Justice for the victims of the "13 de Marzo" tugboat massacre.
Human rights and civil society organizations are calling for a silent demonstration in remembrance of the victims of the "13 de Marzo"Tugboat, who were murdered by the Castro regime on July 13, 1994.
Human rights activists, members of international civil society and Cuban exiles will gather in front of the Embassy of Cuba located at 2630 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 to hold a 25 minute vigil of silence for the 25 years that the crime has remained unpunished.
WHAT: Vigil to remember "13 de Marzo" Tugboat victims killed 25 years ago by the Castro regime.
WHEN: July 10, 2019 at 8 PM
WHO: Human rights organizations and international civil society.
WHERE: Embassy of Cuba 2630 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 The facts:
On July 13, 1994, a group of 72 Cubans, including children and women, tried to escape from the Island of Cuba aboard an old tugboat. State Security Forces, and four Cuban State boats of the Havana regime intercepted the boat 7 miles off the coast of Cuba, with water jets from pressure hoses pulled people off the deck, tore the children from the arms of their mothers and sank the tugboat. 37 people were murdered, 11 of them children.
Despite the fact that the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and other international organizations issued reports documenting the crime, despite the fact that the survivors and relatives of the victims requested an independent investigation of the facts, and that the bodies of the deceased be recovered from the sea, nothing happened. Those who gave the order of the sinking and those who carried it out still remain without being held accountable. The crime remains unpunished.
Justicia para las víctimas del Remolcador 13 de Marzo
Organizaciones
de derechos humanos y de la sociedad civil convocan a una demostración
silente en recordación de las víctimas del Remolcador 13 de Marzo,
quienes fueron asesinadas por el régimen de La Habana el 13 de julio de
1994.
Activistas
de derechos humanos, miembros de la sociedad civil internacional y del
destierro cubano se darán cita frente a la Embajada de Cuba ubicada en
2630 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 para llevar a cabo una velada
simbólica de 25 minutos de silencio por los 25 años que el crimen ha
permanecido impune.
QUE: Actividad simbólica para recordar las victimas del Remolcador 13 de Marzo
hundido hace 25 años por el régimen de La Habana.
CUANDO: 10 de julio de 2019 a las 8 PM
QUIEN: Organizaciones de derechos humanos y de la sociedad civil internacional.
DONDE: Embajada de Cuba
2630 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Los hechos:
El
13 de julio de 1994, un grupo de 72 cubanos, entre ellos niños y
mujeres trataron de escapar de la Isla de Cuba a bordo de un viejo
remolcador. Fuerzas de la Seguridad del Estado, y cuatro lanchas
guardacostas del régimen de La Habana interceptaron la embarcación a 7
millas de la costa de Cuba, con chorros de agua de mangueras a presión
sacaron a las personas de la cubierta, arrancaron a los niños de los
brazos de sus madres y hundieron el remolcador. Fueron asesinadas 37
personas de las cuales 11 eran niños.
A pesar de que la Comisión de
Derechos Humanos de la ONU, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, y otras organizaciones internacionales realizaron reportes
condenatorios del crimen, a pesar de que los sobrevivientes y familiares
de las victimas pidieron una investigación independiente de los hechos,
y que los cuerpos de los fallecidos fueran rescatados del mar, nada ha
ocurrido. Los que dieron la orden del hundimiento y los que la llevaron a
cabo aún permanecen sin ser llevados ante la justicia. El crimen sigue
impune.
Remember the Ghosts of June 4th and demand justice
What happened?
Thirty years ago today the Communistleadership of China opened fire on the Chinese people. The Pro-Democracy Movement that had taken to the streets
in April of 1989 was violently crushed by the Chinese communist
dictatorship beginning on the evening of June 3, 1989.
How many were killed?
By dawn on June
4, 1989 scores of demonstrators had been shot and killed
or run over and crushed by tanks of the so-called People's Liberation
Army. and the blood of students and workers splattered and flowed in the
streets of Beijing.
The Chinese Red Cross had initially counted 2,600 dead when they were pressured to stop by Chinese officials and silenced
on this matter. Following the massacre an additional 1,000 were
sentenced to death and executed. Scores of Chinese who participated in
the Tiananmen protests would spend years and decades in prison.
A 2017 declassified British diplomatic cable revealed that
"at least 10,000 people were killed in the Chinese army's crackdown on
pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in June 1989."
