April 6, 2009

Raul Castro Ruz, Presidente
La Habana, Cuba
c/o Cuban Mission to UN
Fax: 1 (212) 779-1697

Your Excellency:

I am writing on behalf of the Human Rights Committee of the New York Academy of Sciences to express the Committee's grave concern regarding the situation of six medical doctors who were tried and imprisoned in April 2003 for peacefully expressing their independent political views.

Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet Gonzalez was sentenced to 25 years in prison on April 7th, 2003, after having served a 3-year sentence in 1999-2002. He is being held in the Combinado del Este Prison. According to reports, he has been withheld family visits, phone calls, correspondence, and sunlight on numerous occasions. He endures conditions described as horrendous.

Dr. Marcelo Cano Rodriguez was sentenced to 18 years in prison on April 6, 2003. He is being held in the Prison of Ariza in Cienfuegos, 420 km from his home. According to reports, has been severely harassed by penal authorities since his incarceration. He has not seen sunlight since 2004 and due to the lack of hygiene, he suffers from parasites and fungus on his feet.

Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque was sentenced to 24 years in prison in April 2003. He is being held in the Las Mangas Prison in Bayamo. According to reports, since his imprisonment in 2003, Dr. Paneque's weight has dropped from 86 kg to 48 kg due to intestinal problems. He is malnourished and has developed intolerances for lactose and gluten that are not being catered for by the prison diet. He also suffers from chronic diarrhea and rectal bleeding.

Dr. Luis Milan Fernandez was sentenced to 13 years in prison on April 4th, 2003. Despite having no history of emotional or mental problems, he is being held in the Psychatric Ward of the Prison of Boniato in Santiago de Cuba. According to reports, he endures unbearable heat in his cell and abuse from his fellow inmates. Dr. Milan suffers from several ailments including a tumor in the left humerus, loss of hearing, hypertension and an enlarged liver.

Dr. Ricardo Enrique Silva Gual was sentenced to 10 years in prison on April 7th, 2003. He is being held in the Aguadores Provincial Prison of Santiago de Cuba. According to reports, since his imprisonment he has been subjected to cruel treatment by prison authorities and dangerous convicts who were being encouraged by prison guards to harass him. He suffers from chronic allergies, glaucoma, migraines, and skin infections.

Dr. Alfredo M. Pulido Lopez was sentenced to 14 years in prison on April 4th, 2003. He is being held in the Kilo 7 Prison in Comaguey, in a barrack with 100 violent criminals. According to reports, he is suffering from cardiac arrhythmia, high blood pressure, liver problems, malnutrition, chronic bronchitis, chronic gastritis, and acute disorder of his vision. His wife says he has not left his cell for a month in order to avoid mixing with other inmates who are likely to attack him.

The New York Academy of Sciences, founded in 1817, has more than 25,000 members in more than 140 countries. The Academy is an independent, non-profit scientific and educational organization committed to advancing science and engineering; as well as applying science and technology for the public good. The Committee on Human Rights of Scientists of the New York Academy of Sciences actively pursues the advancement of basic human rights for our colleagues throughout the world. The Committee uses the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, as guidelines for its human rights activities.

Medical doctors form a large fraction of the Academy membership. They are worried about conditions of their imprisoned Cuban colleagues. The above cases of six medical doctors have attracted international attention. Amnesty to these doctors would be celebrated worldwide as a humane act expected from the new Cuban government..

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to us.

Sincerely,

Henry Greenberg
Chair of the Committee on Human Rights of Scientists