Cuban dissident says EU stance change has made things worse

Brussels, May 3 (EFE).- A week after being beaten up by Castro supporters, Cuban dissident Marta Beatriz Roque on Wednesday urged the European Union to modify its policy toward the Communist-ruled island, saying the bloc's suspension of diplomatic sanctions encouraged the regime to step up repression.

Roque, who was attacked in Havana April 26 by a mob she said had "the go-ahead from the regime," took part in a teleconference staged Wednesday by Cuban exiles at the seat of the European Parliament in Brussels.

"We're in a high-risk situation," Roque said, adding, ahead of the review of the common EU policy toward Cuba set for next month, that the European offer of a dialogue with Havana had not only failed to lead to a softening of the Castro regime's position but had actually resulted in its hardening.

"Everything has indisputably worsened," Roque said.

In January 2005, the Council of Europe accepted a Spanish proposal and lifted diplomatic sanctions against the Cuban government imposed in 2003 in response to the arrest and conviction of 75 dissidents.

With last year's move, the EU sought to normalize relations with Havana, without abandoning the objectives previously set forth in its Common Position on Cuba: peaceful democratization, promotion of basic rights and freedoms, and improvement in the living conditions of all Cubans.

During 2005, however, Cuba did not set even one political prisoner free, and the number of prisoners has grown from 294 in 2004 to 333 at present, according to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation.

The mild diplomatic sanctions imposed by the European Union on Cuba in 2003 included restricting official visits to the island and inviting dissidents to embassy receptions. The decision to keep inviting dissidents or not was left to each member state.

"The decision that was made, this big boost that has been given to the Cuban government, has emboldened it and it feels strong at this time with respect to the support it might have in the European Union," Roque said.

She called on the EU member states to act with the "Cuban people" in mind and not its authorities.

"The Cuban government is deaf, telling it 'you have to do better' is like telling it 'you can do whatever you feel like,'" Roque said.

April 3, 2006

Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz
Presidente de los Consjos de Estados y de Ministros
La Habana, CUBA

Your Excellency:

Dear Sir:

I am writing to express the deep concern of the New York Academy of Sciences' Committee on Human Rights regarding the case of Dr. Dariel "Darsi" Ferrer, a medical doctor. It was reported that in the early morning hours of November 29, 2005, uniformed Cuban police raided the home of Dr. Ferrer and "confiscated a laptop, a printer, various bottles of medicine and all the papers they could find." Dr. Ferrer established an independent health and human rights clinic. "We have dedicated ourselves to offering free medical attention to those in need and visiting extremely poor communities where scarcities strike marginalized Cubans daily, to offer health services, give medicine, clothing and toys and to share the suffering of those beings," Dr. Ferrer reported.

We have learned that Dr. Ferrer has been shut out of the official medical community and refused any form of gainful employment. Along with his wife and son, he has been regularly harassed and terrorized in his home and on the streets of Havana.

We call on you to ensure that Dr. Ferrer is not harassed and persecuted for his tireless work on behalf of the sick and the poor, which is his duty as a doctor.

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to our committee and to the international scientific community.

Sincerely,

Eugene Chudnovsky
Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists

November 8, 2005 - This report about the critical situation of prisoner of conscience is signed by his wife, Elsa Morejon Hernandez, and his parents, Hilda G. Gonzalez Alvarez and Luis N. Biscet Cadet.

The last time we saw Oscar, he was very thin but in great spiritual peace with a smile on his lips and his heart full of love. He says he feels well in spite of having high blood pressure. His conscience does not shackle him because exercising the right to free association, free expression, and free assembly, opposing the death penalty, and desiring a system of democratic government for Cuba do no constitute crimes in any country in the world; they are civic and humanistic activities. Criticizing injustices in a civilized way and practicing non-violence is a virtuous act, but it was for these reasons that he was sentenced to 25 years in prison along with 75 other Cubans. It is worth pointing out that prior to this current sentence, Dr. Biscet had served three years in prison for the same reasons, and for which he will complete a total of 6 years in jail on December 6th.

We pray that God will touch the hearts of many good people in the world. Please help us get him out of the human misery in which this black, humble, Christian man, the father of two children, a medical professional, and human rights activist who loves all of humanity has been placed to live.

• Information obtained from Noticuba Internacional
• Information edited and translated from the original text by the Coalition of Cuban-American Women (Joseito76@aol.com), Tel: 305-662-5947
•Elsa Morejón Hernández
Ave. Acosta #464, Entre 8va y 9na, Lawton, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba

Havana, May 22 (EFE).- The first Cuban Democratic Congress, staged here by the Assembly to Promote Civil Society (APSC), ended with a call for the immediate release of all political prisoners in the island and a demand for "democratization."

Some 150 representatives of different dissident groups opposed to Fidel Castro's 46-year-old Communist regime gathered in the backyard of a dissident's house in the Rio Verde neighborhood, in southwest Havana, Friday and Saturday to spur efforts to bring democracy to Cuba.

The dissidents elected a 36-member executive secretariat headed by former political prisoners Martha Beatriz Roque, Felix Bonne and Rene Gomez Manzano, the APSC's main promoters and congress organizers.

Roque read a declaration approved by delegates amid shouts of "Liberty!" and "Democracy!" that called for "freedom for political prisoners." The declaration said the issue of political prisoners should continue to be at the top of the APSC's agenda and demanded their release "without lists, terms or exclusions." The dissidents also demanded an immediate end to the death penalty in Cuba and called on authorities to commute all outstanding death sentences. The document, noting that the Cuban economy is experiencing a "crisis," called for "profound economic changes," charging that for the government "politics is more important than the economy."