How Henry Kissinger's downplayed the Beijing Massacre in the United States Former
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger persuaded the Bush Administration in
the immediate aftermath to downplay the human rights considerations
surrounding the Beijing Massacre and to focus on the economic and
strategic relationship. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) published a October 1, 1989 article
revealing Kissinger's direct business ties to Communist China and his
defense of the regime and justification of the massacre. FAIR reported
how on August 1, 1989 this business consultant who also heads "China
Ventures" [that engages China's state bank in joint ventures]wrote a column that appeared in a Washington Post/L.A. Times ("The Caricature of Deng as a Tyrant Is Unfair", 8/1/89). In it Kissinger argued against sanctions:
"China remains too important for
America's national security to risk the relationship on the emotions of
the moment." He asserted: "No government in the world would have
tolerated having the main square of its capital occupied for eight weeks
by tens of thousands of demonstrators."
Kissinger's reputation according to Umair Khan who reviewed his 2011 book, On China, describes him as a
man whose "reputation is based on his career as a diplomat turned
business consultant." This business relationship was not mentioned back
in 1989 by those publishing the former Secretary of State's case against
sanctions on China.
Kissinger proved wrong by events in Eastern Europe
Incidentally over the course of six weeks
in 1989 beginning on November 17, the one-party government of the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia although engaging in acts of
repression did not commit a huge massacre against tens of thousands of
demonstrators in the main square of its capital. The demonstrations grew
to Tiananmen Square levels of 200,000 and 500,000 demonstrators in
Prague. The end result was the Velvet Revolution and 25 years of peace
and prosperity. Kissinger's argument did not hold up under the light of
events. Consequences of looking the other way
Unfortunately, the downplaying of the human rights situation in China
has had consequences over the long term. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dictum
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" has special
resonance.In 2011 Muammar Gaddafi believed that he could get away with mass murder
because the world looked the other way in June of 1989 in Beijing and
said it plainly:
"The unity of China was more important than those
people on Tiananmen Square."
Its not the first time impunity in one
bloody deed has encouraged another. Between 1915 and 1917 the Ottoman
Turks murdered more than 1.5 million Armenians and like the Chinese
communists in 1989 got away with it. This inspired Adolph Hitler to carry out his own holocaust stating in 1939:
"Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"
Holocaust survivor and writer Elie Wiesel has denounced indifference and silence before injustice stating that: "There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."
For the next 24 hours will be sharing information over social media provided by Chinese pro-democracy activists on the events that took place 30 years ago in Beijing.
The Free Cuba Foundation since its founding recognized that being
"victims of totalitarianism we share a bond with other captive peoples
past and present who are our brothers and sisters in this struggle for
freedom."
Please share videos of documentaries on the Tiananmen Square protests, the crackdown and massacre, and the aftermath. For example, Tiananmen Mothers, a group of family members of those killed during the violent crackdown on the 1989 Democracy Movement produced a short documentary:
"Portraits of Loss and the Quest for Justice"in which the stories of
six victims are told by their family members, and two survivors provide
their own testimony. It can be viewed online here.
— Initiatives for China (@CitizenPowerIFC) March 10, 2019
Both
Cubans and Tibetans looked to 1959 as an opportunity for democratic
restoration and liberation. Instead tyranny entrenched itself. The Cuban
nightmare began amidst the hope on January 1, 1959 that the departure
of Fulgencio Batista into exile would mean a democratic restoration and
an end to authoritarian tyranny instead it was the beginning of a new
totalitarian communist tyranny headed by Fidel Castro.
Free Tibet!
Tibetan's hoped that a national
uprising that erupted in Lhasa on March 10, 1959 would drive the Chinese
occupiers out of their homeland. Instead His Holiness the Dalai Lama
had to flee to India to avoid imprisonment or assassination as the
Chinese communists crushed the uprising.
Six decades later we share something in common with the year 1959: a year of dashed hopes. A terrible year, when communism came to our countries, and even worse for Tibet - it is the year Communist China's occupation was consolidated and His Holiness the Dalai Lama went into exile.
We Free Cubans remain in solidarity with Tibetans and the cause of a Free Tibet. We will stand with you. For China to get out of Tibet and for human rights and liberty to return to Tibet.
Today my thoughts and prayers are with the brave people of Tibet who
have spent decades resisting the occupation of Communist China over
their homeland. While at the same time showing their solidarity with
other captive peoples, including Cubans and for that I will be eternally
grateful and in solidarity with their freedom struggle. Today I also joined with Free Tibetans in protest to demand an end to the occupation of their homeland.
