Cuba's Christian Liberation Movement leader on forgiveness and complicity

"I forgive all the past in favor of a present and future of freedom and life. Not for me but for my people." ... I do not forgive out of hate. No, no but because forgiving a present and a future of injustice and totalitarianism for your country, is not mercy but complicity with the evil of others. -
Tony" Díaz Sánchez, January 2, 2014 over Facebook

 

Tony Díaz Sánchez of the Christian Liberation Movement

Antonio Ramón "Tony" Díaz Sánchez  is the secretary general of the Cuban Christian Liberation movement, a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience and today over Facebook he posted the following comment that has been translated below that succinctly explains what drives so many on the issue of Cuba and why we refuse to remain silent. In the statement below Tony forgives all the injustices and crimes of the past but not the ones being committed presently or new ones in the future. He argues that forgiving present and future crimes are not examples of mercy but of complicity with the one who is doing or going to do wrong. A legal definition of complicity states: "Accountable for a criminal offense committed by another due to previous knowledge of other's crime."

"Me hate ??? Wrong compadre, mistaken my friend. I forgive all I have suffered. I forgive marginalization and monitoring my family, just for not being a communist. I forgive family separation, exclusion from the university, the repression of my ideas and peaceful actions. I forgive the public defamations issued without right to reply. I forgive the unjust imprisonment and imposed mistreatment. I forgive forced exile. I forgive the vile murder of my brothers in ideas. In short, I forgive all the past in favor of a present and future of freedom and life. Not for me but for my people.

  

Because what I do not forgive is that the year has started with the same repression that ended last year. What I can not forgive is that in my country, those who govern, do not recognize the need to change to democracy and allow the people to decide in free and pluralistic elections. I can not and do not want to forgive that right now at this instant there are political prisoners in Cuba and that the existing laws guarantee their imprisonment or perhaps the firing squad for others. I do not forgive that young people are living without life projects, while a group in power live as billionaires. Nor do I forgive the complicity of many interests that seek capital now in Cuba without wanting to find out today what is happening there. 

I do not forgive out of hate. No, no but because forgiving a present and a future of injustice and totalitarianism for your country, is not mercy but complicity with the evil of others."

Oswaldo Payá (Left), Regis Iglesias (Center), Tony Díaz(Right)