Politically motivated witch-hunt by Obama Administration against Democrat Senator who opposed him on Cuba and Iran policy ends.
Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey vindicated
On July 31, 2018 the U.S. Justice Department dropped its case against Senator Robert Menendez bringing to an end a four year long witch-hunt following a mistrial back in November 2017.
From the very beginning, I never wavered in my innocence and my belief that justice would prevail. I am grateful that the Department of Justice has taken the time to reevaluate its case and come to the appropriate conclusion.
Democrats talk a lot about Russian strongman Vladimir Putin ordering the hacking of the 2016 elections, but are very quiet about Cuba's Castro dictatorship smearing a sitting Cuban American Democratic Senator in order to sideline him from taking part in the policy debate on Cuba in early 2014 as the leading Democrat in the Senate Foreign Relation Committee.
The alleged Cuba connection was laid out in an intelligence report
provided last year to U.S. government officials and sent by secure cable
to the FBI’s counterintelligence division, according to the former
official and a second person with close ties to Menendez who had been
briefed on the matter. The intelligence information indicated
that operatives from Cuba’s Directorate of Intelligence helped create a
fake tipster using the name “Pete Williams,” according to the former
official.
These facts were inconvenient to the Obama's Administration, then secret drive, to normalize relations with the Castro regime which became public on December 17, 2014.
Senator Menendez is a profile in courage who confronted the leader of his own party, on what he knew to be great errors in policy in Iran and Cuba that harmed the people of those two countries nd undermined U.S. national interests.
This is in stark contrast to Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who has spent a long career as an apologist for dictatorships, even when it endangered American lives.''
Past FCF president featured in Heritage Foundation's Daily Caller on Brothers to the Rescue shoot down
The author at the Brothers to the Rescue event on February 24, 2016
Even before President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba next month, his
administration has looked to rewrite the history of the Castros’ worst
crimes. An example of this was in 2014, when the Obama administration commuted the double life sentence of Gerardo Hernández.
Hernández had been in jail for conspiracy to commit murder through
his actions related to the 1996 downing of aircraft owned by the
anti-Castro nonprofit “Brothers to the Rescue.”
Brothers to Rescue is a Miami based organization, formed by Cuban exiles, which advocates against the Castro dictatorship.
The atrocities took place in 1996, when two Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down by Cuban jets over international airspace, killing four. Two more Cuban fighters chased a third Brothers to the Rescue plane to within three minutes of downtown Key West but
failed to shoot it down. This plane returned and provided critical
information on what had occurred. If it had been shot down, the Cuban
government had a cover story in place to justify the shoot-down.
In order to carry out the attack, the Castro regime had a spy, who had infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue, initially pose as a survivor in Cuba to confirm the regime’s story. But this story imploded when the third plane made it back to Florida.
The objective of the Castro Regime was to destroyrelief organization while at the same time taking attention away from a crackdown on a national opposition gathering in Cuba.
This was happening in the midst of a warming relationship that started in 1994, between the Clinton administration and Castro that included secret joint military exercises.
Hernández was set free by the Obama administration and was returned to Cuba the same day his sentence was commuted. Two days later on Dec. 19, 2014, Obama sought to rewrite the history of the incident, stating in a press conference that “[i]t was a tragic circumstance that ended up collapsing talks that had begun to take place.”
The Cuban dictatorship planned the attack by using its spy networks in the U.S. to obtain information, which allowed the Castros to carry out this act of state terrorism while also carrying out an influence operation to blame the victims in the media coverage.
On Nov. 14, 1997, U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King found Cuba guilty in civil court
of planning the shoot down before the actual attack, and noted that
there had been ample time to issue warnings to the Brothers to the
Rescue aircraft.
A jury in criminal court presided by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard on June 10, 2001, found Cuban spy Gerardo Hernández guilty of conspiracy to commit murder because of his role in providing information to the Cuban government on the flight plans of Brothers to the Rescue.
On Aug. 21, 2003, a U.S. grand jury indicted
the two fighter pilots and their commanding general on murder charges
for the 1996 shoot-down. Indictments were returned against General Rúben
Martínez Puente, who at the time headed the Cuban Air Force, and
fighter pilots Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez and Francisco Pérez-Pérez.
The defendants were charged with four counts of murder, one count of
conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, and two counts of destruction of
aircraft. They are still at large.
There has been a lack of political will on behalf of the White House
to pursue justice in the premeditated murders of these four men, but the
indictments remain open.