60 years ago today
a rebellion began in Tibet against the Chinese communist occupation of
their homeland. Tens of thousands were slaughtered and this tragic episode is now recognized as
Tibetan National Uprising Day. Below is
today's statement by Tibet's President.
Statement of the President of the Central Tibetan Administration on the 60th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day
When the People’s Liberation Army
(PLA) of China first marched into Tibet, they promised to build “One
Road” which would bring “peace and prosperity” for the Tibetan
people. However, once the Road was completed, the PLA’s tanks, guns and
more soldiers came and occupied the entire Tibetan Plateau.
Sixty years ago, on this very day in
1959, the Tibetan people rose up against the occupying Chinese army.
With their fists raised in the air, our brothers and sisters marched
together to make it clear that the Land of Snow is a Tibetan territory.
“Tibet belongs to Tibetans,” they shouted. Standing steadfast in unity,
they protected and ensured the safety of our root guru, our tsawai lama, His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama.
Over the last six decades, the
government in Beijing has brutally repressed the Tibetan people, denied
us our basic rights and has consistently pursued systematic policies to
crackdown on Tibetan language, culture, unique identity, and spiritual
practices. In essence, China has deliberately aimed to eradicate Tibet’s
civilization from the face of this earth.
In this year’s annual report, Human
Rights Watch states that the Chinese authorities have used a “nationwide
anti-crime campaign to encourage people to denounce members of their
communities on the slightestsuspicion of sympathy” for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Furthermore, crackdown on human
rights defenders has intensified in recent years. Language advocate
Tashi Wangchuk is currently serving an arbitrary five-year jail
sentence. His only crime was advocating for the Tibetan people’s
cultural and linguistic rights as enshrined in the PRC’s own
Constitution. Recently, China has also banned Tibetan children from
attending informal language classes held at their local monasteries.
As a prelude to its ambition to
control the global surveillance network, China uses Tibet as a testing
ground for high-tech surveillance methods. Using a “grid system of
social management,” the Communist Party strengthens its Orwellian
control over both the electronic and physical surveillance of Tibet.
Additionally, since 2008, road blocks and check points have increasingly
dotted all major roads in urban areas as well as in remote areas of the
Tibetan Plateau. Chinese authorities have assigned at least one officer
for every 20 Tibetans in the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
In a dystopian world it has created, often a son is pitted against his
father, a daughter against her mother, and sibling against sibling.
Commonly known as the “Third Pole”,
the Tibetan Plateau holds the world’s largest reservoir of glaciers
apart from the two poles. Tibet, therefore, is the source of some of the
largest rivers in Asia with over one billion people depending on these
waters. Consequently, rising temperatures on the high plateau endangers
the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people in Asia and also
negatively amplifies global climate change. China’s deeply flawed
environmental policies have already turned the Tibetan Plateau into
destructive mining hubs, and the unbridled damming of rivers makes the
situation even more dangerous.
The assaults on Tibet and her people
have always been multi-pronged. Over two million Tibetans, particularly
nomads, have been forcibly removed from their ancestral land and
relocated into large-scale ghettos without any alternative opportunities
to lead a dignified and traditional life.
As a resentment to these harsh and
repressive policies, 153 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2009 with
the most recent one committed by a 23-year-old man named Dopo on
November 4, 2018. While committing self-immolation, the protestors have
called to restore freedom for Tibetans and the return of His Holiness to
Tibet.
Freedom House has listed Tibet as the
world’s second least free region for the last four consecutive years.
Likewise, Reporters Without Borders expressed “outrage over the
systematic violation of press freedom” and has stated that it is harder
for journalists to get access to Tibet than to North Korea.
My Tibetan brothers and sisters
around the world, in spite of living through the darkest period in our
history, we have stood together in unity and achieved a great many
things against all odds. Our journey over the past six decades has also
been that of hope, resilience, and resistance.
Beginning in the early 1950s in
Eastern Tibet, each of China’s tyrannical policy has been met with
resolute defiance. The Tibetan National Uprising in March 1959; brave
resistance in prisons and concentration camps in the 1960s and 1970s;
and the large-scale demonstrations in the 1980s have all shown that the
Tibetan people have consistently and collectively fought for their
rights, freedom, and justice.
In 2008, the whole world witnessed a
new generation of Tibetans in a nationwide uprising against the Chinese
occupation and ignited a spark of unwavering courage to assert for their
identity and dignity. They declared: “Our voices will not
be suppressed; our commitment will not falter.” This resolute resistance
continues.
Similarly, in exile, we have not only
rebuilt ourselves but also become a successful and thriving community.