In light of "the intense propaganda campaign unleashed by the government against terrorism," the declaration called on authorities to "expel from Cuba the members of the Basque organization ETA" who have been in the island since 1983 under the terms of an agreement with the government in power in Spain at that time.

The document labeled Cuba's government "totalitarian and clearly anti-democratic." Cuban authorities, who in the past have prohibited such gatherings, allowed the congress to take place, although organizers reported harassment of prospective participants.

The meeting's organizers had hoped for the participation of about twice as many dissidents as those who were able to make it to the forum. Some prominent foreigners who had planned to attend, including several European legislators, were either barred entry or expelled last week.

Cuba expelled a Czech senator, a German lawmaker, two former Spanish senators and five Polish journalists who were in Havana to attend the congress. Others, including two members of the European Parliament, were denied entry. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Sunday that even though the expulsions were "not acceptable," the fact that the congress took place at all was "positive."

"There has been a meeting of all the dissidents, which had never happened before, and they were able to criticize, dialogue (and) organize themselves, and, as such, there is also a positive element," Moratinos told reporters. EFE

Update on May 20 Meeting

1-Cuban dissidents cheer, EU simmers as meeting ends

By Marc Frank

HAVANA, May 21 (Reuters) - An unprecedented meeting of dissidents seeking political change in Communist Cuba wrapped up on Saturday with the election of a panel to direct the group and a call for massive peaceful protests.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro's government made no effort to stop the two-day event, but it did deport politicians and other observers from Europe who had arrived on tourist visas to attend the meeting.

Similar attempts by dissidents over the years to bring together the dozens of small, illegal organizations spread around the Caribbean island had been repressed during the planning stages with the arrest of leaders.

Chants of "freedom" and "democracy now" rang out from a home on the outskirts of Havana, where more than 100 delegates gathered to vote for a 36-member steering committee. The committee will also elect officers to lead the group, the Assembly to Promote Civil Society.

Delegates approved a declaration denouncing one-party rule and demanding democratic pluralism, respect for human rights, and freedom for political prisoners, among other issues.

Neighbors appeared to pay little attention as they went about their chores and chatted on street corners.

"This is what we are all about, true democracy, and what we seek for our country," Martha Beatriz Roque, lead organizer of the event, said as more than 170 registered delegates lined up to collect their ballots around noon.

Roque, an economist who has spent four of the last eight years in jail, was re-elected by the new steering committee to lead the organization.

A handful of American and European diplomats attended the meeting, but politicians and other observers who came from Europe were detained by police and ejected from Cuba, as was an Italian reporter and five members of the Polish press. "We find these expulsions very disturbing," one of two European observers said, "though it is obviously very positive this event happened."

Italy and Spain summoned the Cuban ambassadors in Rome and Madrid to explain the expulsions, which could hurt Havana's ties with the European Union, which are already complicated by human rights concerns.

The EU must decide next month whether to continue its policy of seeking political dialogue with Castro or reimpose diplomatic sanctions against Cuba, which has ignored EU calls for the release of 61 jailed dissidents arrested in 2003.

The EU dropped diplomatic sanctions in January at the request of Spain's Socialist government. U.S. President George W. Bush praised the dissidents for their courage in coming out of the "shadow of repression" in a video message played to the meeting on Friday from a laptop computer.

Bush said his administration, which last year stepped up restrictions on travel and cash remittances to Cuba, will keep working to hasten political change on the island. Cuba's small dissident movement, which is recovering from a crackdown in March 2003, remains badly divided and silenced by censorship in the island's state-run media.

Several opposition groups stayed away from the meeting because they disagree with Roque's close ties with right-wing exiles in Miami and the public support the United States gave to organizing the meeting.

Update from Elsa Morejon - October 2004

On October 21,2004, Dr. Biscet was taken out of the isolation cell where he had been confined since July 7,2003 after carrying out a fast of ten days from October 14 -24 to protest his inhumane imprisonment.

Elsa Morejon, wife of this Cuban political prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar E. Biscet was able to see him on October 30, provide him with the designated ration of food supplies and a lunch. Authorities promised her she would be allowed the previous prison visits which had been denied to her husband.

After so many days in an isolation cell without any exposure to sunlight, Elsa Morejon noticed her husband had lost weight and was pale, yet found him emotionally strong.

Elsa Morejon also declared the following:

"Infringing upon article 58 of the Cuban constitution that states that the integrity of a prisoner cannot be violated, on October 12, 2004, my husband was taken to an office where he refused to be examined by a team of medical specialists, as a group of government officials appeared and tried to film him in the presence of the Public Prosecutor, the Prison Director and other individuals. My husband told these physicians that they should not permit prison punishments which he had been subjected to. My husband refused to speak before the cameras and left. Aware he was being filmed as he walked away handcuffed, he made a victory sign with his fingers and cried out: " down with the Castro dictatorship!"

Basing himself on a prison law that secures his personal protection, Dr. Biscet requested to be placed alone in a cell. The assistant prison director though, told the family he is presently confined in a small cell with a resident of the United States accused of human trafficking.

Havana, Cuba. September 8, 2004.

Cuban Political Prisoner, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet continues confined in critical condition

I have not committed an act of indiscipline but have only requested security measures for my personal wellbeing due to the difficulties within the prison compound. No prisoner should be penalized for this but, if authorities are following high governmental orders, then I will carry out with dignity this unjust punishment. My conscience and my spirit are well.