Family members of the four killed (Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario
De La Peña, and Armando Alejandre) have pursued and will continue to
pursue justice and have concrete results for their efforts.
Unfortunately, they face an Obama administration that is trying to
downplay the actions of the hostile Cuban government.
John Suarez is a human rights activist with the Cuban Democratic Directorate.
Center for a Free Cuba sent the following statement along with the letter by the political prisoners in both English and Spanish that was delivered to The White House on December 17, 2015. On the same day many of this former political prisoners picketed The White House protesting President Obama's policies. Free Cuba Foundation founder Augusto Monge was also present and took part in the demonstration.
WASHINGTON – On the morning of December 17, 2015, the White House received a letter asking President Barack Obama to revisit his Cuba policy in light of a considerable increase this year in political repression against peaceful human rights activists on the island. The letter hand-delivered at the White House this morning was signed by more than 100 former Cuban political prisoners who served a total of 1,945 years in Castro’s political prisons and forced labor camps. The letter coincides with the one year anniversary of President Obama’s historic announcement on Cuba. The prisoners say that “based on our history and experience as political prisoners under Castro’s totalitarian regime, the new Cuba policy established by your Administration is a regrettable mistake.” It “will prolong the life of the dictatorship, is worsening the human rights situation there, marginalizing the democratic opposition and compromising U.S. national security,” they said. Writing three days after the President made a statement indicating he wants to travel to Cuba before the end of his term if “we’re seeing some progress in the liberty and freedom and possibilities of ordinary Cubans,” the former political captives said that “human rights violations in Cuba have a terrible history, but the current policy has taken a bad situation and made it worse. Violent beatings against activists peacefully assembling have escalated and worsened over 2015.” “The Administration’s new Cuba policy over the past year,” they tell President Obama, “has compromised U.S. national security.” They remind the President that he commuted “Gerardo Hernandez’s two life sentences” and that Hernandez “was convicted for among other things conspiracy to murder three U.S. citizens and one resident of the U.S.” Hernandez helped plan their murders by Cuban warplanes on international airspace. Raul Castro gave medals to the Cuban pilots who committed the crime. By “returning him to Cuba where he received a hero’s welcome in what was an immense propaganda victory for the Castro regime [the Administration] sent a dangerous signal to those who would harm Americans,” the letter said. A full text of the letter to the President with all of the signatures is attached. The letter was given to the National Security Council at 9:38 this morning. The letter was given by Ernesto Diaz Rodríguez, former Cuban political prisoner and poet who served more than 22 years in Castro’s political prisons and forced labor camps. At 11 AM there will be a demonstration of political prisoners, families, and friends in front of the White House requesting that President Barack Obama ask Raul Castro to stop the attacks against the Ladies in White and to stop the beatings. The prisoners hope that if their request reaches the President, President Obama will call Raul Castro on the telephone to ask him to stop the beatings in Cuba.
December 17, 2015
Mr. Barack H. Obama
President of United States of America
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Mr. President:
Based on our history and experience as political prisoners under
Castro’s totalitarian regime, the new Cuba policy established by your
Administration has been a regrettable mistake. This will prolong the
life of the dictatorship, is worsening the human rights situation there,
marginalizing the democratic opposition and compromising U.S. national
security.
The normalization of relations is creating false expectations and
granting benefits to the tyrannical regime in Cuba; it is also allowing
the Paris Club to forgive billions in debt providing the regime hard
currency which it funnels into its most repressive institutions: the
military and intelligence services giving new life to what we’re dying
institutions. Human rights violations in Cuba have a terrible history,
but the current policy has taken a bad situation and made it worse.
Violent beatings against activists peacefully assembling have escalated
and worsened over 2015.
Politically motivated arbitrary detentions in Cuba as of the end of
November 2015 are a documented total of 7,686 and are on track to break
the previous record set in 2014 with 8,899 arrests. Over the course of
this year the number of detentions have escalated: 178 in January; 492
in February; 610 in March; 338 in April; 641 in May; 563 in June; 674 in
July; 768 in August; 882 in September; 1,093 in October; and 1,447 in
November. Political prisoners continue to be a reality in Cuba.
Despite the claim that there would be continued support for improved
human rights and democratic reforms in Cuba the past year has
demonstrated otherwise. Inviting the Castro regime to the VII Summit of
the Americas in Panama in April of 2015, violated the democratic ideals
of the summit. The dictatorship’s anti-democratic and violent nature
was made evident during the Summit with Cuban nationals and U.S.
citizens beaten up by state security and requiring hospitalization and
summit events interrupted by acts of repudiation organized by the Castro
regime. The U.S. government responses were low level pro-forma protests
while President Obama met with Raul Castro as an equal.
