Solidarity with Cuban Political Prisoners ... NOW!

 

This is one of the easiest calls I will ever have to make as a Freedom Blogger.

Val Prieto at Babalú has challenged every blogger who wishes to demonstrate that he or she truly cares about human freedom and the just rights which should be accorded to all human beings to post this image on their sites to make a statement expressing their support for these rights and to call for solidarity with Cuba's political prisoners.  So what am I to do?

As I said it is a no-brainer.

I also want to post a video that Val has included in his post which drives home the reality of the current struggle for human rights in Cuba as waged by the Cubans themselves.  It is powerful, especially in the aftermath of the recent death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who we should all honor as one of the truest heroes of freedom ever to breath air on planet earth.  Orlando died from a hunger strike was killed by the Castro regime for his insistence upon an uncompromising stance on human freedom as defined by, well, freedom itself.  This gets most closely to true freedom of expression.  You will also see former Cuban political prisoner Guillermo Fariñas, who is well into his own hunger strike as he follows Orlando Zapata Tamayo, interviewed in the video clip below, which is narrated in English and contains subtitles where appropriate.



I will post an update to this blog entry tomorrow, when I return with a summary of some recent activity in the blogosphere on the issue of Cuba's political prisoners, which will contain some useful links to help those of you who may not have been paying close attention to catch up quickly.

StJacques

 

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Anti-Israeli Censorship in Spain: El Pais Closes "Stop Islamisation" Blog

I have not written much about the causes of freedom outside of Latin America, given that so much of my focus is fixated upon the threat I see closest to home, but I am going to take this moment to show my support for the preservation of Israel as a Jewish state and to dedicate this brief space within my blog to express my outrage at the closure of a pro-Israeli blog in Spain as an act of censorship by the daily newspaper El Pais.  I have only just learned of this development at the Martha Colmenares site and I am responding to her request for a show of support among bloggers everywhere to stand up and express their righteous outrage at the marginalization of pro-Israeli speech within a modern western European nation.

The issue at hand is the closure of the "Stop Islamisation" blog at the El Pais online community after the blog accepted a prize for showing "Solidarity with Israel."  It is an act of censorship which I regard as wholly unwarranted, given that there was no hateful speech, incitement to immoral conduct, or what could in any way be construed as a violation of the norms of conduct El Pais posts on its community site.  No; this was an act of silencing pro-Israeli speech within Spain and on the web.  That is an outrage.

By way of a personal note I wish to add, the "Stop Islamisation" movement in Europe represents a multi-national effort to oppose actions among Muslims residing on the continent to take advantage of the tolerant attitudes of a multi-cultural Europe to implement Sharia law within their communities, which frequently results in gross and overt violations of national law, constitutional rights, and what can only be described as human dignity.  Just check out the Google search returns on "Stop Islamisation" if you want an idea as to the extent of this popular response among Europeans.  It is widely-expressed speech that deserves its place within the popular consciousness.

I will choose another moment to make my own statement of my desire for continued American support for Israel, a cause I advocate wholeheartedly, whenever I have sufficient time to address the delicate points with the level of sensitivity the topic merits.

For now I stand by Israel and its supporters and I demand that their voices be heard.

StJacques
   

********************** UPDATE, Monday, October 13, 8:15 p.m. **********************

El Pais has closed a second blog on its site for showing solidarity with the "Stop Islamisation" blog.  According to a new entry up at the Martha Colmenares site, a second site for Pinceladas de Cuba (I have the blogspot.com site linked in my sidebar at the right) posted an entry with a show of support for "Stop Islamisation" and was also pulled down by El Pais.

I think it is time to state the obvious.  Since El Pais will not give an explanation for its conduct -- not that there is a sensible explanation that can be given -- and it takes further action against a second blog which only raises the issue of censorship, there are but three possible conclusions we can draw upon as explaining the conduct of El Pais:

1.  El Pais is Anti-Semitic.

2.  El Pais is Anti-Israeli.

3.  Both 1 and 2 are true.

The hatred of Anti-Semitism is returning to Europe and El Pais is at the forefront of this terrible new development for western civilization.

StJacques
   

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Human Rights Foundation Blasts Evo Morales for Promoting 'War' and 'Racial Hatred'

   

On numerous occasions over the past few years I have watched as many so-called "Human Rights Organizations" active in Latin America acted with near complicity to provide cover for leftist regimes, political movements, and even narco-guerrilla bands who repeatedly violated international human rights standards.  In order to diminish international public pressure to curtail the excesses of these leftist agitators, and therefore to provide a breathing space for the fulfillment of their political aims, many of these Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have betrayed the cause for which they ostensibly stand and have instead carried out a veiled program of concealment that places real support for human rights below that of a leftist-oriented political and cultural agenda.  Some of the best examples of this complicity can be seen in the actions and attitudes of NGOs towards the FARC in Colombia, though there are others.  In light of all this, I take pleasure in stating that the work of the Human Rights Foundation this year with respect to Latin America is a genuine breath of fresh air.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Human Rights Foundation is the real thing.

On August 9, I posted on the HRF's Tell Chavez campaign for the freedom of Venezuela's political prisoners, which is a worthwhile cause deserving of the support of lovers of freedom and democracy everywhere.  In that effort the HRF set themselves apart from many other NGOs in their decision to cut Chavez no slack for his repeated human rights abuses and political skullduggery.  The HRF also has been on top of recent events in Bolivia.  In January they released an almost-forgotten critique of the inclusion of clauses establishing the constitutional legitimacy of what is referred to as "communitarian justice" within the Oruro Draft of the proposed constitution Evo Morales and the MAS are promoting as I write.  If adopted, mob rule within some of the indigenous communities in Bolivia's west would become legal and we could expect to see crucifixions, lashing, corporal punishment, stoning and live burial of women for adultery, lynchings, and more become established constitutional practice under Bolivian law.  And the HRF can proudly take credit for assuming the lead role in publicizing the case of Ecuadoran dissident Guadalupe Llori, recently released from prison for false charges of terrorism, sabotage, and embezzlement.

With respect to other NGOs active in Latin America, even though there have been indications that Human Rights Watch has been undergoing a change of heart with respect to Chavez recently -- two of their representatives were expelled from Venezuela last month -- the HRF has stood nearly alone among foreign NGOs monitoring the cause of human rights in Latin America in its consistent condemnation of the widespread abuses of the Bolivarian regimes in Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia.  It is worth pointing out here that the organization's efforts in Venezuela have been especially dangerous.  In January, Venezuelan jurist and HRF activist Monica Fernandez survived an assassination attempt that left her fiancé severely wounded with three gunshot wounds, one day after the Chavez regime declared her an enemy of the state.  Not surprisingly, the Venezuelan government dropped the investigation into the attack.

When you put it all together, the Human Rights Foundation's record of true human rights advocacy, achieved at the cost of facing down intimidation and violence, marks the organization as an exemplary undertaking of the human spirit that gives us hope that there may be a liveable future for humanity.

The Bolivia Report

Yesterday the HRF published its Informe sobre la situación de los Derechos Humanos en Bolivia (Report on the Human Rights Situation in Bolivia).  The text of the report was released only in Spanish, and it was sent to Bolivian President Evo Morales along with an accompanying letter, which I intend to excerpt in part, as it provides a brief overview of the highlights of the report itself.

Translated Excerpts from Letter of Human Rights Foundation
to Bolivian President Evo Morales.
Accompanies "Report on the Human Rights Situation in Bolivia,"
08 October 2008

From the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) we respectfully address ourselves to you, in your capacity as head of state, to express to you our profound preoccupation for the growing wave of killings for political motives that is occurring in your country and for the continuous pronouncements emitted by you and by high functionaries of your government, whose content advertises war, defends racial hatred, threatens freedom of the press and tends to worsen the human rights situation in Bolivia.