Dr. Biscet
Cell # 5, Kilo 8 Prison
Pinar del Río

This note from my husband was handed to us on August 26, during a prison visit. For the period of 17 months after his summary trial on April 7, 2003, my husband has been confined 8 months in punishment cells suffering inhumane prison conditions. He's been cut off from his family, forbidden from receiving any visits, telephone calls, food or any literature. He's been deprived of sunlight; his correspondence is intercepted and he is denied his personal belongings. He sleeps on a cement slab and only at 10:00 p.m. he is given a small mattress.

From February 2003, through September 7, 2004, he has only been permitted 4 family visits, 3 deliveries of food provisions, and has never been allowed to make or receive any phone calls. During the 5 months he was confined with dangerous criminals, he felt harassed and pressured to comply with a discipline incongruent with his personality and his principles, reason he refuses to cohabit a cell with such individuals.

Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet is president of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights. His only crimes are to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, oppose the death sentence, and desire to live in a democracy in his own country. Dr. Biscet cannot practice as a physician in Cuba. He served a three year sentence in a maximum security prison in the province of Holguin, 768 kms. away from his home. He was released in November 2002, and arrested once more on December 6 of the same year.

My husband is a man who preaches and practices nonviolence and who loves justice. The treatment he is being subjected to in prison goes against his health, his dignity and his physical integrity. He suffers essential high blood pressure, hereditary high cholesterol, a deplorable dental health, and severe digestive disorders.

We are aware that Cuba is signatory of international covenants and prohibits these punishments, and we are also aware that these acts constitute an attempt against human rights. Thus, we request solidarity from international human rights groups, democratic governments, and from all those devoted to justice, to intercede on behalf of my husband before the Cuban government so that he is treated in a respectable manner during the time he must be in prison.

With gratitude,
Elsa Morejon Hernandez
Wife of prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet

Open Letter from Dr. Biscet's family

My name is Elsa Morejon Hernandez, wife of Dr. Oscar E. Biscet. My husband is arbitrarily confined in a Cuban prison for defending the human rights of the Cuban people. The Cuban government is violating all rights he is entitled to according to the Cuban Penal System. My husband is isolated from his family and we are only able to communicate with him verbally every three months, during two hours. As a woman I feel I am mistreated since my human rights are also being violated. The Cuban government is continuously harassing me personally, by isolating me from the outside world so that I am unable to inform of the situation my husband is suffering.

We, Dr. Biscet's family members, have told prison authorities that it is inhumane to keep my husband incarcerated in a maximum security prison serving a 25 year prison sentence, as it also inhumane to keep in jail the rest of the Cuban political prisoners. Regardless of the fact that Cuban authorities consider us mercenaries (a false accusation), our only desire is to live in freedom in our own country.

Dr. Biscet is confined in a maximum security prison 150 km. away from his home, in Destacamento #1, along with 100 or more common prisoners, sharing a cell with six delinquents. The prison food is poor and inadequate for a human being. The heat is unbearable, the water is contaminated and recreational time is insufficient.

We are denouncing this situation, requesting the world's intercession on behalf of my husband whose present state of health is unknown to us. We have not spoken to him since our last prison visit on April 14, 2004. We also denounce the harassing phone calls we receive at home during the night with verbal insults, a violation of women's rights. Sadly, these calls are supposedly made by individuals with masculine voices who call themselves men.

We wish to inform the world of these arbitrary violations the Cuban government commits against defenseless women. I make use of my right to speak, the only weapon I have to defend myself of these injustices perpetrated against Cuban citizens who oppose the Cuban regime.

Thank you very much,
Relatives of Dr. Biscet and Lic. Elsa Morejón Hernández, his wife

Testimony obtained from Cuba by Cubanet.org. Translation by Tanya Wilder, Human Rights Committee of the Coalition of Cuban-American Women. Email: (tswilder@charter.net)

Open Letter to Public from the Wife of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet

Havana, March 10, 2004

My name is Elsa Morejón Hernández. I am a Christian woman and a defender of human rights in Cuba. My hope is that this message will serve as a testimony to the world about the injustices that we, the men and women who are struggling peacefully in our country for the freedom of all Cubans, are suffering.

My husband, Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet, who is 42 years old, a Christian, a married man, and the father of two children, is imprisoned in Cuba in the maximum security prison, Kilo 8, in Pinar del Río, 162 kilometers from Havana where his family lives. He was sentenced on April 7, 2003, along with 75 other peaceful dissidents, in a summary trial under Article 91 of the Cuban constitution. The article states that he violated the sovereignty and integrity of the Cuban state.

On October 13, 2002, my husband completed a three-year prison term, in the maximum security prison, Cuba Sí, 768 kilometers from his family. He was sentenced only because in November, 1999, he publicly convened a peaceful march, asking the Cuban government for an end to the death penalty and for the freedom of political prisoners in Cuba. On December 6, 2003, he was again arrested when he went to the home of a colleague for a discussion about human rights. He was kept illegally in Combinado del Este prison in Havana for the alleged crime of public disorder. On March 29, 2003, he was moved to the Department of State Security in Havana, where he was subjected to interrogation, and where he was isolated until his summary trial on April 7, 2003. At the same time, we were the object of searches of our home by Castro's State Security. The only dangerous weapons the State Security agents found in my home were books by Martin Luther King, Jr., Newsweek magazines, articles about human rights, an old computer from 1995, two CD's about medicine, and an authorized permit to the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. The last item was the greatest find for the State Security, about which my husband responded openly on April, 7: "I visit them (the US Interests Section) because they are my friends, and they love freedom and justice like I do. I take them documented violations of human rights committed by the Cuban government. We have never bow to a foreign government; we have appealed to diplomatic headquarters seeking solidarity and expressing our desire to live in freedom in our own country."