The Administration’s new Cuba policy over the past year has compromised
U.S. national security. First, commuting Gerardo Hernandez’s two life
sentences; he was convicted for among other things conspiracy to murder
three U.S. citizens and one resident of the U.S., and returning him to
Cuba where he received a hero’s welcome in what was an immense
propaganda victory for the Castro regime, sending a dangerous signal to
those who would harm Americans.
Secondly, removing Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list on May
29, 2015 despite: 1) the Castro regime being caught smuggling heavy
weapons and ammunition through Colombia on February 28, 2015. 2) Being
linked to international drug trafficking along with its client state
Venezuela as reported on January 27, 2015. 3) Being in violation of UN
international sanctions to North Korea on July 15, 2013 when caught
smuggling tons of weapons and ammunition including ballistic missile
technology. Ignoring this will get more Americans killed and undermine
U.S. interests.
Finally, having the US Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro
Mayorkas meet with the Castro regime’s Interior Minister Major General
Carlos Fernandez Gondin in what was officially described as a visit of
collaboration and engagement sends worrisome signals that should concern
those who care about national security. Gondin has a history of
engaging in the mistreatment of opposition activists and has an agenda
to undermine U.S. interests, legitimizing him with an official visit
sends a terrible message.
We the undersigned are political prisoners who collectively have served
1,945 years in prison for resisting the Castro dictatorship and fighting
for democracy in our homeland of Cuba. We are writing this letter out
of a deep conviction that this new U.S. Cuba policy will not only harm
Cuban aspirations for a free and democratic Cuba while worsening human
rights there but also endanger American lives.
Señor Barack H. Obama
Presidente de los Estados Unidos de América
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Señor. Presidente:
Basados en nuestra historia y experiencia como presos políticos bajo el régimen totalitario de los Castro, la nueva política hacia Cuba establecida por su Administración ha sido un lamentable error. Esa política prolongará la dictadura en el poder, está empeorando la situación de los derechos humanos en la isla, marginalizando a la oposición democrática y arriesgando la seguridad nacional de los EE.UU.
La normalización de las relaciones ha creado falsas expectativas y otorga beneficios al régimen tiránico de Cuba; y ha resultado en que el Club de Paris le perdone una deuda de miles de millones de dólares, facilitándole a La Habana divisas que destina a sus instituciones más represivas: los servicios militares y de inteligencia, renovándoles sus recursos que se encontraban bastante limitados. La historia terrible de las violaciones a los derechos humanos en Cuba ha empeorado y ha habido un aumento en las golpizas contra los activistas pro derechos humanos a lo largo del 2015.
Las detenciones políticas arbitrarias en Cuba hacia finales de noviembre 2015 ascendieron a 7.686 y están en camino de romper el record anterior del 2014 con 8.899 arrestos. A lo largo de este año el número de detenciones ha escalado: 178 en enero; 492 en febrero; 610 en marzo; 338 en abril; 641 en mayo; 563 en junio; 674 en julio; 768 en agosto; 882 en septiembre; 1.093 en octubre; y 1.447 en noviembre. Los presos políticos continúan siendo una realidad en Cuba.
A pesar de la afirmación de que habría apoyo continuo para lograr una mejoría de los derechos humanos y la democracia en Cuba, lo opuesto ha ocurrido durante este año. Invitar al régimen de los Castro a la VII Cumbre de las Américas en Panamá en abril de 2015 violó los ideales democráticos de la Cumbre. La naturaleza anti-democrática y violenta de la dictadura se hizo evidente durante la Cumbre cuando ciudadanos cubanos y americanos fueron golpeados por la seguridad del estado, necesitando ser hospitalizados, y algunos de los eventos de la Cumbre fueron interrumpidos por actos de repudio organizados por el régimen castrista. Las respuestas del gobierno de los EE.UU fueron pro-forma a bajo nivel mientras que el Presidente norteamericano se reunió con Raúl Castro de igual a igual.
La nueva política hacia Cuba de la Administración durante el año pasado puso en peligro la seguridad nacional de los EE.UU. Primero, conmutando las dos sentencias de cadena perpetua de Gerardo Hernández, convicto por otras cosas, por conspirar para asesinar a tres ciudadanos norteamericanos y a un residente de los EE.UU; devolviéndolo a Cuba donde fue recibido como un héroe en una inmensa victoria propagandística para el régimen de los Castro. Esa política envía una peligrosa señal a los que buscan hacerle daño a los norteamericanos.