It is widely known that a great political polarization exists in Bolivia which was evidenced by the results of the referendums carried out over the last few months . . .

. . . This political polarization in Bolivia has heightened over the last weeks, bringing as a consequence manifestations of violence which up to now have left at least 21 dead and hundreds injured.  Facing this situation, we view with preoccupation that the response of the government comes in the form of speech that incites more violence and which openly defends groups of civilians armed against persons and cities of the opposition.  This speech continues fully charged with degrading adjectives such as "racists," "fascists," "separatists," "sellers of the country," "anti-patriots," "oligarchs," and "rightists."

First, your constant verbal attacks are generating aggressions against the press on the part of your followers.  During the protests for the devolution of the [revenues from the] Direct Hydrocarbons Tax, several journalists who covered the events were assaulted.  Instead of condemning these aggressions, you and the spokesman of your government, Ivan Canelas, accused the PAT and Unitel television networks and the El Mundo newspaper of being "dirty" and "irresponsible."

Second, President Morales, your consistent speech calling upon your political supporters "to die" so as "to defend the revolution" from the actions of the "coup supporters" constitutes propaganda in favor of war and incites political violence and puts the life of every person in Bolivia in danger.  Finally, the official speech with which you disqualify those persons who are not in agreement with the policies of your government seeks to silence the political leaders of the opposing departments, threatening the right of political participation. . . .

. . . the use your government makes of the language in your speech gives rise to a much more serious connotation than the merely political.  In effect, President Morales, the HRF also wishes to express its preoccupation because your political speech disqualifying the opponents of your government would also promote racial hatred on the part of the national majority of Bolivia's west, namely, persons of "Aymara" or "Quechua" origin, against the national minorities of Bolivia's east and south, namely, "Cambas" (Indians or Mestizos of Bolivia's east) or "Chapacos" (of the Department of Tarija) who live in the majority in the departments opposed to the government . . . We have seen the signs of racial hatred against the "Cambas," such as in the city of El Alto in the Department of La Paz (http://www.laprensa.com.bo/noticias/12-09-08/12_09_08_poli5.php), as in Internet sites which support your government (http://bolivia.indymedia.org/search/node/cambas), and we fear that this is reflected in your speech. . . .

The report itself presents the evidence substantiating the charges made above in much greater detail.  It is sixteen pages long and is divided into five main parts: "Antecedents," which gives an overview of the recent background to the political polarization that now exists in the country, primarily related to the autonomy referendums, the proposed constitution, and the results of the revocatory referendum votes; "Passing Events Between August and September, 2008," which examines the inter-departmental strike of the five eastern departments to force the devolution of the revenues of the Direct Hydrocarbons Tax, coupled with Morales's failed attempt to convene a national referendum on his constitution by executive decree, including the manner in which the protests degenerated into the forcible takeover of government offices, actions which the HRF disapproved of in its own statements; "Violations of the Right of Freedom of Expression," in which the HRF reviews the numerous attacks against the press, including the encitement to violence against the media on the part of the government, as well as the official promotion of racial hatred; "Deaths in Confrontations for Political Motives and the Danger of Larger Violence," where the HRF presents the story of the violence of September 11-13 in Pando, especially with reference to Porvenir, as well as the armed march of Morales supporters against Santa Cruz de la Sierra, which came to a head between the 23rd and 25th of September.  And finally, a concluding section containing the HRF's recommendations for a restoration of the observance of human rights in Bolivia, which are largely reflected in the excerpts quoted above.

Results?

There has not been any official reaction as of yet coming from the Morales regime, and I expect they will chose simply to ignore the report.  Its major impact may be that some discussion will ensue within Bolivia and the region.  The La Paz daily newspaper La Razón did publish news of the report, which does make its overall content known to the Bolivian people, but without a public discussion of its particulars it may not go very far.  But what may be most important is that there is a documented version of the events in Porvenir and the armed march against Santa Cruz that can now be cited as a credible source of information.  This may not seem like very much, but some of the most important work human rights organizations perform lies within the documentation they provide of significant events which are not always covered in the major media to the full extent they deserve.  Reports such as this one are circulated among many international organizations and the list one can see attached to the cover letter sent to Evo Morales makes this clear.  It is at least one small step out of the darkness.

Within the blogosphere there is a little reaction.  The MABB blog has posted news of the report with the unusual comment that the report is "amusing," which I take to be a reference to the unlikelihood that it will have any effect upon Evo Morales, who is not known for responsible conduct.  MABB has also pointed to Morales's desire to rid himself of international contacts as a necessary step towards the achievement of his program, so this would seem to fit.  Bolivia Confidencial merely published the cover letter I excerpted above with the comment, as I translate, that it is "an important document" that "was not wasted."  And Martha Colmenares presents the HRF's own case to Spanish language readers on her site, which has followed recent events in Bolivia much more closely than many others and which I must recognize as presenting me with the very best coverage I have found thus far.

StJacques
   

*********************** Update: October 10, 12:00 p.m. ************************

I have one new item to add on the HRF, which I would like to include here as important information by way of an update.

One very important part of the HRF's work is their attempt to remain apolitical when engaging in human rights advocacy and I have two examples to hold in comparison which make the point.  The case of Guadalupe Llori, which I cite and link above is an instance in which the HRF stood up on behalf of a political activist one would place within the left of the political spectrum.  In contrast, their advocacy on behalf of the Caracas Nine -- who are a group of nine Venezuelan dissidents from various walks of life who have suffered persecution at the hands of the Chavez regime in numerous ways, from imprisonment to torture to public intimidation -- might generally be considered advocacy on behalf of activists one would place on the political right.

I really ought to do an entry on the Caracas Nine.

I think this point is significant enough to require an update.

StJacques
   

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The Return of the FARC We All Know: Just Plain Murder

   

Colombian Forensics Team Scours Through Blast Rubble in Ituango Source:  Reuters

They have done it before. And so long as they exist, the horrible truth we must all face is that they likely will do it again.

The FARC and murder are still synonymous. Forget the cautious and protective advocacy of so-called human rights organizations and other NGOs on behalf of these narcoguerrillas. Forget the political spin of their pro-Chavez apologists who try to tell us the FARC have a popular base of support in Colombia rooted in an ever-present problem of endemic poverty that the developed world cannot grasp. And especially forget the FARC's own statements in which they attempt to cast themselves as the last group of romantic guerrillas still standing after all these years.

The FARC are just plain murderers.  Last Thursday night in Ituango, a small town located in the north of the Department of Antioquia, they reminded anyone who may have forgotten.  While local residents celebrated an annual fair they call Ituanguinidad, i.e. "being Ituanguan," an explosive device placed in a trash can in the vicinity of several local shopping stalls exploded, killing seven and wounding approximately fifty others.  The region has been the focus of recent efforts on the part of the Colombian military to eradicate FARC-managed coca cultivation, which immediately identified the perpetrators.  Antioquia Police Commander Colonel Luis Eduardo Martinez affixed responsibility for the attack to the FARC's 18th Front and stated that it was committed "in retaliation against the campaign to eradicate illicit crops."  Colombian authorities have detained and charged one Jhon Jairo Ortiz, known by the alias El Pajaro (the bird), and charged him in the attack, accusations which he has denied.

It also may be worth adding that several top FARC commanders have been killed this year, including Raul Reyes and Ivan Rios, which might be encouraging the narcoguerrillas to retaliate.

Source:  Reuters

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe traveled to Ituango afterwards, along with Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos and Luis Alfredo Ramos, the Governor of the Department of Antioquia, to meet with the townspeople personally.  Uribe spoke to local reporters on the scene, saying "we must have solidarity with the community and support it.  And reaffirm the steel will we have in the defeat of terrorism."  He announced that he would enlarge the local police authority in the vicinity and that the Colombian government would pay an indemnity to the families of the victims in an amount equivalent to about $5,400 U.S.