When our grandfathers and grandmothers first arrived in India 60 years
ago, their fate was uncertain and their future unknown. But under the
guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, they re-established themselves.
Shovel by shovel and brick by brick, they built schools, monasteries,
nunneries, and settlements. Families formed communities to sow seeds of
hope in their corn fields. Men and women renewed their skills to weave
carpets and pave a better future for their children.
Through these institutions and
communities, we have managed to restore and revive our language, culture
and most importantly, our identity. The depth of our history,
traditions, spirituality and determination enabled us to transform our
narrative from that of victims to survivors. The strength of our cause
and our ability to efficiently implement development programmes over the
decades have won us continued support and admiration from our friends,
supporters, and aid groups around the globe.
Under His Holiness’ leadership, the
Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has evolved into a robust democracy
in exile based on the rule of law, gender equality and universal
suffrage. In 2011, His Holiness devolved his political authority to a
democratically-elected leader. The CTA today represents the aspirations
of Tibetans inside Tibet and Tibetans-in-exile scattered over 40
countries around the world. It oversees 71 Tibetan settlements; 276
monasteries and nunneries, 68 schools – having a literacy rate higher
than many countries in South-and Southeast Asia – hospitals, clinics,
and old age homes. All of these institutions and centres cater to the
needs of Tibetan refugees in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Our thirteen
Offices of Tibet serve as official liaison channels in as many
countries.
However, our success is not confined
to our communities alone. The Tibetan freedom movement has garnered
insurmountable international support with Tibet Support Groups (TSGs) in
54 different countries and 40 countries hosting Parliamentary Support
Groups. Today, Japan hosts the largest All-Party Parliamentary TSG
comprising of 90 members. Similarly, the Czech Parliamentary Group for
Tibet is the largest in Europe with over 50 representatives from both
the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
In 2018, some of the most powerful
Member States at the UN Human Rights Council called upon China to stop
the gross human rights violations in Tibet. We are both inspired and
encouraged by support for Tibet from countries like Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden,
Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States at China’s Third
Cycle of Universal Periodic Review.
Just as importantly, in December last year the United States took an unprecedented step by passing the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act. This bi-partisan law denies
entry to America to Chinese officials deemed responsible for
restricting American officials’ and journalists’ access to Tibet. The
President of the United States further strengthened support for Tibet
with the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, which
secures special economic support to promote and preserve Tibetan
culture, education, and environmental conservation as well as
sustainable development.
We are aware that the
Chinese government pays only lip service to words like “co-operation”
and “dialogue”. If indeed it earnestly believes that “co-operation can
bring world peace,” it should renew its dialogues
with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As we have stated
repeatedly, the envoys are ready to talk and peacefully resolve the
issue of Tibet through the Middle Way Approach.
Instead of looking to end the 60
years of repression in Tibet, the Chinese government has come out with a
“Zero and 100 strategy.” Under
this new strategy, zero news from international media and exile Tibetans
will be allowed into Tibet and projects 100 percent official propaganda
about Tibet to the outside world and the Tibetan community in exile.
Hence, we must remain vigilant.
The Chinese government assumes that
the issue of Tibet will fade with time. But our experience of over
half-a-century makes us believe otherwise. The young Tibetans in Tibet
experience repression and resistance, whereas, young Tibetans live in
exile and learn about freedom and democracy.
Together, the young
generation in Tibet and in exile are determined in seeking truth and
justice. This new generation of Tibetans is committed to preserving
their unique identity and pursuing their dignity. They are prepared to
carry forward the baton of the struggle until the Tibet issue is
resolved.
Ultimately, it is for the Tibetan people to decide their own
destiny and that of Tibet.
To honour and offer our deep
gratitude for the support we have received for the last 60 years, the
Kashag dedicated 2018 as the “Year of Gratitude.” Accordingly, we began
with “Thank You, India” and ended with “Thank You, America” with
programmes in many other countries in between to express our profound
appreciation to old and new friends of Tibet. I once again want to
convey our sincere thank you to our dear friends in India and all around
the world.
My friends, the tragic case of Tibet
is a stark reminder of how much work is left to be done. Sixty years of
the occupation of Tibet and the repression of Tibetans is far too long.
To ensure that Tibet’s freedom
struggle marches forward, the Kashag today officially declares 2019 as
the “Year of Commitment.” I want to call upon freedom-loving people of
the world to commit to end oppression in Tibet and to commit to fight
against impunity. To Tibetan people everywhere, let us continue our
commitment to struggle for justice. Let us continue to strengthen our
resilience so we can be united with our brothers and sisters in Tibet in
freedom. Let us commit to the return of His Holiness the Great 14th
Dalai Lama to the Potala Palace in Lhasa – where he rightfully belongs.