Segundo, remover a Cuba de la lista de países que apoyan el terrorismo el 29 de mayo de 2015 a pesar de que el régimen de los Castro: 1) fue sorprendido traficando con armamentos bélicos y municiones por Colombia el 28 de febrero de 2015. 2) Está vinculado al narcotráfico internacional junto a su estado cliente Venezuela como fue reportado el 27 de enero de 2015. 3) Estar en violación de sanciones internacionales de la ONU contra Corea del Norte el 15 de julio de 2013 cuando fue sorprendida traficando toneladas de armamentos y municiones incluyendo tecnología de misiles balísticos. Ignorar esto hará que más norteamericanos sean asesinados y socavará los intereses de los EE.UU.
Finalmente, al reunirse el Subsecretario de Seguridad Interna Alejandro Mayorkas con el Ministro del Interior del régimen de los Castro, Mayor General Carlos Fernández Gondín, en lo que fue descrito oficialmente como una visita de colaboración y compromiso envía señales que deben preocupar a los responsables por la seguridad nacional. Gondín tiene un historial de participar en el maltrato de activistas de la oposición y tiene una agenda destinada a socavar los intereses de los EE.UU. Legitimar al General Gondín con una visita oficial envía un terrible mensaje.
Los firmantes somos presos políticos que colectivamente hemos cumplido 1,945 años de prisión por resistirnos a la dictadura de los Castro y por luchar por la democracia en nuestra patria de Cuba.
Escribimos esta carta debido a una convicción profunda de que esta nueva política norteamericana hacia Cuba no solo dañará las aspiraciones de los cubanos por una Cuba libre y democrática, mientras allí empeoran los derechos humanos, pero también pondrá en peligro las vidas norteamericanas.
Free Cuba Foundation is a member of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, a coalition of Cuban and Cuban-American pro-democracy organizations and reproduces this letter released on December 17, 2015 at a press conference at the Institute of Cuban and Cuban American Studies at the University of Miami.
AN OPEN LETTER TO
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NEW
CUBA POLICY
Coral Gables, Florida. December 17th, 2015- Assembly of the
Cuban Resistance. Today two key organizations of the Cuban American
community, the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance and the Cuban Democratic
Directorate, issued an Open letter to President Barack Obama on the first
anniversary of the announcement of the new Cuba policy. In both video and
written formats, the letter presents to President Obama a powerful evaluation
of the negative repercussions for the human rights movement in Cuba as a result
of an engagement policy consisting of unilateral concessions to the Castro
regime.
AN OPEN LETTER TO BARACK OBAMA ON THE FIRST
ANNIVERSARY OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NEW CUBA POLICY
From
THE CUBAN DEMOCRATIC DIRECTORATE (DIRECTORIO)
17 December 2015
Mr. President:
A year ago today you announced a new policy towards Cuba.
This policy has resulted in little more than one unilateral concession after
another to a totalitarian dictatorship that has continuously oppressed the
Cuban people for the past 56 years.
The first of these concessions was the return to Cuba of
Castro agents, one of whom was directly involved in the murder, on February 24,
1996, of four young men, three of them US citizens and one a U.S. resident, who
were Brothers to the Rescue volunteers piloting unarmed civilian aircraft over
international waters while on a humanitarian mission. This first immoral act,
together with all that followed, has emboldened the continued repression
against the Cuban people.
Emboldened by acts such as these, the Castro Regime’s
repression on the growing civic resistance movement in the island has grown
ever more brazen. It is our goal in this letter to provide information on the
events that have taken place on the ground, in Cuba, over the past year, and
have had a direct effect on Cubans.
Below we take these points from your December 17, 2014
speech announcing the new Cuba policy and contrast them with what has taken
place in Cuba since that date.
President Obama quote: “[W]e
welcome Cuba’s decision to release a substantial number of prisoners whose
cases were directly raised with the Cuban government by my team.”
Mr.