Dr. Biscet was confined in the prison, Kilo 5, in Pinar del Río, after the summary trial and was forced to remain in a punishment cell for seven months without proper clothing, wearing only his undergarments. He was denied family visits, was isolated, and was out of contact with his family because he refused to wear the common prisoner's uniform. On November 13, 2003, the authorities moved him to Kilo 8 prison in Pinar del Río, where he is presently detained. Since his arrival there, State Security kept him isolated in a cell without windows for two months, with restricted food, without family visits, without reading material, and without sunlight, only because he refused to share a cell with a prisoner sentenced for murder. On January 16, 2004, he was taken from the punishment cell and placed in the same jail in a cubicle next to twelve hardened (common) prisoners without high prison sentences Neither the sanitary conditions nor the food there is acceptable. He does have the right to family visits every three months (only close family, two people), reading material that does not contain anything different from communism, personal toiletries, and some food as allowed by the prison, but limited in quantity. He cannot have a radio or any contact with his family by phone-only letters that have to be handed to the guard. These letters are sometimes read by prison officials, and depending on their content, they are sent to the family and vice versa.

Dr. Biscet joined the human rights movement in Cuba in 1990 and founded his organization for human rights in 1997 with the sole purpose of defending the right to life and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That same year, he and his wife both lost their jobs because he publicly opposed abortions in the hospital where he was working.

Before going to prison, my husband had no dental problems. As a result of prolonged incarceration and the lack of dental care, his teeth are in very poor condition. He has no confidence that there is any good intention on the part of State Security concerning this matter. In addition, he suffers from high blood pressure, in spite of being treated for it with a restricted diet and Atenolol. He refuses much needed medical tests, because he distrusts State Security. In spite of everything, his mother and I saw him on February 26, 2004, and he mentioned that he felt better since he was out of the punishment cell. He says that the authorities take him out in the sun daily,that he walks a little bit on the patio during exercise time, that he gets along with the other prisoners, and that they respect and appreciate him. In the five years that he has been in prison, Dr. Biscet has maintained a true unshakeable spiritual strength; in the last communication he wrote to me on the eve of his anniversary in prison, he said, "I am a man who is guided by my ethical principles. The suffering of another is also my suffering. I cannot calmly accept evil because doing so would eat away my bones, and my mind would never live in peace. I oppose injustice so that it will not prevail. Non-violent resistance to evil dignifies the human spirit and at the same time fulfills me as a person. For this reason, I will be here in prison as long as God so desires." (Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet)

We are convinced that this man is innocent, as God also knows. The accusations imposed upon my husband to jail him have nothing to do with the true peaceful public activities that he carries out in defense of life and human rights. My husband is in prison as a result of the lack of freedom and justice in my country, Cuba. For this reason, we appeal to the conscience of all men and women of good will, to organizations of human rights, the international press, and nations that they demand the immediate release of Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet and all political prisoners, whose only crime has been and is to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We thank you in advance for your solidarity,

Relatives of Dr. Biscet and Lic. Elsa Morejón Hernández, his wife

Testimony obtained from Cuba by Cubanet.org. Translation by Tanya Wilder, Human Rights Committee of the Coalition of Cuban-American Women. Email: (tswilder@charter.net)

Testimony by Elsa Morejon - January 4, 2004

In Danger Life of Incarcerated Cuban Physician Dr. Oscar E. Biscet confined in a "dungeon" since November 2003

"My husband is unrecognizable since I last saw him four months ago; he is so thin, pale and ill looking", declared Elsa Morejon, wife of the Cuban civic leader, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet Gonzalez, " these punishments are destroying him and if he continues where he is he will die…"

Cuban prisoner of conscience, Dr. Oscar E. Biscet Gonzalez, who is serving a 25 year prison sentence, continues confined with a common criminal in a cell with no windows or light which he described as a "dungeon", for refusing to stand up to acknowledge the presence of prison guards and officials during the recount of prisoners. His punishment prohibits family visits, food supplies, toiletries, clothing, receiving or sending any correspondence, and going out in the sun.

Dr. Biscet informed his wife that all he asks is that his status as a political prisoner be respected by prison authorities who force him to follow disciplinary measures imposed upon common prisoners. He reiterated to his family that "the punishments imposed upon me are of a psychological nature and I am doing all in my power to endure them…"

The Prison Director at Prison Kilo 8 informed Elsa Morejon that her husband "has no manners" since when he was forced by guards to stand during the prisoners' recount he cried out loud "down with the dictatorship".

Elsa Morejon, her brother and mother-in-law Hilda Gonzalez, traveled 80 kilometers from Havana to Kilo 8 Prison in the province of Pinar del Río and were able to see Dr. Biscet for 15 minutes after holding a long argument with high prison officials, who reminded them Dr. Biscet is punished and cannot receive any visits. This Cuban physician has only been permitted one family visit during the eight months he's been imprisoned in the province of Pinar del Rio.

Dr. Biscet previously served 3 years in prison and was released October 31, 2002, only to be re-arrested on December 6, 2002 as he was to meet with human rights activists. On April 7, 2003 he was tried summarily during a Cuban government crackdown, along with 75 other activists and independent journalists and was sentenced to 25 years for "serving as a mercenary to a foreign state."

Dr. Biscet, a 42 year old black physician, follower of Ghandi and Martin Luther King, has been wearing only his underwear as he deems it unacceptable to wear a common prisoner's uniform because he considers himself innocent of the charges for which he was sentenced. He suffers from severe hypertension and gum infection.

