising awareness of political
prisoners and providing them and their families aid such as
clothing, books and medicine. (Note: While Fernandez has
personal connections to the opposition leadership, he
operates outside the traditional opposition orbit
politically.)


7. (C) Although MinInt informed Fernandez that he was being
arrested for having accepted and distributed written
materials from a Miami exile group, he was detained just two
hours after hosting a Comision meeting at his house that
brought together former prisoners, family members of current
political prisoners, and two USINT officials. Fernandez was
held in solitary confinement in a freezing room for almost
two days and was not allowed to sleep; he was interrogated 12
times about his work, his contacts with the international
community, and his connection to the USINT in particular.
His wife received hourly phone calls from a mysterious woman
inquiring as to his whereabouts, leading her to suspect him
of having an affair. Fernandez was offered numerous
incentives to become a mole for MinInt and claims to have
rejected each offer. He was told that if he continued his
work, he would be given a lengthy jail sentence.


8. (C) Independent journalists have also been targeted for
short-term detentions over the past two months. Five
journalists were detained on January 15th in conjunction with
the USINT graduation ceremony marking completion of their
training course with Florida International University (FIU).
A new FIU course has begun and one or more participants
routinely are stopped and detained after leaving USINT.

LGBT Activists


9. (C) Two homosexual university students and LGBT
activists told USINT that in the past month, law enforcement
has been targeting the LGBT community more aggressively than
normal. Public gatherings of homosexuals are being
forcefully disbanded by the police, while heterosexual
gatherings in the same park or block are left undisturbed.
Police also recently chased three well-known transvestites
from "their normal street," eventually catching one of the
three, who was apparently beaten badly while in police
custody. The activists noted that while discrimination
against the LGBT community is common in Cuba, law enforcement
has seemed demonstrably more hostile towards the community in
the past month.


10. (C) COMMENT: The practices described above are common
MinInt or law enforcement tactics when dealing with all of
civil society, and the GOC has been pursuing them more
actively since the fall 2008 hurricanes. However our
contacts are reporting even more intense application of
repressive measures in the last few weeks. Authorities are
intimidating and harassing not only leaders but also minor
participants in opposition movements, while simultaneously
targeting marginalized but apolitical social groups. This
strategy seems to reflect a current GOC preference for
destabilizing opposition or other "dissident" movements
through broad, low-level repression tactics that maximize
operational benefits while minimizing international political
costs.


11. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: All the civil society members we
have spoken to say that the past month brought a particularly
harsh crackdown, which has intensified in the past two weeks.
Notably, most civil society members claim that the crackdown
is a result of the GOC being "scared" (note: to be exact,
nearly all use the phrase "tiene miedo") ) although the
theories as to why the GOC is "scared" vary. Some say that,
between the election of President Obama and the promises of
change made by President Raul Castro, average Cubans had
heightened expectations for improvements to daily life that
have now been dashed, breeding resentment within a
disenchanted and increasingly poor populace. Others say that
President Raul Castro is "militarizing" all aspects of
society in order to compensate for his lack of popular
support and the threat of popular dissent. Laura Pollan said
that the State was cracking down on the Damas in particular
because they are the most visible dissident group on the
international stage. The LGBT activists said that the State
was cracking down on "everything" in order to divert popular
speculation away from the cabinet shake-up and direct it
toward more personal problems like the break-up of a social
event, or a friend's detention.


12. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: The current crackdown could
also be explained away simply. The Damas are on the eve of a
well-publicized six day event which will suffer if their
numbers are diminished; Agenda para la Transicion had made
gains in unifying numerous opposition groups and held a large
meeting in an attempt to solidify those gains; Lilvio
Fernandez Luis has had increasing contact with the USINT and
had just held a large, successful meeting at his house; the
LGBT community is often harassed, and that harassment has
traditionally come in waves. Unsurprisingly, the true
reasons behind this crackdown remain a conundrum.












FARRAR