International Reaction

In a year in which Colombia's struggles with the FARC have been much in the news, the aftermath of the Ituango attack has resulted in uncharacteristic expressions of solidarity with the country and its people.  Human Rights Watch issued a press release that was outstanding for its very rare mention of the FARC with no simultaneous allusion to the Paras, the usual tactic HRW has followed when addressing -- and subtly supporting -- the narcoguerrillas.  HRW did not fault the Colombian government for inattentiveness to the population because they recognized that officials in Bogota previously had issued a warning to the citizenry in Ituango that they might be at risk from a FARC attack.  The office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations in Bogota issued its own statement of condemnation, and even went so far as to describe it as typical "of a war crime."  But in perfect keeping with the twilight zone perspective of the UN, the commissioner requested that the FARC Secretariat "assume publicly the full subjection of its organization to respect humanitarian norms and to teach its members the order to fully respect their humanitarian obligations."

A much more meaningful step was the action Interpol took in response, in which they issued an order for the capture of Rodrigo Granda, the "Foreign Minister" of the FARC, who has enjoyed international immunity for over a year, permitting him to travel abroad frequently.  Henry Cobas, speaking for Interpol in Bogota, stated that they were working "through Interpol channels" to coordinate the capture and extradition of the FARC leader whose seizure in Venezuela and transfer to Colombia in 2004 provoked an international incident between the two countries, leading to the arrest and imprisonment of Venezuelan Lieutenant Colonel Humberto Quintero, who remains a political prisoner in Chavez's jails to this very day for the "crime" of arresting Granda.

Perhaps Humberto Quintero's case deserves another look?  Forgive me, for I diverge from the subject at hand.  I was thinking of justice.

My Comments

Though there appears to be some movement in international opinion to marginalize the FARC recently, and especially in the wake of events this year such as the release of the Interpol report on the Reyes laptops and the daring rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and the 15 other FARC kidnapped hostages, I am still disappointed that this event has not been publicized more prominently.  We're still largely dependent upon news sites and those very few blogger-heroes who keep an eye open, like Martha Colmenares (¡Que Dios te bendiga Martha!), and a couple of others.

The time has come for everyone to demand an end to the atrocities of the FARC.  It's just plain and simple murder, nothing more.

StJacques
   

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Tell Chávez: Demand Freedom for Venezuela's Political Prisoners

   

TellChávez.com

Well I'm back from my summer vacation and it's time to get back to blogging.  I've got several things I have been watching and which I intend to address over the upcoming week; especially some recent events in Bolivia.  But for now, let me just respond to a "heads up" I've been given from a recent visitor to another of my posts here and put up this bit of useful information.

TellChávez.com is a new website that has opened to publicize awareness of the repeated human rights violations in Venezuela and, much like many of the sites and organizations who are supporting recognition of the rights of Cuban political prisoners, they are calling for the same for those Chavez now holds in Venezuela's jails.

They have a letter posted which you can sign -- as I did -- which will be sent and they are attempting to raise public awareness as well.  I wish them success and I am inviting them to keep me informed.

StJacques
  

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Human Rights Groups & the FARC: From the WSJ

   

Wall Street Journal Columnist Mary Anastasia O'Grady

Over the past several years a number of Human Rights groups, usually referred to as NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), and the Colombian government have been in near constant conflict with each other over the twin issues of Colombia's struggles with the Paras (paramilitaries) and the FARC narcoguerrillas.  Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has accused these organizations of harboring or demonstrating pro-FARC sympathies and they have responded with the counter-charge that the Colombian situation must be viewed in the context of right-wing and left-wing violence taken as two halves of the same whole.  But the approach of these various NGOs does not match the reality on the ground because the paras have entered into a demobilization process, which admittedly has revealed problems, but continues to be monitored by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS.  The FARC have entered into no such agreement and they persist in holding hundreds of kidnapped Colombian citizens as hostages to force the government to cede a populated and agriculturally-viable section of the country's national territory to them as a prelude to entering negotiations for a peace settlement.  The area the FARC are demanding is in the south-central portion of the country and contains mountainous land and the plains to its east which are quite suitable for the cultivation of coca, which the FARC use as a cash-generating source to fund their continuing narcoguerrilla operations -- they have in fact long ceased to be a guerrilla insurgency, it is all about the drug trade now.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has consistently maintained from early in his presidency that he would be willing to offer both the paras and the FARC a negotiated settlement to end their lawlessness provided that the solution created a lasting peace and did not compromise Colombian sovereignty.  The paras accepted such a deal in 2004 and they remain within the demobilization phase of the implementation of that agreement, which has not been carried out to the full measure of its terms, especially regarding the protection of witnesses coming forth to testify against former para leaders, but complaints of the IAHCR monitors to that effect have been met with responses from the Colombian government and the IAHCR has reported progress (see link in 1st paragraph).  The Colombian government has even been pursuing its own independent investigation of what is called Parapolítica (Para Politics), even to the point of prosecuting some members of the Colombian government for their ties to the paramilitaries.  And earlier this year, Uribe's government extradited 14 top paramilitary leaders to the United States for failing to comply with the terms of the demobilization accords.  It is not a perfect process, but it is underway and the Colombian government is honoring its obligations, though some human rights groups continue to criticize it for failing to act more vigorously.

But what of the human rights groups and the FARC?  The real test was February 4 of this year, whenever more than a million people throughout Colombia and hundreds of thousands more elsewhere marched in opposition to the continued violations of human rights the FARC persist in committing by the holding of over 700 kidnapped hostages, many of whom have been held for years.  Numerous human rights organizations refused to support the march, though they did show up for a subsequent demonstration protesting the paras the following month in Bogota, which was only attended by some 40,000 people by comparison.  Thus was the mask lifted.  The human rights groups are pursuing a left-leaning political agenda and have turned their backs on the hundreds now held hostage by the most powerful narcoguerrilla group in the world, who no longer engage the Colombian army in combat, but who still kill with wanton abandon.

I am referring everyone to the July 7 editorial in the Wall Street Journal by Mary Anastasia O'Grady, who writes the Americas column for the newspaper.  Her article "The FARC's 'Human Rights' Friends" puts it all in perspective.  I quote: ". . . the already robust evidence that left-wing NGOs and other so-called human rights defenders . . . are nothing more than propagandists for terrorists. . . . Left-wing NGOs have made undermining the Colombian government's credibility a priority for many years. . . ."  It is a very good read, and can also be found in Spanish at this link.

StJacques
   

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¡¡¡VIVA COLOMBIA!!!

   

Voy a publicar una entrada especial para enviar un mensaje de celebración a mis amigos colombianos, con ocasión de la liberación de Ingrid Betancourt y otros 14 rehenes que fueron rescatados por el ejército colombiano en una operación brillante y derramamiento de sangre el día antes de ayer.  Hay tanto quisiera decir en este momento, pero creo que sería mejor mantener mi propio comentario breve a fin de preservar un cierto grado de dignidad en el reconocimiento de los cientos de otros que permanecen en cautiverio a manos de las FARC.  Pero aún hay cosas importantes que decir.

En primer lugar, lo que sucedió fue una clara victoria para la libertad y los derechos humanos.  Es mi esperanza que los demás aquí en los Estados Unidos reconocerán que Colombia es un pais poblado con gente que comprender el significado de estos conceptos claves y que demuestran con sus actos, a veces paciente y en otros audaces, que van a apoyar la causa de la humanidad.  Les ofrezco mis disculpas a los colombianos en todas partes por la calumnia algunos políticos norteamericanos han hablado de ellos recientemente.  La nación de Colombia y los colombianos merecen mucho mejor que la que han recibido de mi país.

Segundamente, quiero felicitar al Ejército colombiano por su brillante ejecución del rescate.  Este fue un ejemplo perfecto de una organización profesional que funcione al más alto nivel de eficiencia.  He leído los artículos de noticias en repetidas ocasiones en asombro por el hecho de que nadie resultó muerto y todos fueron rescatados en buen estado de salud.  Ingrid lo dijo mejor: "impecable".