Elsa Morejon makes the Cuban government responsible for the physical and mental well-being of her husband and urgently appeals to heads of states, leaders of political, civic, religious and professional organizations, the press, and all men and women of good will worldwide to demand before the Cuban government the unconditional and immediate freedom of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet and all those prisoners whose only crime is to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in their own country.

Elsa Morejon Hernandez / Address: Acosta 464 entre 8va y 9na, Lawton, Municipio 10 de Octubre, La Habana, Cuba.

Testimony by Elsa Morejon provided via telephone from Cuba. Recorded, transcribed and translated. Coalition of Cuban-American Women/ LAIDA CARRO
Email: Joseito76@aol.com

Excerpts from a note from Dr. Biscet addressed to his wife:

November 19, 2003

"I'm in a punishment cell because I did not accept to be locked up with a man condemned to life imprisonment, an assassin who killed an elderly person. I'm well though unable to see the sky, always in darkness, confined with a man who has committed 12 criminal assaults."

"I don't know why I'm in this dismal place; I will not grieve nor be afraid for being punished in this dungeon; I will face life's difficulties in order to enjoy the germination of love. I know I will succeed; the darker the place, the brighter and more intense the light."

TWO PATHS?

September 19, 2003

To my Cuban compatriots wherever you are, be that inside of our enslaved island or in exile in whatever part of the world, and also including those of Cuban ancestry born in other lands. To all of you, I send my warmest and most sincere greeting.

These differences have added fuel to the fire of the most recent and dangerous obstacle which we face.

This (Constitution) is an atheistic monstrosity that has served only those who enslave our people.

Will we accept defeat after almost a half century of patriotic heroism in search of our freedom and democracy, or will we show the world that the most brutal and longest dictatorship of our time was not able to extinguish the unbreakable spirit of the Cuban people?

Tragically, more than forty years of our national nightmare have passed so that we find ourselves one more time facing the same choice but with the opportunity of rectifying our errors and truly become masters of our own destiny.

A path where unconditional and immediate amnesty is granted to all political prisoners.

Together we can attain for our homeland complete democracy, worthy of its citizens.

DO NOT SUPPORT OR PROPOSE A SINGLE SOLUTION OR SETTLELMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE CUBAN NATION WHICH YOU WOULD NOT DEEM ACCEPTABLE FOR YOUR OWN COUNTRY.

May God illuminate our way for the freedom of Cuba.

DR. OSCAR ELIAS BISCET GONZALEZ
President of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba
Prisoner of Conscience

June 18, 2003

Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
405 East 42nd St.
New York, NY 10017

Dear Secretary General:

We write to you of a matter of extreme urgency to our Academy and its Human Rights of Scientists Committee regarding Martha Beatriz Roque, recipient of the Academy's 2002 Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Award.

Founder and Director of the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists and leader of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society, Roque Cabello, 56, was arrested and jailed along with dozens of other human rights activists including scientists, intellectuals, and independent journalists. She was tried in secret and sentenced to a 20-year prison term on April 7.

In view of reliable information from her family, friends, and news agencies, Martha Roque's health is deteriorating and she is in great need of medical care. We are urging the United Nations to send a special medical team to examine Martha Beatriz Roque and to monitor the health of imprisoned Cubans.

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to our committee and to the international scientific community.

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, nonprofit, global membership organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. Established in 1817, the Academy is the oldest scientific organization in New York, and the third oldest in the nation. It is an international organization with nearly 25,000 members in more than 150 countries. Sincerely,

Joseph L. Birman, Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists

Havana, 5 June 2003, 01:40 PM

I am Elsa Morejon Hernandez, the wife of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, President of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba and prisoner of conscience. I would like to tell the world about the critical situation of my husband.

Dr. Biscet has been kept in a punishment cell, in a solitary confinement, since April 23. The prison is located at the 5.5 km of the Luis Lazo road in the Pinar del Rio Province. The prison cell is 6 ft by 3 ft, with insufficient light and ventilation, no shower or running water, a hole for the toilet, and unsanitary conditions. There is no bed, he sleeps on the floor. He is prohibited from keeping any books, including the bible, or any other personal belongings, like food, vitamins, prescription medications, paper, pens, etc. He cannot communicate with his family. He has no access to fresh air or sunlight. The only items allowed in the cell are a sheet, a towel, toothpaste, dental floss, soap and deodorant. His civilian clothing, together with his shoes and underwear, was confiscated on April 23rd and returned to me in accordance with the prison rules. Since April 23rd his only clothing has been shorts and beach thongs.

It has been over one month since the family of Dr. Biscet has been able to talk to him over the phone. The official visits scheduled for May 2 (a hygiene visit), May 13 (a regular visit), and May 28 (a private visit), together with the delivery of food and other items, have been suspended. On all three occasions we met instead with the director of the prison, the warden, the re-educator, and the political representative, among other officials of the Security Department of the Pinar del Rio province. Among the allegations presented by these officials were:

• He was put in a punishment cell for refusing to wear the prison uniform.
• In that cell all his prison rights are suspended.
• If we give him his civilian cloth he will never wear the uniform.
• We will give him underpants in exchange for his shorts.
• A sweater is only permitted if it has the letter "P" on the sleeve, which he does not accept.
• Only shoes without shoelaces are allowed in his cell.
• We are giving him all medicine he needs, which is one tablet of vitamins per day.
• He gets food and he eats but he is not accepting special foods, like chicken, vegetables, and soup, because he says that it should be given every day and not once a month.
• We have a doctor who measures blood pressure but he refuses his services because he thinks that the doctor can transmit a disease to him.
• We spoke with him and he continues to refuse to wear the prison uniform.

