"Judgment for an evil thing is many times delayed some day or two, some century or two, but it is sure as life, it is sure as death!" - Thomas Carlyle
37men, women, and children killed on July 13, 1994
This Saturday will mark nineteen years that have passed since 37 men,
women and children were massacred by agents of the Cuban government as
they tried to find a better life in freedom. On the early morning hours of July 13, 1994 the "13 de Marzo" tugboat left Havana harbor bound for the United States only to be intercepted six miles from the Malecón by other tugs that rammed and sank it while being monitored by the Cuban coastguard.
Over the past 19 years this day has been a time to remember and to organize actions for others to remember this crime and demand justice.
This year is no different. On July 13, 2013 please join in the campaign
over social media to tweet and post "13 de Marzo tugboat" or
"Remolcador 13 de marzo" in Spanish along with links to videos and
reports explaining and documenting the atrocity.
"In
Cuba there are missing and it is known who has disappeared them,
the latter are heroes for the government."..."There are more than
20 murdered childrenwaiting to beclaimed andmothers and grandmotherswhowere not allowed tolook for themwhenthey were killedoff the coast ofHavana" - Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, El Nuevo Herald, March 18, 2005*
Ever since the July 13, 1994 massacre the Free Cuba Foundation has
organized actions to remember what took place on that day. This year
will also mark on July 22nd one year since the killings of two nonviolent human rights defenders, Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante. Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas from his home in Havana, Cuba spoke clearly and courageously about the events that took place on July 13, 1994 six miles off the Cuban coastline. It was that kind of speaking truth to power in Cuba, and the courage to nonviolently organize others in support of a democratic transition that led to his being a hated target of the regime. Oswaldo knew what the stakes were: "They have told me that they will kill me before this regime ends, but I will not flee." On July 22, 2012 the Castro dictatorship carried out its promise killing him and Harold.
Free
Cuba Foundation members are discussing various ideas to remember these
injustices in a creative matter. What would you suggest? How do you plan to remember the 37 men, women and children massacred by Cuban government agents on July 13, 1994? How do you plan to remember Oswaldo and Harold and what happened on July 22, 2012?
***
*Original
quote: "En Cuba sí hay desaparecidos y se sabe quiénes los
desaparecieron, estos últimos son héroes para el gobierno" ... "Hay más
de 20 niños asesinados que esperan ser reivindicados y
madres y abuelas a las que no se les permitió buscarlos cuando los
asesinaron en las costas de La Habana." - Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, MENSAJE DE PAYÁ DESTACA QUE EN LA ISLA HAY DESAPARECIDOS El Nuevo Herald, March 18, 2005 - PAGE: 23A SECTION: Panorama
“For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.” - Elie Wiesel
Guantanamo Naval Base U.S. Navy photo by Chief Bill Mesta.
Today, as the subject of immigration is all over the news, its appropriate to recall the culmination of a series of actions of extreme cruelty visited on Cubans who were just trying to leave Cuba twenty years ago that have still not been dealt with in a just manner.
The location of these crimes was within sight of the Guantanamo Naval Base run by the United State. This was nine years before the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp was established. There were no detainees from the war on terror being held on the base.
Nevertheless acts of extreme cruelty were taking place that for a short time drew attention. U.S. soldiers patrolling the perimeter of the base had been surprised by the sounds of explosions then horrified by what they observed. This led to a formal diplomatic note to the Cuban government by the Clinton Administration. This in turn led to a front page story in The Miami Herald on July 7, 1993 which described what the soldiers had witnessed:
Cuban marine patrols, determined to stop refugees from reaching the U.S.
Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, have repeatedly tossed grenades and shot at
fleeing swimmers and recovered some bodies with gaff hooks, U.S. officials
charged Tuesday. At least three Cubans have been killed in the past month as Cuban patrol
boats attacked swimmers within sight of U.S. Navy personnel at Guantanamo.
Unfortunately, inside of Cuba human rights defenders are systematically persecuted and when they document certain events that the dictatorship does not want to be known the consequences for them can be severe.
Francisco Chaviano González, a former mathematics teacher, and human rights defender was the president of the National Council for Civil Rights in Cuba (Consejo
Nacional por los Derechos Civiles en Cuba - CNDCC), an organization whose work included
"documenting the cases of Cubans who have been lost at sea trying to
leave the country."