President: This December 10, 2015 – International Human Rights Day – more than
300 activists were arrested in Cuba. This continues a pattern of over
8,000 politically-motivated arbitrary detentions this year. Political
prisoners continue to be unjustly jailed in Cuba. Some have responded to this injustice
by declaring themselves on hunger strike leading to additional punishments by
prison officials. Among these political prisoners, we are deeply concerned by
the current plight of seven: Geovanys
Izaguirre Hernandez and Laudelino
Mendoza who have been imprisoned since November 6, 2015 for writing a sign
that read, “We want change, and no more hunger;” Hugo Damian Prieto Blanco, who was detained on October 25, 2015
accused of charges of public disorder; Vladimir
Morera Bacallao arrested and sentenced to four years in prison for writing
on the wall of his home, “I vote for my freedom and not in elections where I
cannot elect my president,” he has been on hunger strike since October 9th
demanding his freedom; also, on hunger strikes since December 1, 2015, Felipe Martínez Companioni and Alexander Palacios Reyes, jailed for
handing out human rights fliers; and Javier
Jouz Varona since December 14, 2015 when he was imprisoned for carrying out
opposition activities in the streets. I fear for their lives, Mr. President.
President Obama quote: “The
United States believes that no Cubans should face harassment or arrest or
beatings simply because they’re exercising a universal right to have their
voices heard, and we will continue to support civil society there.”
President
Obama: There is a clear linkage between U.S. rapprochement with the Castro
Regime and escalating violence against Cuban activists. Earlier this year on
May 24, 2015, a mother of two was machete attacked on the orders of State
Security, losing her left hand, suffering deep and crippling cuts on her knees,
and the machete cut through the bone of her right arm leaving it dangling. Her
offense? As a regional delegate of the Peoples Power who tried to keep a
neighborhood school open, when official channels ignored her requests, she went
to the international press. Removed from her government position, she joined
the democratic opposition and petitioned for improved human rights and
freedoms. This case is emblematic of the heightened violence against
activists in Cuba since December 17, 2014.
President Obama quote: This
April, we are prepared to have Cuba join the other nations of the hemisphere at
the Summit of the Americas. But we will insist that civil society join us
so that citizens, not just leaders, are shaping our future.
Mr.
President: Inviting the Castro Regime to the Summit of the Americas
in Panama in April of 2015, violated the democratic ideals of the summit. The
cost of ignoring the dictatorship’s anti-democratic and violent nature was made
evident during the Summit when events were interrupted by acts of repudiation
organized by the Castro Regime. On the eve of the Summit, a group of activists
from Cuba and the United States that went to lay flowers at a statue of Jose
Marti were viciously attacked by Cuban State Security. Several required
hospitalization and needed to undergo extensive surgery for the injuries
sustained. In spite of this, you met with Raul Castro and treated him as an
equal, sending a dangerous signal to the Castro dictatorship, but also to
hostile regimes everywhere, that the safety of Americans is not a priority.
President Obama quote: My fellow
Americans, the city of Miami is only 200 miles or so from Havana.
Countless thousands of Cubans have come to Miami -- on planes and makeshift
rafts; some with little but the shirt on their back and hope in their hearts.
Mr.
President: The current U.S. policy that has abandoned the goal of regime change
and is embracing a 56-year-old dictatorship has been received by millions of Cubans,
who were initially hopeful, with profound despair as things have gotten worse.
This, combined with a perception by the Castro Regime that the current
administration is weak, has given a green light to another immigration crisis
in the region. Tens of thousands have already sought to flee the prospects of a
dynastic succession within a continuing Castro dictatorship.
President Obama quote: “I believe
in the free flow of information. Unfortunately, our sanctions on Cuba
have denied Cubans access to technology that has empowered individuals around
the globe. So I’ve authorized increased telecommunications connections
between the United States and Cuba. Businesses will be able to sell goods
that enable Cubans to communicate with the United States and other countries.”
Mr.
President: The United States cannot be blamed for the lack of access of Cubans
to technology. To start with, a 1,600
kilometer (994-mile) fiber-optic cable between Venezuela and Cuba, estimated to
cost $70 million, was actually completed in February 2011 and was due to come
into operation in July 2011. The Castro
Regime’s officials have never explained why this cable remains unused. The obvious reason, as stated by the
prestigious NGO Reporters without Borders, is the political will of the Castro
Regime to keep the Cuban people from freely accessing the Internet. The Castro Regime tightly controls the
distribution and use of computers in Cuba, and access to Internet cafes comes
at a cost that most Cubans cannot afford.
Radio and TV signals from outside Cuba are routinely jammed, and low
tech equipment from short wave radios to laptops have routinely been
confiscated by the dictatorship. The Castro Regime limits access to technology
for the same reason that it controls all media and imprisons independent
journalists: so as to maintain the Cuban people uninformed and
defenseless. What’s more, over the past
five years, despite your efforts in 2010 and again in 2014 of loosening
sanctions, the Castro Regime has gone backwards, not forward in technology
rankings. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United
Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies and
is a respected reference source for international rankings. The ICT Development
Index (IDI) is a composite index combining eleven indicators into one benchmark
measure that can be used to monitor and compare developments in information and
communication technology (ICT) between countries and over time. According to
ITU between 2010 and 2015 Cuba has dropped in rank from 119th to 129th in the
world in IDI overall rankings, falling behind countries such as Lesotho, Sudan,
Zimbabwe, Honduras and Syria.