On 28 May 2003 we have received a petition from Oscar that says "I am an honest man, innocent of the charges, and I will not betray my beliefs. I am in good health but feel very lonely. I am appealing to God who is not indifferent to the suffering of his servants."

I have told the authorities the following:

My husband is a peaceful, God loving, nonviolent human being and not an animal. I understand that there is a rule regarding wearing of the prison uniform, but I also know that most of the 75 prisoners falsely accused of crimes against the state security wear civilian cloth because Cuba has a shortage of prison uniforms. The measures against my husband violate the international human rights treaties against torture and unusual cruel punishment to which Cuba is a signatory. These measures violate his physical integrity. They are not educational in nature and, without doubt, they lead to negative effects that cause illnesses such as psychological traumas, skin diseases, respiratory diseases, infections, eye problems, and nutritional deficiencies among others. Regardless of the status, prisoners have rights in accordance with the Article 31 of prison rules, that says: "Corporal punishment, imprisonment in a dark cell, as well as any cruel, inhumane or humiliating punishment, are strictly prohibited as disciplinary actions".

My husband's health was good before he went to prison in 1999, but now he is suffering from high blood pressure and gum disease. In 1999 Dr. Biscet was sentenced to 3 years in prison for exercising his right to protest against the death penalty in Cuba and for appealing for the release of all political prisoners. He fully served his sentence in the Cuba Si prison in Holquin, 768 km from his family, and was released on October 31st, 2002. He was arrested again on December 6, 2002, for meeting with his friends to discuss human rights. He was then put in the Combinado del Este prison in Havana, initially accused of violating public order. On March 29, 2003, he was transferred to the Headquarters of the Security Police and accused of actions undermining the integrity and sovereignty of Cuba. On April 7, 2003, he was given a 25-year prison term. On May 22, 2003, he was transferred to the 5.5-km Prison of Pinar del Rio.

Dr. Biscet is 41, black, married, and is a father. His only crimes are his respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, his opposition to death penalty and abortion, and his leadership in organizing the human rights movement of non-violent civil disobedience to reclaim rights of prisoners of conscience. This man does not deserve to die in a dungeon. This man and his family have lost everything except God for the noble cause of human rights. He deserves a just treatment. He does not present any danger for the society. He deserves to be free, together with his family and his people. I know that my husband's life is in danger. I ask for an immediate intervention in this deplorable situation by all good people of the world, including Cubans. Doing politics is different from serving justice. We can only improve humankind by working together.

Sincerely,

Lic. Elsa Morehon Hernandez
Avenida de Acosta, No. 464
Entre 8va y 9na, Lawton
Municipio 10 de octubre
Ciudad Habana, Cuba cp. 10700
Tel. 991774

June 9, 2003

President Jimmy Carter
The Carter Center
1 Copenhill
Atlanta, GA 30307

Dear Mr. President:

We write to you on a matter of extreme urgency, knowing of your interest in Human Rights and your recent visit to Cuba. Because of the reported severe deterioration of the physical condition of the three imprisoned human rights activists,

Martha Beatriz Roque, economist,
Oscar Elias Biscet Gonzalez, medical doctor,
Espinosa Chepe, economist,

we call on you to make an immediate public appeal to President Castro to permit them to receive emergency medical care. Our many fellow scientists and engineers, who are members of this Academy urgently join in this appeal.

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to our committee and to the international scientific community.

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, nonprofit, global membership organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. Established in 1817, the Academy is the oldest scientific organization in New York, and the third oldest in the nation. It is an international organization with nearly 25,000 members in more than 150 countries.

Sincerely,

Joseph L. Birman, Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists

May 21, 2003

Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz
Presidente de los Consjos de Estados y de Ministros
La Habana, CUBA

Your Excellency:

I am writing to express the deep concern of the New York Academy of Sciences' Committee on Human Rights regarding the prison conditions of Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello, former Professor of the University of Havana, Director of the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists, and leader of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society. She is the recipient of the 2002 Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights Award of NYAS.

Ms. Roque is kept under severe conditions in a 4.5 by 18 foot constantly lit cell in a maximum-security Manto Negro prison near Havana. The cell is infested with roaches and mosquitoes. She has lost a lot of weight and is suffering from rheumatism and high blood pressure. She has been denied medical assistance and fresh-air walks outside her cell. The continued detention of Ms. Roque constitutes a serious violation of the international human rights standards enumerated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ms. Roque is a prisoner of conscience. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison, for peacefully expressing her opinions on the Cuban socio-economic situation. We call on the Cuban government to release Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello immediately and unconditionally.

In the mean time we are asking for details on her current state of health, and access to her nutritional and medical care in prison as outlined in the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and The UN Body of Principles for the Protection of all persons Under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment. We are also requesting information regarding the conditions in Manto Negro prison and regulations regarding the right of relatives of prisoners to bring medicine in the prison.

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to our committee and to the international scientific community.

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, nonprofit, global membership organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. Established in 1817, the Academy is the oldest scientific organization in New York, and the third oldest in the nation. It is an international organization with nearly 25,000 members in more than 150 countries.

Sincerely,

Joseph L. Birman, Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists

April 9, 2003

Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz
Presidente de los Consjos de Estados y de Ministros
La Habana, CUBA

Your Excellency:

I am writing to express our deep concern regarding the heavy sentences imposed against non-violent Cuban dissidents. Among those sentenced is Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello, an economist, the director of the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists and leader of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society. She has been sentenced to 20 years on April 7, 2003. She is a recipient of the 2002 Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Award of the New York Academy of Sciences. We are also concerned about medical doctor Oscar Elias Biscet, tried on April 7, 2003 and awaiting a 25-year to life sentence this week.