Francisco Chaviano: 13 years in prison for investigating missing Cubans
Francisco was trying to investigate the cases of a number of Cubans who had gone missing. He was warned by state security to stop his human rights work or he would be arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He refused to leave and was detained, drugged and subjected to a military trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison of which he served 13 years in terrible conditions suffering numerous beatings and the denial of healthcare which led to a wholesale decline in his health. Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience.
What was it that the Cuban government feared would be revealed? The 1993 complaint from the Clinton Administration offers a glimpsed into the extreme cruelty of the Castro regime against Cuban migrants in five separate incidents:
* On June 19 at 2 p.m., U.S. guards, startled by the sounds of
detonations, saw Cuban troops aboard patrol boats dropping grenades in the
paths of several swimmers headed for the U.S. base. * On June 20 at 1:30 p.m., Cuban troops repeated the action, then strafed
the water with machine-gun fire. * On June 26 at 11 a.m., three patrol boats surrounded a group of
swimmers, lobbing grenades and spraying them with automatic weapons fire. At
least three corpses were lifted out of the water with gaffs. * On June 27 at 11:30 a.m., guards aboard patrol boats lobbed two
grenades into the water. * The same day, just before 3 p.m., a patrol boat opened automatic fire
on a group of swimmers, who were later seen being pulled from the water. The
swimmers' status was unknown. U.S. officials said they did not know how many people had been killed
in the recent Guantanamo incidents, but said at least three could not have
survived the attacks.
Twenty years have passed since these atrocities took place. The Cuban government has escaped accountability for these crimes and in turn have perpetrated new ones. A year after these atrocities they were caught in the midst of a massacre in which 37 fleeing Cubans were massacred aboard the "13 de Marzo" tugboat on July 13, 1994. This crime received better documentation but no one has been held accountable. The crimes have continued and nonviolent heroes such as Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante also died under suspicious circumstances on July 22, 2012 that demand accountability. The fact that no high ranking Cuban official has had to answer for these atrocities has only meant that more have and will continue to be committed. This should not be a surprise. The Roman philosopher Cicero understood that "The greatest incitement to guilt is the hope of sinning with impunity."
For those who advocate forgiveness and reconciliation in Cuba, the Free Cuba Foundation agrees with you, but we leave an important caveat first stated by Lewis B. Smedes, a theologian: When you give up vengeance, make sure you are not giving up on justice.
"We don't want savage capitalism; we already have savage communism. Please, no more savage things." - Oswaldo Payá, November 20, 2010
Amnesty, Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante
Amnesty International came into existence 52 years ago on May 21, 1961 when Peter Benenson published "The Forgotten Prisoners"in The Observer and within the article announced that an "office has been set up in London to collect and publish information about Prisoners of Conscience all over the world." Nevertheless, as Amnesty International grew and the awards and accolades flooded the organization Benenson never forgot all those innocents who had not been saved. He went on to explain the significance of the candle wrapped in barbed wire:
"The candle burns not for us but for all those whom we
failed to rescue from prison, who were shot on the way to prison, who
were tortured, who were kidnapped, who ‘disappeared'. That is what the
candle is for."
Since July 22, 2012 it also burns for Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante two human rights defenders who died under suspicious circumstances that demand an international investigation.
Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas was a consistent defender of human rights who denounced human rights violations across the ideological spectrum:
Two instances separated by a decade one involving the United States and the second, Iran
demonstrate this courageous consistency in speaking truth to power. It is excerpted from an essay published today by Notes form the Cuban Exile Quarter:
"It's
obviously a matter of shame that our land is being used for that
purpose, having foreign prisoners brought to Cuba. Even if they are
terrorists they deserve respect. Their human rights should be respected."
Ten years later, January 11, 2012, Oswaldo Paya was criticizing the honoring of the Iranian despot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denouncing both his antisemitism and brutal human rights record:
"Tyrant
lizard on the hill. Currently Ahmadinejad speaks at the University of
Havana. It is an insult to the students and an outrage to the sacred
remains of Father Varela and against the virtue and the homeland of the
Cubans
Mahmoud, why do you deny the Holocaust? Would you repeat it? Never again against any people."
Today, over twitter as the United Nations Human Rights Council's independent expert on extrajudicial executions presented his report and countries and nongovernmental organizations raised questions on killings and atrocities taking place around the world we tweeted the following quotes with the hashtag #HRC23 to draw attention to the plight of Oswaldo and Harold two human rights defenders whose lives were snatched away from their loved ones by state security on July 22, 2012:
Sadly, the case of Oswaldo and Harold was not mentioned by special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions but we did find that the Liberal International, representing a world federation of Liberal and progressive parties from around the world submitted a written statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the deaths of these human rights defenders.