President
Obama quote: Cubans have a saying about daily life: “No es facil” –-
it’s not easy. Today, the United States wants to be a partner in making
the lives of ordinary Cubans a little bit easier, more free, more prosperous.
No, Mr.
President, it hasn’t been easy for the Cuban Resistance to see the President of
the world’s most powerful democracy shaking the hand of a dictator that has yet
to pay for the crimes that he has committed against humanity. Over the past year, life for the civic
resistance movement of the Cuban people has become even more difficult, as well
as for the Cuban people in general.
Emboldened by unilateral concessions, the Regime has increased
repression and retrenched itself in power.
The thousands of monthly political arrests and the current mass exodus
of Cubans are a result of this. Now is
not the time to unilaterally lift sanctions on the Castro Regime. There is still time for the United States to
lead an international coalition calling for the release of political prisoners,
an end to repression and genuine free elections. The Agreement for Democracy, signed on to by
the vast majority of the Cuban opposition, shows a road map towards true change
in Cuba. Only with this true change can the life of ordinary Cubans be easier,
with freedom, justice and prosperity.
Sincerely,
Dr. Orlando
Gutierrez Boronat, National
Secretary Cuban
Democratic Directorate (Directorio)
CARTA ABIERTA AL
PRESIDENTE BARACK OBAMA EN EL PRIMER ANIVERSARIO DEL ANUNCIO DE LA NUEVA
POLÍTICA HACIA CUBA
Coral Gables, Florida- 17 de diciembre del
2015- Asamblea de la Resistencia Cubana. Dos importantes organizaciones de la comunidad cubano americana, la
Asamblea de la Resistencia Cubana y el Directorio Democrático Cubano publicaron
una carta abierta dirigida al Presidente Barack Obama, en el primer aniversario
de su anuncio de cambio de política hacia Cuba. Las publicaciones, una escrita
y la otra en forma de video, le presenta al Presidente Obama una evaluación contundente
sobre las repercusiones negativas que ha tenido esta nueva política para el
movimiento de derechos humanos en Cuba, como resultado de la misma, que
consiste en hacer concesiones unilaterales al Régimen Castrista.
CARTA
ABIERTA A BARACK OBAMA EN EL PRIMER ANIVERSARIO DEL ANUNCIO DE LA NUEVA
POLITICA HACIA CUBA
De
EL
DIRECTORIO DEMOCRATICO CUBANO
17 de
diciembre de 2015
Sr. Presidente:
Hoy se cumple un año de que usted anunciara una
nueva política hacia Cuba. Esta política ha logrado poco más que una sucesión
de concesiones unilaterales a una dictadura totalitaria que incansablemente ha
oprimido al pueblo cubano por los últimos 56 años.
La primera de estas concesiones fue el regreso a
Cuba de agentes de Castro, uno de los cuales estaba directamente implicado en
el asesinato, el 24 de febrero de 1996, de cuatro hombres, tres de ellos eran
ciudadanos americanos y uno residente en los Estados Unidos, quienes eran
voluntarios de Hermanos al Rescate y piloteaban aviones civiles desarmados
sobre aguas internacionales mientras se encontraban en una misión humanitaria.
Este primer acto inmoral, junto a todos los que le siguieron, han envalentonado
a una incesante represión en contra del pueblo cubano.
Alentados por actos como este, la represión del
Régimen Castrista en contra de la creciente resistencia cívica en la isla ha
aumentado en brutalidad. Es nuestro objetivo con esta carta proveer información
sobre los eventos que han ocurrido en el terreno, en Cuba, a lo largo del año
pasado y han tenido un efecto directo para los cubanos.
A continuación tomamos como base los puntos que
usted tocó en su discurso del 17 de diciembre de 2014, anunciando la nueva
política hacia Cuba, y los contrastamos con los hechos que han ocurrido en Cuba
desde esa fecha.
Presidente Obama cita: “Nosotros recibimos con
placer la decisión de Cuba de liberar a un número sustancial de prisioneros
cuyos casos han sido directamente propuestos por mi equipo al gobierno cubano”.