We are aware that all of the detainees are being tried under Cuban government laws that criminalize non-violent opposition to the government and its policies. By enforcing these laws the Cuban government is in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 10: Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his [or her] rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him [or her].

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of the frontiers.

Article 20(1): Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

We request that your government honor these provisions that provide for freedom of expression and immediate and unconditional release of Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello and Dr. Oscar Biscet and all of the detainees held solely because of their peaceful exercise of their internationally recognized human rights.

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to our committee and to the international scientific community.

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, nonprofit, global membership organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. Established in 1817, the Academy is the oldest scientific organization in New York, and the third oldest in the nation. It is an international organization with nearly 30,000 members in more than 150 countries.

Sincerely,

Joseph L. Birman, Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists

This letter was also sent to Sr. Felipe Perez Roque, Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Commission on Human Rights

April 3, 2003

With a new spiral of repression being faced by Cubans these days from the totalitarian regime, we decided to issue another statement to draw public attention to the facts of abuse and lawlessness in the country.

1. The country is swept by trials of arrested a couple of days ago Martha Beatriz Roque of the Assembly to Promote the Civil Society in Cuba, and human rights advocates, dissidents, independent journalists, and trade union activists. In fact, all of them are prisoners of conscience.
2. In handling these cases, Cuban judiciary is using the so called facilitated procedure which, under articles 479 and 480 of the Law on Criminal Procedure, should be applied only in "exceptional circumstances".
3. It is evident that the simplified procedure fits best the repressive policy pursued by the central government of the country.
4. We have also learnt about a sudden search at the house of the wife of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, a dissident arrested several months ago, and about the transfer of this peaceful opposition activist to the headquarters of the State Security Department. It is also known that his case was incorporated with the cases against the 78 dissidents arrested in Cuba in the past few weeks. Like it happened to another non-violent oppositionist, Rogelio Menendez.
5. Taking into account the above mentioned developments, we felt compelled to adopt this urgent declaration to denounce a new wave of unlawful actions committed by the Cuban regime and to appeal for international solidarity with all prisoners of conscience.
6. We strongly protest against a disproportionate cut in the length of legal procedures related to the cases against our arrested fellow citizens which made them totally "defenseless" before the Cuban judiciary.
7. To make you better understand the extent of abuse, we draw your attention to the fact that defense lawyers were given only a few hours to study the files of preliminary indictment that, judging by their volume, had been compiled for many months. In most cases, the defendants were not allowed to meet their lawyers before the trial to discuss the line of defense.
8. Besides, it is impossible to understand what kind of "exceptional circumstances" have forced the authorities to resort to such speedy trials. Perhaps the regime is in a hurry to wrap them up before the end of the war in Iraq to minimize an international response to these politically-motivated trials.
9. We also want to highlight an unprecedented fact that the Cuban authorities are trying to link Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet to episodes which took place when he was in prison.
10. We respect the right of every defendant and his relatives to choose his own line of conduct towards a defense lawyer appointed by the state. But since these trials have a clear political motivation and are conducted by the totalitarian regime in the absence of basic legal safeguards, we hereby declare that should we be arrested and charged in the course of this crackdown campaign, we would refuse the legal counsel and would not appeal against arbitrary court judgements.
11. In this critical hour for our country, we re-affirm our common position and appeal to all our fellow citizens to join our declaration.

Havana, CUBA

Signed by: Gustavo Arcos Bergnes, Felix Antonio Bonne Carcasses, Rene Gomez Manzano, Vladimiro Roca Antunez; Elizardo Sanchez Santa Cruz.

March 25, 2003

Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz
Presidente de los Consjos de Estados y de Ministros
La Habana, CUBA

Your Excellency:

I am writing to express deep concern of the New York Academy of Sciences' Committee on Human Rights regarding the arrest of dozens of dissidents on charges of engaging in "conspiratorial activities." Among those eighty arrested is Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello, an economist and recipient of the 2002 Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Award of the New York Academy of Sciences, Felix Bonne Carcases, former professor of engineering at the University of Havana, Vladimiro Roca Antunez, and Rene Gomez Manzano, economists and founders of the Working Group for the Analysis of the Cuban Socio-Economic Situation.

It was reported that the State Security officials broke into Roque's house where she was conducting a hunger strike to protest the arrest of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, a physician, taking a computer, all her books, and medicines that she had been collecting to distribute to independent pharmacies. We are urging the government to make sure that all of the detained have access to their families, lawyers, and any medical attention and we are requesting that the Cuban Government honor provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that provides for freedom of expression and immediate and unconditional release of all individuals held solely because of their peaceful exercise of their internationally recognized human rights.

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to our committee and to the international scientific community.

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, nonprofit, global membership organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. Established in 1817, the Academy is the oldest scientific organization in New York, and the third oldest in the nation. It is an international organization with nearly 30,000 members in more than 150 countries.

Sincerely,

Joseph L. Birman, Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists

February 22, 2002

Sr. Jefe del Centro de Investigaciones del Departamento de Seguridad del Estado
Versalles
Santiago de Cuba
Prov. Oriente, Cuba

Dear Sr. Director:

As the chair of the Human Rights Committee of the New York Academy of Sciences, I am writing to you to express our concern regarding the harassment and arrest of Martha Beatriz Roque Cabellos, an economist on February 11, 2002.