Como estadounidense, yo también quiero dar las gracias por el rescate de tres ciudadanos de mi país.  Sé que sus familias han sufrido la falta de noticias de su condición de todos los días.  Esto es una tragedia demasiadas familias colombianas han conocido.  Gracias.

Yo en particular quiero felicitar al Presidente Alvaro Uribe por su persistente esfuerzo por alcanzar una solución justa a la crisis de los rehenes.  Señor Presidente, usted ha aprendido las valiosas lecciones de la historia reciente de su país en su lucha para lograr la paz con honor y justicia.  Ha servido ambas causas bien.  Usted es un verdadero estadista.

Por último, quiero felicitar al pueblo colombiano porque demuestran que hablar con una sola voz en oposición a las FARC.  Sé que este debe ser un factor vital en el complejo proceso de toma de decisiones en el gobierno colombiano.  Sus líderes saben que tienen su confianza y se les hace más fuertes como resultado de ello.  Cada ciudadano colombiano que hizo oír su voz, puede enorgullecerse de este resultado.  No me sorprende en lo más mínimo a su conducta, porque yo vivía en su maravilloso país durante casi un año.  Yo sé quiénes son ustedes y espero que no importan si yo llamo a mí mismo de su amigo.

¡VIVA COLOMBIA!

StJacques
   

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NEWS OF THE YEAR!!!! Ingrid Betancourt and 14 Other Hostages Freed!

   

Ingrid Betancourt (right) Hugs Her Mother Yolanda in Bogota Source:  AFP

The Colombian Army is on a roll!

That is not the way the story is being reported in the mainstream media today.  No; the MSM spin, at least here in the U.S., is that Ingrid Betancourt, the most highly-profiled of hundreds of kidnapped hostages held by the Colombian FARC has been "freed" along with 14 others, including three American military contractors.  You would think the FARC might have let her go to gain goodwill.  But in spite of all the MSM effort in this country to hide the truth from the American people, the Europeans are getting the story straight.  It was a rescue operation of the first order carried out by the Colombian Army, which now has two major success stories in its battle against the FARC this year, the other being their March 1 sortie across the border into Ecuador to take out Raul Reyes.

I am going to paste in the full text of an article from the British newspaper site of The Guardian that gets the story right.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colombian forces trick Farc rebels into freeing hostage Betancourt

Presidential hopeful was held captive for six years

14 others including three Americans also liberated

Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent Sibylla Brodzinsky Bogota
The Guardian, Thursday July 3, 2008

Ingrid Betancourt was savouring freedom last night after Colombia's security forces rescued her and 14 other hostages from a guerrilla camp deep in the jungle.

The French-Colombian politician's six-year ordeal as a bargaining chip ended in a military operation yesterday which dealt a devastating blow to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

Military spies tricked the Marxist rebels into handing over their most valuable captives to disguised military helicopters without a shot being fired, said the government. Betancourt, called her rescue "absolutely impeccable" and said she and 14 other hostages had no idea they were being rescued until they were airborne. "They got us out grandly," she told Colombian army radio.

Her voice trembled with emotion last night as she related to Colombian radio her last moments of captivity.

She said the hostages who were being marched toward the helicopter thought they were part of an international hostage deal but when they saw the pilots dressed like guerrillas their hopes were dashed.

"They tied our hands and feet," Betancourt said. "It wasn't until the hostages were aboard the helicopter and that the pilots subdued the rebel commanders that they realised they had indeed found freedom. "We are with the army, you are free," the pilots told the hostages, Betancourt recalled.

The elaborate sting would "go into history for its audacity and effectiveness", said Juan Manuel Santos, the defence minister.

Relatives expressed surprise and joy... that the gaunt woman glimpsed in harrowing videos was on her way back to them. "If true, (it is) the most beautiful news of my life," said her teenage son, Lorenzo Delloye-Betancourt.

Betancourt was being taken last night to the Tolemaida military base where government officials were due to greet them, along with three US military contractors and 11 Colombian former captives.

Analysts said the breakthrough could signal the demise of Farc. "For the Farc this is a mortal blow. They will never be able to recover from this," said Alfredo Rangel, director of the Security and Democracy Foundation in Bogotá.

George Bush phoned Colombia's president Álvaro Uribe, an ally whose security forces are funded by Washington, to congratulate him. Nicolas Sarkozy, who had made Betancourt's liberty a priority, also spoke to Uribe.

The day's emotion was heightened by the dramatic circumstances of the operation. At a press conference in Bogotá Santos drew gasps and then applause when he announced that Betancourt was among 15 hostages freed in Guaviare province, in the south-west.

Santos said intelligence agents infiltrated the guerrillas' seven-man ruling secretariat and led the commander in charge of the hostages, Cesar, to think they were to be taken by helicopter to Alfonso Cano, Farc's supreme leader.

The hostages, who had been divided in three groups, were taken to a rallying point where two helicopters piloted by Colombian agents were waiting. The helicopters took off with the hostages, Cesar and one other rebel, and those two "were neutralised" during the flight, Santos said.

Betancourt, 46, an outspoken politician, was abducted in February 2002 as she was running for president. As her captivity lengthened she became an international symbol for the plight of all the hostages. Images of her face adorned vigils and marches around the world.

As punishment for repeated escape attempts she was tied and chained up and became sick. The last images of her in captivity showed a frail, despondent woman with lank hair and a blank gaze.

"In all these years, I thought that as long as I was alive, as long as I continued to breathe, I must continue to hope," she wrote in a letter released at the end of 2007. "I don't have the strength I used to have."

Last night Clara Rojas, a political ally who was kidnapped along with Betancourt and freed in January, called the rescue "a blessing from God. I think that meeting again with her children is going to be fundamental for her."

The three American captives, Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes, were US defence department contract workers who fell into rebel hands in 2003 after their light aircraft crashed in the jungle during a counternarcotics operation.

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Remembering the Venezuelan Political Prisoners ( Translation )

   

Source:  Megaresistencia

   
I am going to post a translation of a recent online article from Diario de América written by Venezuelan dissident in exile Mercedes Montero which presents her list of some 27 political prisoners now held by the Chavez regime.  (I know she writes "25" but she actually has two more.)  And as a final note of my own, Martha Colmenares insists that there are two important political prisoners whose names need to be added to this list; Gregory Umanes and Louis Chacin, both arrested in 2003.

Mercedes Montero is a Sociologist and specialist in Organizational Development who has been an active spokeswoman for the Venezuelan resistance to Hugo Chavez since her self-imposed exile in 2005.  She has been a regular contributor to Diario de América and you will find her work also followed closely at sites such as Megaresistencia (see 2nd post), Martha Colmenares, and others who publicize the still-unfolding tragedy of Chavez's rule in Venezuela.

We do not hear much about Venezuela's political prisoners.  They are much less well-known than those in Cuba, and even the cause of the Cuban prisoners of conscience is not as widely-recognized as it should be, in my opinion.  But I submit that the Venezuelan story is worth knowing by all lovers of freedom and democracy.