Sr. Presidente: Este 10 de diciembre de 2015 – Día
Internacional de los Derechos Humanos – más de 300 activistas fueron arrestados
en Cuba. Esto continúa con un patrón de más de 8,000 detenciones
arbitrarias, políticamente motivadas este año. Los prisioneros políticos siguen
siendo injustamente encarcelados en Cuba. Algunos han respondido a esta
injusticia declarándose en huelga de hambre, lo que ha desencadenado castigos
adicionales por parte de los oficiales de prisión. De estos prisioneros
políticos, estamos especialmente preocupados por la situación actual de siete: Geovanys Izaguirre Hernández y Laudelino Mendoza quienes fueron
encarcelados el 6 de noviembre de 2015 por escribir un cartel que decía,
“Queremos cambios, no más hambre”; Hugo
Damian Prieto Blanco, detenido el 25 de octubre de 2015 al serle imputado
cargos de desorden público; Vladimir
Morera Bacallao arrestado y sentenciado a cuatro años de prisión por
escribir en la pared de su casa, “Yo voto por mi libertad y no en una elección
donde no puedo elegir a mi presidente”, él ha estado en huelga de hambre
demandando su libertad desde el 9 de octubre de 2015; también en huelgas de
hambre desde el 1ro de diciembre de 2015, Felipe
Martínez Companioni y Alexander
Palacios Reyes, encarcelados por repartir panfletos sobre los derechos
humanos; y Javier Jouz Varona desde
el 14 de diciembre de 2015 cuando fue detenido por organizar actividades
opositoras en la calle. Yo temo por sus vidas, Sr. Presidente.
Presidente Obama cita: “Los Estados Unidos cree que
ningún cubano debe sufrir asedios, arrestos, o golpizas simplemente porque
ejerciten el derecho universal de hacer sentir sus voces, y nosotros
continuaremos apoyando a la sociedad civil allí”.
Presidente Obama: Hay una relación directa entre el
acercamiento al Régimen Castrista y el escalamiento en la violencia en contra
de los activistas cubanos. A comienzos del año, el 24 de mayo de 2015, una
madre de dos, fue atacada con un machete bajo las órdenes de la Seguridad del
Estado, perdiendo su mano izquierda, sufriendo heridas profundas que la
mutilaron. El machete penetró a través del hueso de su brazo derecho, dejándolo
colgando. ¿Su ofensa? Como delegada provincial del Poder Popular, intentó
mantener abierta una escuela del barrio, cuando las vías oficiales ignoraron
sus pedidos, ella contactó a la prensa internacional. Despedida de su posición
en el gobierno, se unió a la oposición democrática y pidió el mejoramiento de
los derechos humanos y libertades. Este caso es emblemático para ilustrar la
creciente violencia en contra de activistas en Cuba desde el 17 de diciembre de
2014.
Presidente Obama cita: Este abril, estamos
preparados para aceptar que Cuba se una a las otras naciones del hemisferio en
la Cumbre de las Américas. Pero, insistiremos en que la sociedad civil se
una también, no solo los líderes están moldeando nuestro futuro”.
Sr. Presidente: Invitando al Régimen Castrista
a la Cumbre de las Américas en Panamá en abril de 2015, violó los ideales
democráticos de la Cumbre. El costo de ignorar la naturaleza violenta y
anti-democrática de la dictadura fue evidente durante la Cumbre cuando los
eventos fueron interrumpidos por actos de repudio organizados por el Régimen
Castrista. En vísperas de la Cumbre, un grupo de activistas de Cuba y los
Estados Unidos que iban a llevar flores a la estatua de José Martí fueron
despiadadamente atacados por la Seguridad del Estado cubana. Muchos requirieron
ser hospitalizados y necesitaron someterse a extensas operaciones por las
lesiones sufridas. A pesar de esto, usted se encontró con Raúl Castro y lo
trató como un igual, mandando una peligrosa señal a la dictadura Castrista,
pero también a todos los regímenes hostiles en el mundo, de que la seguridad de
los ciudadanos americanos no es una prioridad.
Presidente Obama cita: Mis compatriotas, la ciudad
de Miami está a tan sólo 200 millas de La Habana. Incontables miles de
cubanos han venido a Miami – en aviones y balsas; algunos con poco más que la
camisa que vestían y esperanza en sus corazones”.