According to our information, Martha Beatriz Roque has declined to have her residence fumigated against dengue for the second time this year because of her ill health.

We are calling on your authorities to stop harassing Ms Rogue for peacefully expressing her opinions on the Cuban socio-economic situation.

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, nonprofit, global membership organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. Established in 1817, the Academy is the oldest scientific organization in New York, and the third oldest in the nation. It is an international organization with nearly 40,000 members in more than 150 countries.

Sincerely,

Joseph L. Birman
Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists

This letter has been sent to Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz, Presidente de los Consjos de Estados y de Ministros, Dr. Juan Escalona Reguera, Fiscal General de la República, and Sr. Jefe del Centro de Investigaciones, del Departmento de Seguridad del Estad.

April 14, 2003

Sr. Jefe del Centro de Investigaciones
del Departmento de Seguridad del Estado
Versalles
Santiago de Cuba
Prov. Oriente
CUBA

Dear Sr. Director:

I am writing to express our dismay regarding the harsh sentencing of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet to 25 years in prison. Dr. Biscet was tried for "subversive activities." He was arrested in December 2002, only one month after he was released from a three-month prison term for peacefully protesting government policies.

We condemn this totally unjustified and draconian sentence by the court. We request that the Cuban government honor the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that provide for freedom of expression and immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Biscet, a prisoner of conscience.

We also want to ensure that he has access to independent legal advice to appeal his sentence and that he receive the medical attention that he needs, and access to his family.

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to our committee and to the international scientific community.

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, nonprofit, global membership organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. Established in 1817, the Academy is the oldest scientific organization in New York, and the third oldest in the nation. It is an international organization with nearly 25,000 members in more than 150 countries.

Sincerely,

Joseph L. Birman, Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists

From Cuba, An Urgent Appeal to the World by Elsa Morejon

Havana, Cuba. April 4, 2003

My name is Elsa Morejon Hernandez. I´m a Christian woman who defends human rights in Cuba. My wish is that this letter serves as testimony to the world concerning the injustices and psychological terror presently suffered by those of us who struggle peacefully in our country for the freedom of all Cubans.

My husband, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet González, president of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights, is a pro-democracy activist presently incarcerated and accused of committing crimes against Cuban State Security. He has been subjected to the physical and psychological mistreatment suffered by all those who oppose the present Cuban regime such as beatings, threats, humiliations, blackmails, intimidating interrogatories and incarcerations in cells deprived of light, along with insane individuals and common criminals. On several occasions, State Security tried to subject him to psychiatric examinations, pressures him to leave Cuba and has prohibited him from practicing medicine.

For his peaceful struggle in favor of human rights, my husband had to serve a three-year sentence in the maximum security prison "Cuba Si", 768 kilometers away from his family. Thirty six days following his release on October 31, 2002, he was re-arrested December 6 as he was about to assemble with other activists to discuss human rights. He remained 19 days at a Police Precinct (PNR) in Havana sharing a cell with 5 delinquents and sleeping on the floor. He was transferred December 24, 2002 to the Combinado del Este Prison where he was confined to a cell block with 30 common criminals. Since March 29, 2003 he is imprisoned at Villa Marista, the general headquarters of the political police in Havana and is summoned to appear this coming Monday, April 7 before the Municipal Tribunal of 10 de Octubre. Authorities request a 25 year sentence, based on article 91 of the Cuban Penal Code which implies Crimes against State Security.

Authorities are implicating my husband, Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet, in a wave of arrests which began this past March 18 in the island, involving almost one hundred independent journalists and civil activists. For their peaceful dissent, these Cubans are accused of subverting the Cuban socialist system, crime for which many are expected to serve life sentences and may even be executed.

These charges are inappropriate allegations against my husband, a man who promotes and carries out peaceful, public and open activities in defense of all human rights, particularly the right to life. His ideals are the only instruments he uses to implement his desire that civil and political rights are respected in Cuba.

Dr. Biscet has been prohibited from associating with independent organizations since in Cuba all NGOs answer to the interests of the present communist regime.

We have never submitted ourselves to the interests of a foreign state but have appealed to the solidarity of foreign countries through their embassies in Havana expressing our aspirations to live in freedom in our own country.

Convinced of my husband's innocence and of all activists presently incarcerated, I urgently ask dignitaries of democratic nations, human rights organizations, religious, civic and political leaders, the international press and all men and women of good will in the world to demand before the Cuban regime the unconditional and immediate freedom of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet and all those prisoners whose only crime is to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in their own country.

Elsa Morejon Hernandez Acosta 464 entre 8va y 9na, Lawton, Municipio 10 de Octubre, La Habana, Cuba.

December 11, 2002

Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz
Presidente de los Consjos de Estados y de Ministro
La Habana
CUBA

Your Excellency:

I am writing to express the great concern of the New York Academy of Sciences; Committee on Human Rights regarding the arrest on December 6 of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, a physician and founder of the Lawton Foundation. We were informed that nine police cars surrounded the house of Raul Arencibia on Avenida 518 in the Lawton area of Havana and forced the 9 members of the Lawton Human Rights Foundation, including Dr. Biscet into the police cars and drove away.

We are requesting information or the reasons for the arrest of Dr. Biscet and his colleagues, as according to our information they were trying to convene a human rights discussion group.

I respectfully await your response to this matter of great importance to our committee and to the international scientific community.

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, nonprofit, global membership organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. Established in 1817, the Academy is the oldest scientific organization in New York, and the third oldest in the nation. It is an international organization with nearly 30,000 members in more than 150 countries.

Sincerely,

Joseph L. Birman Chairman, Committee on Human Rights of Scientists