TRANSLATION

6/16/2008 Non-governmental organizations have denounced these cases before the Human Rights Commission of the OAS Let us not forget the political prisoners and the persecuted Let us remember that all these people are innocent, their only crime has been dissenting or fulfilling their duty By Mercedes Montero Let us remember that they all have been denied justice, they have not had formal judgement, nor due process. Let us remember that all their human rights have been violated. Let us remember that their families have suffered the insufferable. Let us remember that on multiple occasions different non-governmental organizations have denounced these cases before the Human Rights Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union, the Holy See, and they have sent communications to the United Nations (UN), but they continue to be prisoners. Let us remember most of all that in Venezuela the rule of law has ceased to exist, that there is no separation of powers, and that everything depends upon the Executive Authority. List of the 25 Venezuelan Political Prisoners 2003 The first eight have been prisoners for five years in the case of the events of April 11, 2002, they still have not been sentenced. 1.  Agent (Metropolitan Police) Erasmo Bolivar, arrested illegally on April 19, 2003. 2.  Distinguished (Metropolitan Police) Luis Milina Cerrada, arrested illegally on April 19, 2003. 3.  1st Corporal (Metropolitan Police) Ramon Zapata Alonso, arrested illegally on April 19, 2003. 4.  1st Corporal (Metropolitan Police) Arube Perez Salazar, arrested illegally on April 19, 2003. 5.  1st Sargeant (Metropolitan Police) Rafael Neazoa Lopez, arrested illegally on April 19, 2003. 6.  Sub-Inspector (Metropolitan Police) Marco Hurtado, arrested illegally on April 19, 2003. 7.  (Metropolitan Police) Hector Rovain, arrested illegally on April 19, 2003. 8.  Sargeant-Major (Metropolitan Police) Julio Rodriguez, arrested illegally on April 19, 2003. 9.  Silvio Merida Ortiz, arrested illegally on November 6, 2003, sentenced unjustly in the case of the bombing of the Spanish Embassy and Colombian Consulate to 9 years, 4 months in prison, and was tortured.  His state of health is precarious. 2004 10.  Raul Diaz Peña, arrested illegally on February 25, 2004, sentenced unjustly to 9 years 4 months in prison in the case of the bombing of the Spanish Embassy and Colombian Consulate.  His state of health is precarious. 11.  Captain Otto Gebauer, illegally held since November 11, 2004, sentenced to 12 years, 3 months in prison, only for the deed of being seen mourning and praying for his life to the chief executive. 12.  Juan Bautista Guevara Perez, illegally detained on November 20, 2004 and sentenced to 30 years in jail in the case of the murder of Danilo Anderson.  In spite of the fact that Inspector Hernando Contreras stated that the testimony given by star witness Giovanny Vasquez does not deserve credibility and a falsity of evidence and documents existed, justice has not been done. 13.  Ivan Simonovis, illegally arrested on November 22, 2004, in the case of the events of the 11th of April, 2002.  Continues unsentenced in the longest trial in history. 14.  Otoniel Jose Guevara, illegally arrested on November 23, 2004, 15.  Rolando Jesus Guevara, illegally arrested on November 23, 2004.  Both brothers were sentenced to 27 years in prison.  The same observations apply to them as to Juan Bautista Guevara Perez. 16.  Lazaro Forero, illegally arrested on December 3, 2004. 17.  Henry Vivas, illegally arrested on December 3, 2004.  These last two citizens are prisoners in the case of the events of the 11th of April, 2002.  The same observations apply to them as to Ivan Simonovis. 2005 18.  Lieutenant Colonel Humberto Quintero, arrested illegally on January 12, 2005 and sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison, his crime the capture of Rodrigo Granda, Chancellor of the FARC. 19.  General Felipe Rodriguez, arrested illegally on February 6, 2005, unjustly sentenced to 10 years, 4 months in prison in the case of the bombings of the Spanish Embassy and the Colombian Consulate. 2006 20.  General Delfin Gomez Parra, arrested illegally on December 3, 2006, stated: "I still cannot understand what are the reasons why they insist upon continually accusing me for deeds which I have not committed, I have not appropriated money that is not mine, I have not stolen from the nation, I have not been paid profits that do not belong to me and only God knows that what I am saying is true, I am only looking ahead to that Divine Justice that is unstoppable and relentless." 21.  Colonel Ricardo Alfonso Cedeño, illegally detained on December 3, 2006. 2007 22.  Eligio Cedeño, illegally held since February 8, 2007.  The trial has begun.  All his assets were frozen. 23.  Diana Mora Herrera, illegally detained since April 26, 2007.  Continues without a trial. 24.  Luis Alberto Rodriguez Villamizar, illegally detained since April 26, 2007.  Has been accused of belonging to a group financed by the CIA that operates in Venezuela to "destabilize" the government, they have described him as a terrorist and traitor to the country, adding moreover that he is "convicted" and "confessed."  They still have not been tried! 25.  Jose Rafael Ramirez, illegally detained since April 26, 2006.  Arrested for presumed extortion of businessman Wilmer Ruperti.  One judge gave him relief: they dismissed the judge and he remains in prison. 26.  Jose Alberto Sanchez Montiel (Inspector Mazuco), prisoner for seven months, all actions carried out in his defense have been conveniently disqualified, his case should have been heard in Maracaibo -- the State of Zulia -- but was transferred to Caracas. 2008 The journalist Leocenis Garcia, who has been denouncing administrative irregularities in the state-owned oil company PDVSA, is the latest political prisoner of the regime. As I always express it, God moves mountains, I am sure that sunlight will return to shine on Venezuela and these people who have paid so dearly for the deed of dissenting or having fulfilled their professional, civil, or human duty will have justice done and will go out in freedom. It only remains for me to ask my fellow countrymen let us not forget the politically persecuted and imprisoned, let us show solidarity with them and their respective families, that we support the legal complaints carried out for their defense, that we pray to keep their morale strengthened, because among all of us they have been singled out to carry a very heavy burden on their shoulders. Mercedes Montero

This is a worthwhile story I intend to address more in the future.  For now, I at least have their names up for view.

StJacques
   

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Attacks on Freedom Bloggers Now Taking a Toll: Spanish Pundit in Temporary Hiatus

   
I have some sad news and I hope it does not stand as a permanent development.  Nora at Spanish Pundit has at least temporarily suspended her blogging.  She seems to express some disappointment that the blogosphere is not reaching a wider audience and that attacks upon freedom of expression through blogging appear to be gaining ground worldwide.  Nora has created a Spanish language Google group to monitor and publicize these threats and she has promised to continue her work there, which is only a small piece of good news.

It may be worth noting that Nora has expressed this frustration in the wake of her incredulous observations of the treatment of terrorist leader Abu Qutada, a Muslim cleric with known links to Al Qaeda, who was recently released on bail in Great Britain after winning an extradition fight to prevent his deportation to Jordan, and on top of that the recent death of a Spanish judge who was expected to rule against the Zapatero government on key cases involving homsexual marriage, Catalonian rights, and more.  I also think it deserves mentioning here that some key individuals I am fond of referring to as "freedom bloggers" have been hit with hacking attacks recently, including Martha Colmenares, whose site was out of action for over two weeks.  Nora is very well aware of these attacks and I think it evidently is taking a toll, since the resigned tone of her advisement that she is in hiatus for now states very clearly that she is not enthusiastic about the prospects for winning this struggle for free expression through blogging.

I will be leaving a comment for Nora at her post, but I would just like to state some words of encouragement here as well.  Nora is among that very select group of bloggers who have made the cause of securing freedom a worthwhile end, she has been an inspiration to me, and I hope she returns to active blogging because we can never have enough spokeswomen of her character and stature.

StJacques
   

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Discussing the U.S. Embargo vs. Cuba: Some of the Good Guys are Raising Serious Questions

   
I'm making this blog entry as something of a blog research note on the issue of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba.  It seems that there is an awakening interest among many bloggers I personally count among the "good guys" -- the anti-Castro, true lovers of freedom crowd -- who are urging that the U.S. should rethink the usefulness and/or efficacy of the trade embargo imposed against Cuba.  I think I have seen enough in recent weeks to stop and enter a post here asking readers to consider the matter as something worthy of attention.