Sr. Presidente: La política americana actual, la
cual ha abandonado la meta de cambio de régimen y ha abrazado a una dictadura de 56 años, ha sido
recibida por millones de cubanos, quienes inicialmente estaban esperanzados,
con profunda desesperación mientras la situación ha empeorado. Esto, aunado a
la percepción del Régimen Castrista de que la actual administración es débil,
ha dado luz verde a otra crisis migratoria en la región. Cientos de miles ya
han intentado huir ante la perspectiva de una sucesión dinástica dentro de la
dictadura Castrista.
Presidente Obama cita: “Yo creo en el libre flujo de
información. Desafortunadamente, nuestras sanciones a Cuba han negado a los
cubanos acceso a la misma tecnología que
ha dado poder a individuos alrededor del mundo. Es por esto que he autorizado
un incremento en las conexiones de telecomunicaciones entre los Estados Unidos
y Cuba. Los negocios tendrán la oportunidad de vender productos que permitan a
los cubanos comunicarse con los Estados Unidos y otros países.”
Sr. Presidente: Los Estados Unidos no pueden ser
culpados por la falta de acceso de los cubanos a la tecnología. Para comenzar,
un cable de fibra-óptica de 1,600 kilómetros (994-millas) entre Venezuela y
Cuba, de costo estimado en $70 millones, fue completado en febrero de 2011 y
debía comenzar a operar en julio de 2011.
Los oficiales del Régimen Castrista nunca han explicado porque este
cable permanece sin uso. La razón obvia, como ha sido declarado por la
prestigiosa ONG Reporteros sin Fronteras, es la voluntad política del Régimen
Castrista la que evita el acceso libre a Internet de los cubanos. El Régimen
Castrista estrictamente controla la distribución y uso de computadoras en Cuba, y el acceso a las Salas de Navegación
de Internet tiene un costo que los cubanos no pueden pagar. Las señales de
Radio y TV que entran desde afuera de Cuba son rutinariamente interrumpidas, y
los equipos de baja tecnología de radios de onda corta para laptops han sido
normalmente confiscados por la dictadura. El Régimen Castrista limita el acceso
a la tecnología por la misma razón que controla todos los medios de
comunicación y encarcela a periodistas independientes: para poder mantener al
pueblo cubano desinformado y desprotegido. Además, en los últimos cinco años, a
pesar de los esfuerzos en el 2010 y de nuevo en el 2014 de debilitar sanciones,
el Régimen Castrista ha retrocedido, y no progresado en clasificaciones de
tecnología. La Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones (UIT) es la
agencia especializada de las Naciones Unidas para las tecnologías de la
información y comunicación, y es una fuente referencial respetada para
clasificaciones internacionales. El Índice de Desarrollo de la UIT (IDI)
es un índice compuesto que
combina once indicadores en una medida de referencia que puede ser usada para monitorear y comparar el
desarrollo de la tecnología de la información y la comunicación (ICT) entre
países y a través del tiempo. De acuerdo a la UIT entre 2010 y 2015 Cuba ha
descendido en la clasificación en el mundo, desde la posición 119 a la
129, de acuerdo a la clasificación general de IDI, ocupando un lugar detrás de
países como Lesoto, Sudan, Zimbabue, Honduras y Siria.
Presidente Obama cita: Los cubanos tienen un
refrán sobre la vida diaria: “No es fácil”. Hoy, los Estados Unidos
quiere colaborar en convertir las vidas de los cubanos comunes en algo un poco
más fácil, más libre, más próspero.
No, Sr. Presidente, no ha sido fácil para la
Resistencia Cubana ver al Presidente de la democracia más poderosa del mundo
dándole la mano a un dictador que todavía tiene que pagar por los crímenes que
ha cometido en contra de la humanidad. En el último año la vida para el
movimiento de Resistencia Cívico del pueblo cubano ha sido incluso más difícil,
como también para el pueblo cubano en general.
Envalentonado por las concesiones unilaterales, el Régimen ha aumentado
la represión y se ha afianzado en el poder. Los miles de arrestos políticos
mensuales y el presente éxodo en masa de los cubanos son el resultado de esto.
Ahora no es el momento para unilateralmente levantar las sanciones al Régimen
Castrista. Aún es tiempo para que los
Estados Unidos lidere una coalición internacional que demande la liberación de
los prisioneros políticos, el fin de la represión y elecciones libres genuinas.
El Acuerdo por la Democracia, firmado por la mayoría de la oposición cubana,
muestra una hoja de ruta hacia el cambio auténtico en Cuba. Sólo con este
cambio verdadero puede la vida del cubano común ser más fácil, con libertad,
justicia y prosperidad.
Le saluda atentamente,
Dr. Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, Secretario Nacional, Directorio Democrático Cubano