Where was the outrage when President Obama whitewashed the murder of Americans?
Obama went farther to whitewash the murder of three Americans and a US resident by the Castro brothers
There is justifiable outrage today in the media over how President Donald Trump gave a pass to the North Korean dictator for the murder of Otto Warmbier, an American citizen. According to Trump, Kim Jong Un "felt badly
about it,” and he continued: “In those prisons and camps, you have a lot of people, and
some really bad things happened to Otto.” ... “Some
really, really bad things. But [Kim] tells me that he didn’t know about
it, and I will take him at his word.” Otto's parents pushed back and the media gave broad coverage to their statement.
Otto Warmbier was systematically tortured by the North Korean
dictatorship, and was released brain damaged, howling in pain and died
days later from his injuries.
Otto Warmbier during his show trial in North Korea
Where was the outrage in 2014 when President Obama not only gave a pass to the murder of three American citizens and a U.S. resident by Fidel and Raul Castro, but took it a step further by misrepresenting a premeditated and well documented act of state terrorism? President Barack Obama on December 19, 2014 during a year end press conference said:
"So, with respect to sabotage, I mean, my understanding of the history,
for example, of the plane being shot down, it’s not clear that that was
the Cuban government purposely trying to undermine overtures by the
Clinton administration. It was a tragic circumstance that ended up
collapsing talks that had begun to take place. I haven't seen a
historical record that suggests that they shot the plane down
specifically in order to undermine overtures by the Clinton government."
Worse yet he commuted the sentence of the Cuban spy who was serving a double life sentence for murder conspiracy in the Brothers to the Rescue shoot down and espionage who also planned terrorist acts on U.S. soil.
The events surrounding the February 24, 1996 shoot down
began weeks in advance with the Cuban dictatorship planning the shoot down
and using their spy network to obtain information to advance the
conspiracy.
Four victims of the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown
It is true that the shoot down was not meant to undermine
overtures by the Clinton administration and although it paused the
process by the end of 2000 President Clinton had shaken Fidel Castro's hand and a few months later opened cash and carry trade with the dictatorship.
1) Radio communications between the MiG29 and the military base
clearly show that the fighter planes were sent out before the Brothers
to the Rescue aircraft arrived at the 24th parallel level, that they
were searching for a specific target, and that they even decided not to
attempt any warning maneuvers to make the shoot down easier for the
Cuban MiG pilots.
From the circumstances surrounding the events of 24 February 1996, from
the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of lethal force applied to
the civilian aircraft, from the intensity of that force, and from the
way in which the authorities at the Havana military control tower
congratulated the MiG-29 pilots after they had carried out their orders,
the Commission finds sufficient evidence that Carlos Costa, Pablo
Morales, Mario De La Peña, and Armando Alejandre were arbitrarily or
extrajudicially executed at the hands of agents of the Cuban State. [34]
Consequently, the Cuban State is responsible for violating the right to
life, as enshrined in Article I of the American Declaration of the
Rights and Duties of Man.
3) U.S. courts have also found the Castro regime guilty of premeditation in this shoot down.
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 if these had been needed.
A jury in criminal court presided by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard found Miami-based Cuban spy Gerardo Hernandez 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 August 21, 2003 a U.S. grand jury indicted the two fighter pilots and their commanding general on murder charges for the 1996 shoot down.
"MX instructs that under no circumstances should German nor Castor fly
with Brothers to the Rescue or another organization on days 24, 25, 26
and 27, coinciding with celebration of Concilio Cubano [a planned
national conference of dissident groups in Havana], in order to avoid
any incident of provocation that they may carry out and our response to
it."
Silent vigil for Brothers to the Rescue victims today at Florida International University
Silent vigils held yesterday in Opa-locka, Washington DC and today in Miami at Florida International University (FIU) with friends and family members of Armando
Alejandre, Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales,Brothers to the Rescue martyrs, killed on February 24, 1996 and other victims of Castroism.
Silent vigil for Brothers to the Rescue in front of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Vigils in Washington D.C. in front of the Cuban Embassy and at FIU started
at 3:21pm and concluded at 3:27pm. The times the two planes were shot down by a Cuban MiG.
Members of Brothers to the Rescue in Opa-locka remember their martyred brethren
Please send us any pictures or
selfies of your own ceremony. Even if it is one person that organized the event. We will share it over our social media platforms.