First; let me give you some facts.  The "embargo" is a term that is usually used to refer to both the limitation of exports of non-food and non-medicinal American commodities to Cuba, as well as prohibitions against the import of Cuban products into the U.S., especially sugar.  It has been a complicated economic policy that began with an embargo on shipments of military goods to Cuba in March, 1958 that was later expanded to include sanctions against the import into America of Cuban sugar in 1960 and has since undergone periods of revision in both the temporary relaxation of restrictions on U.S. exports to the island, as in the period 1977-1982, interspersed with sometimes complex restrictions on what the levels of American economic contact with Cuba and the Cuban people should be under law.  Exports of American food and medicine always have been permitted, but the big issue is the level of person-to-person contact, which is a matter of major concern among many Cuban immigrant families in the U.S., who would like to be able to send greater financial assistance to their relatives and loved ones remaining on the island.

I am going to skip an overview of the arguments put forth by the pro-Fidel sympathizers here in the U.S., which usually come down to the hateful gringos resenting the rise of a truly democratic [sic] revolution of the left so close to their shores and the policy is implemented on behalf of the Cuban-American "fat cats" in Miami who left with all that money when Castro came to power, and, well; you get that picture clearly enough.  However, I would like to point out that there are two groups calling for either an end to or revision of the embargo who deserve our attention; Cuban dissidents now resident on the island, as well as numerous and genuine "freedom blogger" commentators outside of it.  I think these are people whose arguments merit an examination, because they are working conscientiously to bring an end to Castro's tyranny and I am all for that under any circumstances.

Let me identify three very important Cuban dissident elements who are asking Americans to end the embargo; the well-known Generación Y blogger Yoani Sanchez, prominent Cuban dissident and political activist Martha Beatriz Roque (you can find both on the sidebar), and the organization of women known as the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White) who are seeking freedom for Cuban political prisoners.  All three have stood up to the Castro regime under the most difficult of circumstances, which should give them credibility.  And I do not offer this comment by way of suggesting that we should accept their arguments simply because they are Cuban dissidents in place, because Yoani did say she preferred Barack Obama to John McCain and I am in no doubt that Obama has some more than questionable credentials with respect to support for democracy and freedom in Latin America.  He has close ties to some of Hugo Chavez's biggest supporters in America, including George Soros the main man for Evo Morales, along with a near hatred of the Colombian government.  These are but two of many things that make him look dangerous and no matter how hard we try to get him to answer some of the tough questions that would clarify his positions on these issues he refuses to respond, leaving us unassured of his good faith.  But I think we can write off the comments of the Cuban dissidents on Obama to naiveté, since they do not receive all the information we get with easy access to our media.  The important thing for us is to filter out what lies underneath the declarations of the Cuban resistance to Castro -- the embargo is hurting those who are trying to make a difference.  That is a statement worth listening to in my opinion.

There are a few worthy bloggers who have also called for a re-examination of the embargo recently, including at least two who have very high credibility with me for their proven record of consistent activism in the cause of freedom.  Marc Masferrer at Uncommon Sense has been doing an excellent job in tracking the plight of political prisoners in Cuba for some time now, and he recently posted a plea to avoid implementing the embargo in a way that hurts ordinary Cubans, especially the relatives of Cuban-American emigrés who would wish to travel to the island and send amounts of money above the limits imposed by law at present (which were $100 per month according to the last report I read).  Marc had already made a similar statement last year when he identified the problems with permitting one type of trade that benefited American farmers while forbidding transit for Americans of Cuban descent to visit family members; setting up priorities he described as "skewed."  And now Alek Boyd, who for the last three years or more has been one of the most important bloggers publicizing the case against Hugo Chavez and whose work I have followed quite closely has made an even stronger statement, urging that the embargo has been counterproductive as a whole and should be scrapped altogether.  The main points of Alek's argument are that the embargo has strengthened the stature of the Castro regime internationally for the attention it gets in its conflict with the American superpower to the north, the policy has hurt those people in Cuba we would wish to help most, the developing Cuban dissident movement is asking for our assistance by requesting an end to the policy, and removing the embargo will strip the Castro regime of the only excuse it has had to hold up to the Cuban people for its inability to provide them with the promised benefits of a revolution that has failed utterly at every level.

These are two very different approaches to a re-examination of the embargo, and I expect Alek Boyd's proposal will generate some strong opposition among many who pay close attention to the Castro regime.  But I must repeat what I wrote in the previous paragraph, which is that I have read Alek's blogging on numerous issues affecting freedom and democracy in Latin America and I believe his extensive record of service in the causes of each merits a fair hearing for his proposal. 

So what do I think?  Well; like Marc Masferrer I am most concerned about the plight of the Cuban people themselves; especially those who have been cut off from work opportunities by the Castro regime for maintaining contacts with their relatives and loved ones here in the U.S.  I do advocate loosening the restrictions on the amount of money families can send to relatives in Cuba and I would like to see travel restrictions relaxed to make their passage to and from the island a lot easier than it is now.  I recognize that Alek Boyd has presented a very thoughtful and well-intentioned argument against the wisdom of the embargo, but I still see the flip side of its immediate and total elimination as resulting in the gravitation of new financial resources -- read "liquidity" -- into the hands of the regime which would be a counterproductive result and therefore is a course I am unwilling to recommend without seeing some signs of progress on democracy and human rights, and I immediately demand a release of the political prisoners in that regard.

My suggestion for a process that can result in the lifting of the embargo is that we Americans first agree upon a basic principle, which is that we will attempt to separate what benefits the Castro regime from what helps the Cuban people and that we then sit down and ask ourselves how the outlines of a policy that would achieve the genuine aim of improving the condition of ordinary Cubans can best be formulated.  Then we take the first step.

I therefore propose the following three measures:

Dramatically raise the limit on monthly cash disbursements American families can send to relatives in Cuba.

Ease travel restrictions for Americans wishing to visit their relatives and loved ones on the island.

Open up American export trade to Cuba -- which is already larger than many people think for our agricultural products -- to include consumer goods not useful to the regime for purposes other than private use.

I recommend that we take the above three steps unilaterally without any preconditions so that we can then turn to the Castro regime and say "it's your turn," leaving the onus to respond entirely upon their shoulders.  And it may be useful to propose a gradualized process of trading one specific step for another in return that will lead eventually to the complete renewal of trade and the full recognition of human rights in Cuba, rather than insisting upon a complete capitulation to all terms at once, which we should understand is a political impossibility for the Castro regime.  However, we must demand the release of all political prisoners as an absolutely necessary first step, and, as distasteful as it may be to bargain, gradually work our way to the restoration of full political rights.

Step by step, solid action for meaningful response, engaging in an open and meaningful process that produces results and does not imply capitulation for either side.  I do not believe that there will be any turning back for the Castro regime once it starts the process as it will most certainly involve the Cuban people in a way they have never been mobilized before; a development that can have but one result -- freedom.

StJacques
   

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Alek Boyd Interviews Yoani Sanchez

   

Alek Boyd (center) with Yoani Sanchez and husband Reinaldo Escobar

Alek Boyd of VCrisis.com and ProVeo.org has an absolutely fascinating account of an interview with Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez up at his personal blog that is a must read.  Alek went to Cuba and managed to arrange a sit-down with Yoani and her husband, independent Cuban journalist Reinaldo Escobar -- you can check out his Desde aquí blog from the sidebar -- and though the portion of their talk which Alek relates is brief, it is also very revealing. Yoani's capacity for soft and delicate statements shines through.

Just one short quote from Yoani, as she describes her "cause":

". . . I am all up for debate, for the creation of a space where Cubans and interested parties can debate about issues affecting us in a mature, respectful manner. . . ."

It may not sound like much to those of us here in the United States, but those few words about "a space where Cubans and interested parties can debate" are a very powerful antidote to the repression of Castroite Cuba.

Good job Alek!