It's like we're frozen in time It seems as if we are not interested in nothing The hope of our people, Eskuadrón I think the people needs this message With much love to all my brothers, Fugitive Ciao-I I go my way when the need embraces me Between a decay that the system disguises My verb takes shape and hooks on to the poetry My spirit flows, my words immortalized Again I transform into the voice of a great mass Headless, that moves in empty silent They got tired of crying and now bleeds their soul While they ask themselves: Who controls your hope? And they squirm because it hurts, the wound bleeds, and believe they are dying They want to scream their pain but can not Because the terror imposed tears off what little they have They ask for justice and that can not be seen Why repress those that want to be free? From their offices they can not smell reality The sadness of this country they are not going to understand As my people don't comprehend how to solve it Work, full sweat and you can not free yourself You give everything and in return nothing, total slavery Thats how they control you, I call it lethal conspiracy The message is spread with the seconds, my faith grows They invent abusive laws, you are at their mercy Our opinions are not heard, opining that revolutions are for the people, Not for the one in the power And decadence shocks the conscience and the mind does not awaken and everything, everything is accepted People do not believe and do not see, carried by the inertia They would rather endure anything before breaking the string Decadence How much destruction, how much frustration, how much sadness Decadence How much need to scream, to demand, but fear lurks Decadence All of us like robots accept laundering of conscience Decadence For our children, the family and the generations let us seek answers Decadence They took everything but not the resistance and the word force Decadence Brothers stand up, there is nothing more beautiful than a nation when it awakes Decadence We do not want blood, that any should perish, but raise our heads Decadence As Victor Jar telling his people freedom is close And they confront us, and they separate us into two groups And we live, taking care of ourselves, paranoid, mistrusting The children of the people are tearing themselves apart Because the system manipulates them, and they never see the harm And the police without limit or measure They respond to a doctrine they do not understand but gives them food They abuse, mistreat, They're arrogant, They humiliate you Its not all of them but it is the majority And they forget where they come from, their lives, their family The school they Attended Now living with anger Defenders, their is never hegemony with a cold mind.Of the system you are the puppets on the strings And I wonder if this is a democracy Why is thinking differently an extreme betrayal? Why then are various sectors marginalized and rejected? Failure to respect the criteria, this nation is not advancing But injustice then breaks out And speaking is dangerous and fear paralyzes you Your message of peace transformed into benizista I never spoke of putting a bomb to the Minister of Justice, never And civil society is militarized And education goes directly to chaos in a hurry And all is confusion and there is no love And you feel that you are suffocating And they impose all and your patience unsettles God give resistance and all your compassion Only you know what this heart suffers To see the good of my people and not so much desperation And not be a silent witness to the destruction of my nation Decadence How much destruction, how much frustration, how much sadness Decadence How much need to scream, to demand, but fear lurks Decadence All of us like robots accept laundering of conscience Decadence For our children, the family and the generations let us seek answers! Decadence They took everything but not the resistance and the word force Decadence Brothers stand up, there is nothing more beautiful than a nation when it awakes Decadence We do not want blood, that any should perish, but raise our heads Decadence As Victor Jar telling his people freedom is close Brothers raise our fists and let us join hands And shout freedom, shout freedom because people have the power We are the owners of our destinies From our own freedom, strength, resistance We can't take it anymore, We can't take it anymore In the name of all these generations In the name of the Cuban youthIn the name of all who study, work,Those who strive and sacrifice for this island No more decadence, evolution, satisfaction, joy And fundamentally social freedom for this people Decadence No more brothers, no more, no more Decadence We will see the end of this story in peace and with ours
Decadence Eskuadrón, Eskuadrón I Decadence Once again my mission, freedom is near.
DECADENCIA
Es como si estuviéramos congelados en el tiempo
Parece como si no nos interesara nada
La esperanza de nuestro pueblo, Eskuadrón
Yo creo que el pueblo necesita de este mensaje
Con mucho amor para todos mis hermanos, Prófugo Ciao- Yo
Voy por mi gusto cuando la necesidad me abraza
Entre una decadencia que el sistema disfraza
Mi verbo toma forma y a la poesía se engancha
Fluye mi espíritu, inmortalizo mis palabras
De nuevo me transformo en la voz de una gran masa
Acéfala, vacía que en silencio se desplaza
Se cansaron de llorar y ahora le sangra el alma
Mientras se pregunta ¿Quién controla su esperanza?