StJacques
   

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The Gorilla Within: Castroite Blogger Yohandry

   

I have always been a proponent of the use of the internet as a forum for free and open discussion, which I naturally believe will benefit the causes of freedom and democracy I support in this blog project.  But I also am aware that free access to the world through internet blogging brings perils along with it, and I am going to introduce one of the most dangerous bloggers I have encountered thus far in this post.  I refer to the Cuban blogger who uses the internet pseudonym "Yohandry," whose blog at the forum of the Spanish newspaper El Pais has evidently just been removed by the decision of web site's managers following a dangerously threatening post directed at renowned Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, whose story I have been following in this blog for some time.

I must be honest and state that, even though Yohandry is introduced elsewhere as Yohandry Fontana Guethón; I doubt this is his or her real name given that it begins with the letter "Y," which Yoani Sanchez stated was a mark of unique distinction in Cuba.  The name "Yohandry" is feminine, but the writing style is uniquely masculine and I would like to point out that posters who have responded as commentators to Yohandry's "closure" notice at the La Comunidad forum have addressed him/her as a member of either gender.  The Blog de Yohandry hosted at the El Pais website was up for at least several months; a fact I gather from other blogs that go back to last February which either reference posts from the blog, comment upon them, or even give Yohandry an opportunity to post short messages.  I cannot say more given that it is now closed.

Beyond a general tendency to proselytize the Castro party line on a number of issues, Yohandry has made a reputation for attacking at least two bloggers I am able to identify at this time; the already-mentioned Yoani Sanchez and an additional Cuban blog known as Potro Salvaje, a name that translates to "Wild Colt" (Note: the Latino music group of the same name is evidently of no relation).  Yohandry accused Potro Salvaje of being responsible for the cyber-attacks that denied Cubans on the island access to Yoani Sanchez's blog last March.  I have read a little of the Potro blog and I must say that I regard this charge as near insanity.  Potro is thoroughly dedicated to the diffusion of information regarding freedom of the press, internet freedom, and access to cyber-technology in Cuba, as well as to the provision of assistance in the way of technical advice, tips, and tricks to fellow Cubans who wish to avoid detection and discovery of their efforts to use the internet free from the retaliation of the Castro regime.  But Yohandry would have us believe that Potro was out to shut Yoani Sanchez down.  You may guess my profane response to this accusation at your own expense.

Earlier this week Yohandry published an entry at the La Comunidad forum which leveled dangerously serious allegations against Yoani Sanchez, or perhaps I should state "dangerously serious allegations understood by anyone who knows the nature of political repression in Cuba."  Since El Pais has closed the site down, I have searched for a copy of the text from elsewhere without success.  It is no longer available in the Google cache and I am only able to read second-hand didactions of its content.  On Tuesday Laz at Cuba Independiente published an entry containing details of a new crackdown on dissidents underway in Cuba that cited Yohandry's blog as evidence that the regime's repressive actions may foreshadow a move against Yoani Sanchez.  I would like to post a translated quote from that blog containing the report of Yohandry's accusations:

". . . This is a clear signal of where the next steps to Tyranny are heading.  In the same vein, the award-winning Yoani Sanchez, owner of the Blog Generacion Y, was accused by a shady and almost unknown blogger using the pseudonym "Yohandry" of working for the CIA and corresponding with the writer in exile Carlos Alberto Montaner, who also is accused of being an agent of the same agency. . . ."

Anyone who is familiar with the nature of the Castro regime in Cuba understands the seriousness of these allegations.  They can result in jail terms lasting decades.

Soon after the Cuba Independiente post, other blog sites who track the progress of human rights in Cuba picked up on the story.  Martha Colmenares opened her own discussion thread and began circulating the information among bloggers and human rights groups.  Spanish Pundit picked it up and, I believe, may have the exact translation of Yohandry's accusation, which is as follows:

". . . That is not a debate blog, that is a blog where all the scum against Cuba meets.  Yoani is lucky, she has all those people there united and not walking aroung the net.  I accuse Yoani of being linked to elements of CIA, specifically to Montaner, the true owner of that blog, I accuse her of being linked with terrorist elements who live in Europe, Montaner and I accuse of fulfilling the editorial policy imposed by Montaner, the true owner. . . ."

Again; the dangerous nature of accusations such as these for a Cuban blogger like Yoani Sanchez must be regarded as severe.  We are discussing the life and freedom of a human being when we examine this in the real world.  In the context of international political blogging and the Latin American Left, the risks are more than serious; they are life-altering.

So where does this leave us when we deal with the question of how we enter into direct discussion with supporters of the Castro regime in Cuba?  I am very sorry to say that the answer is nowhere.  Yohandry has shown only the most recent evidence of a basic psychological truth that anyone who has followed the brutal history of the repression of human freedom that will always remain as the Castro regime's legacy should understand ...

Within the heart of every Castrista lurks that inner gorilla that is always ready to brutalize and destroy anyone who dares to speak freely of the failures of the regime.

And the Spanish newspaper El Pais should put aside its support of the Spanish Socialist Party for just a few minutes -- just this once -- and apologize to the world for having provided the means of the intimidation of one of the most important spokespersons for human freedom on the third planet of this solar system -- Yoani Sanchez.

StJacques
   

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Yoani Sanchez Warns of Her Possible Impending Arrest (Translation)

   

Yoani Sanchez

I do not think I need to put much of an introduction up here, but the treasured Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez, this year's winner of the Ortega y Gasset prize for digital journalism, has posted an entry at her Generación Y blog warning that she has been threatened with action by the Castro regime.

I simply will post the translation:


5-16-2008

Complaint-Plea-Confession
Written by Yoani Sanchez in Generación Y

They are warning me that "my case" is lying on the table in some office.  A file full of evidence of offenses committed, a bulky dossier of illegalities that I have accumulated in these years.  Neighbors insinuate that I disguise myself with sunglasses and disconnect the phone when I wish to speak of something in private.  Little, very little -- they are making clear to me -- can now be done so that they do not knock on my door very early one morning.

In expectation of this, I want to point out that I do not keep weapons under the bed.  Nevertheless, I have committed a systematic and heinous crime:  I thought myself free.  Nor do I have a concrete plan to change things, but in me complaining has replaced triumphalism and -- definitely -- that is punishable.  I could never slap anyone, but I refused to accept my systematic smacking "I am civil."  This last thing is reprehensible to an extreme degree.  On top of that, and despite not having pilfered anything belonging to others, I have wanted to "steal" -- on repeated occasions -- what I believed belonged to me:  an island, its dreams, its legacies.

They do not trust me anymore; I am not entirely innocent.  I have brought a mountain of misdeeds upon myself:  I systematically purchased on the black market, I commented in a low voice -- and in critical terms -- about those who govern us, I have given nicknames to politicians and I have shared in pessimism.  Above all, I committed the heinous offense of believing in a future without "them" and in a version of history different from what I was taught.  I repeated the slogans without conviction, I washed the dirty rags in sight of all and -- a huge transgression -- I joined together words and phrases without permission.

I declare -- and I assume the punishment that comes to me -- I was not able to survive and comply with all applicable laws at the same time.

Yoani Sanchez

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Blog Link - "Hugo Chavez: Sponsor of Terrorism"

   

VCrisis.com Editor Aleksander Boyd

   
With so much going up on the web in the past few days following the release of the Interpol report authenticating the information divulged from the Reyes laptops, I would like to take a brief moment to recommend a short, but valuable statement of three paragraphs Aleksander Boyd has posted at VCrisis.com.

The real aftermath of the Interpol report should be that the defenders of Chavez can no longer be treated as unknowing dupes of a sponsor of terror.  I quote:

". . . From this day on, anyone openly siding with Chavez is, by association, a supporter of terrorism and should be treated as such by authorities and public opinion worldwide.  The honey moon has ended."

I encourage everyone to keep an eye on VCrisis.  If you lose track of its name, I have them on the links sidebar as "Venezuela in Crisis."

StJacques
   

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Cuban Blogger Yoani Sanchez Refused Travel Visa to Receive Ortega y Gasset Prize

   

Ortega y Gasset Prize Winner Yoani Sanchez

I do not think it is particularly surprising to report that Cuban authorities have refused permission for a travel visa to Generación Y blogger and Ortega y Gasset prize winner for digital journalism Yoani Sanchez to go to Spain to claim her prize.  I reported on the announcement of the award last month, now the news is "official" -- how ugly that word sounds now -- that she will not be permitted to leave Cuba.  This action comes as a tremendous disappointment to everyone who has followed Yoani's blogging; I'm actually afraid to put her blog on the sidebar for fear I will unnecesarily draw the wrong kind of attention to her, but it only serves as further proof of the realities of the supposed "changes" we read are coming for post-Fidel Cuba from leftist blogging sites all over the internet.  Welcome back to reality, little has changed.  Except for the fact that there is a courageous voice speaking very softly through the short blog snippets she posts to let the world know she is there.

Yes; she really is there. Yoani Sanchez was named to Time magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People" for 2008, a rare honor for someone who began blogging from obscurity less than two years ago, but an honor that clearly raises her profile.  If you would like to read a quick essay that expresses the significance of Yoani's blogging from the perspective of freedom-loving Cuban exiles, check out the article at KillKastro that really gets to the heart and soul of what Yoani represents spiritually to Cubans on and off the island.  The Babalu Blog follows Yoani as closely as anyone, in both English and Spanish.  You can find several entries on their homepage as of today, but you might want to check out their "Yoani Roundup" post to get links to a quick overview of several sources.  And as always, Marc Masferrer's Uncommon Sense blog keeps track of anything and everything to do with Cuban journalists and freedom of expression on the island.  He has two recent posts worth examining;  A Dangerous Woman and No White Card for Yoani.

If you read Spanish, there are a number of places to look, but let me give you two quick links to help.  Penúltimos Días has a heart-rending "open letter" written to Yoani by Ernesto Hernández Busto from Barcelona expressing beautiful affection and sadness that she may not be present to pick up her prize; I wish everyone could read it to get a sense of how Yoani is really touching something deep inside people who understand the dangers of the path she walks.  And not surprisingly, Martha Colmenares continues to track Yoani's story.

Yoani Sanchez is a true blogger-hero who does as much as anyone to bring dignity and meaning to this passion for online expression so many of us share.  We will continue to look to her for inspiration.  And we will also hope and pray that someday she and other Cubans will be able to travel abroad, expressing by their presence on and off the island that basic human right of free movement, which is only one of so many human rights denied them today.

¡Felicitaciones Yoani!


StJacques
   

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Cuban "Generation Y" Blogger Wins Journalism Prize

In case you did not know it, there are a very few courageous Cubans still living on the island who dare to speak openly of problems within the island country. One of these is Yoani Sanchez, an independent blogger who has just been awarded the Ortega y Gasset prize, a.k.a. "The Spanish Pulitzer," for her work chronicling life in Cuba from Havana.


Cuban Blogger Yoani Sanchez

Story from Reuters follows:


HAVANA (Reuters) - Independent Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez, who chronicles the woes of life in communist-run Cuba, was awarded one of Spain's top journalism awards on Friday, the Ortega and Gasset prize for digital journalism.

Spanish newspaper El Pais, which awards the prize annually, said Sanchez won it for her "shrewdness" in overcoming hurdles to freedom of expression in Cuba, her "vivacious" style and her drive to join the "global space of citizen journalism."

Her "Generacion Y" blog is the most popular blog posted from Cuba (http://www.desdecuba.com/generaciony/).

It received 1.2 million hits in February for its Web page on a server in Germany.

"This is great encouragement for Cuban bloggers who are still at an embryonic stage," she told Reuters by telephone from her home in Havana.

"It recognizes that Cuban blogs can be a parallel source of information, reflection and opinions independent from Cuba's official media," the 32-year-old philologist said.

Sanchez has drawn considerable readership by writing about her daily life and describing the economic hardships and political constraints in her country.

Sanchez said she started her blog as a therapy to "let out frustrations," and write about the Cuba that never gets into the official press.

She has criticized Cuba's new President Raul Castro, who succeeded his ailing brother Fidel Castro last month, for his minimal steps to improve the standard of living of Cubans.

"Who is the last in line for a toaster?" was the title of a recent blog that satirized the lifting of a ban on sales of computers, DVD players and other appliances that Cubans long for, though toasters will not be freely sold until 2010.

In a country where the press is government-controlled and no independent media exists, Sanchez and other Cubans bloggers have found a new vehicle of expression, even though access to the Internet is controlled by the state.

The younger Castro has encouraged more public debate on Cuba's shortcomings in a drive to shore up socialism.

Reporting by Rosa Tania Valdes, editing by Todd Eastham)

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OAS Human Rights Commission Condemns Cuba Anew

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is a semi-autonomous branch of the Organization of American States (OAS), has once again condemned Cuba for multiple violations and abuses of human rights. The list of is a familiar one, but just to keep the information current it includes:

Restricting political rights and freedom of expression

Denying free elections

Denying an independent judiciary

Preventing the organization of independent trade unions

Stripping foreign reporters of work permits for the content of their reporting

Threatening attacks against Cuban rights activists

Imprisoning 26 Cuban journalists

Violating multiple articles of international rights treaties

But they made progress in extending health care! So we can keep our Che T-Shirts, can't we?

I know that for many of you it is not anything new to hear that Cuba has been condemned again for violations of human rights. But the very sad thing about the latest report on human rights from the IACHR of the OAS is that it comes at a time when the prestige of Cuba is actually rising in Latin America, if not elsewhere in the world, owing to the public relations campaign the Bolivarian Left has been circulating recently, much of which has actually been swallowed here in America by the Indy Media/MoveOn.org/Daily Kos crowd. It really is sad, but it is also true.

While it is a repetitive exercise to review the Castro regime's record on human rights, even though still worthwhile, it may be useful to address at least one myth which has circulated here in the U.S. about its historical context -- there has not been an improvement in recent years. I expect this myth will be repeated over the next few days in the event that a discussion of the IACHR's report surfaces.

Cuba has actually worsened in its conduct over the past few years, ever since the Primavera Negra (Black Spring) crackdown on dissidents in March, 2003. For those of you who do not know much about this, beginning on March 18, 2003 and continuing for a few days afterwards, the Cuban government arrested and later "tried" and imprisoned some seventy-five academics, independent journalists, librarians, trade unionists, and other activists. To this day about fifteen have been released for health reasons -- it is worth mentioning here that conditions in Cuba's prisons do not meet western standards by any stretch of the imagination -- but all others remain behind bars at present, some serving sentences as long as twenty-eight years, including the renowned Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet.

Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet

There is so much more to tell about this and other continuing violations of human rights in Cuba, but I want to take this moment to refer you to some other very fine bloggers who have been on top of this horrible story and who are waging a good fight deserving of commendation. You will find this particular story referenced today on page one of the Babalu Blog, which may have the most wide-ranging information on Cuba of all the blogging sites. Work their site search engine and you can learn a lot quickly. I am especially attached to Marc Masferrer's Uncommon Sense Blog for its content on the plight of the journalists and others arrested in the Black Spring. Marc's career in journalism has made this into a personal cause and I want to come back to him later when I post more on the fine work of tracking political prisoners in Latin America now underway in the blogosphere. The Spanish language bloggers, many of whom take this story very personally and express its significance in heartbreaking tones, also offer a lot. While there are too many to name in a sentence, perhaps no one has done more than Martha Colmenares to track the plight of political prisoners everywhere, and especially in Venezuela, and the world deserves to know her. Cuba Independiente is one of many Spanish-language blogs to watch, take a look at the map image near the bottom of the page just linked for Cuba: La Isla Cárcel (Cuba: The Island Prison). You can also find more links to other Spanish language blogs at both of these two sites, and I include a couple more on this page in the sidebar at the right.

StJacques

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