Y se retuercen porque les duele, la herida sangra, y creen que mueren
Quieren gritar su dolor pero no pueden
Porque el terror impuesto le arrancan lo poco que tiene
Piden justicia y eso no se logra ver
¿Por qué reprimen al que libre quiere ser?
Desde sus despachos la realidad no la pueden oler
La tristeza de este país no la van a comprender
Como no comprende mi gente como solucionar
Trabajas sudan entero y no te puedes liberar
Entregas todo y a cambio nada, esclavitud total
Así te controlan, yo lo llamo conspiración letal
El mensaje se funde con los segundos, crece mi fe
Inventan leyes abusivas, te tienen a su merced
Nuestras opiniones no se escuchan opinando que las revoluciones son para el pueblo,
No para el que esta en el poder
Y la decadencia estremece la conciencia
y la mente no despiertan y todo todo lo aceptan
La gente no cree y no ve, arrastrados por la inercia
Prefieren soportarlo todo antes de romper la cuerda
Decadencia
Cuanta destrucción, cuanta frustración, cuanta tristeza
Decadencia
Cuanta necesidad de gritar, de exigir pero el miedo acecha
Decadencia
Todos nosotros como autómatas aceptamos el lavado de conciencia
Decadencia
Por nuestros hijos, la familia y las generaciones busquemos respuesta
Decadencia
Nos quitaron todo pero no la resistencia y la palabra fuerza
Decadencia
Hermanos de pie, no hay nada mas hermoso que una nación cuando despierta
Decadencia
No queremos sangre, que nadie perezca, pero alcemos la cabeza
Decadencia
Como Víctor Jar diciéndole a su pueblo la libertad esta cerca
Y nos enfrentan, y nos separan en dos bandos
Y vivimos cuidándonos, paranoides, desconfiando
Los mismos hijos del pueblo se están despedazando
Porque el sistema los manipula, y ellos nunca ven el daño
Y la policía sin límite, ni medida
Responden a una doctrina que no entienden pero les da comida
Abusan, maltratan, arrogantes, te humillan
Esta bien no serán todos, pero si la mayoría
Y se olvidan de donde vienen sus vidas, de su familia
De la escuela que asistía
Ahora viven con ira
Defensores, nunca hay hegemonía con mente fría
del sistema ustedes son las marionetas dirigidas
Y me pregunto si esto es una democracia
¿Por qué pensar diferente es una traición ultranza?
¿Por que a varios sectores se les margina y se les rechaza?
Si no se respeta los criterios, esta nación no avanza
Peo entonces se desata la injusticia
Y es un peligro hablar y el miedo te paraliza
Tu mensaje de paz lo transforman en benizista
Nunca hablé de ponerle una bomba al Ministro de Justicia, nunca
Y a la sociedad civil la militarizan
Y la educación va directa al caos con mucha prisa
Y todo es confusión y no hay amor
Y sientes que te asfixias
Y te lo imponen todo y tu paciencia se desquicia
Dios dame resistencia y toda tu compasión
Solo usted sabe lo que sufre este corazón
Por ver el bien de mi gente y no tanta desesperación
Y no ser un testigo mudo de la destrucción de mi nación
Decadencia
Cuanta destrucción cuanta frustración cuanta tristeza
Decadencia
Cuanta necesidad de gritar, de exigir, pero el miedo asecha
Decadencia
Todos nosotros como autómatas aceptamos el lavado de conciencia
Decadencia
Por nuestros hijos, la familia y las generaciones ¡busquemos respuesta!
Decadencia
Nos quitaron todo pero no la resistencia y la palabra fuerza
Hermanos de pie, no hay nada mas hermoso que una nación cuando despierta
Decadencia
No queremos sangre, que nadie perezca, pero alcemos la cabeza
Decadencia
Como Víctor Jar diciéndole a su pueblo la libertad esta cerca
Hermanos alcemos los puños y unamos nuestras manos
Y gritemos libertad, gritemos libertad porque el poder esta en el pueblo
Nosotros somos dueños de dueños destinos
De nuestra propia libertad, fuerza, resistencia,
No soportamos más, no soportamos más
En nombre de todas estas generaciones
En nombre de la juventud cubana
En nombre de todos lo que estudian, trabajan,
Los que se esfuerzan y se sacrifican por esta isla
No más decadencia, evolución, satisfacción, alegría
Y fundamentalmente libertad social para este pueblo
Decadencia
No más, hermanos, no más, no más
Decadencia
Vamos a ver el final de esta historia en paz y con los nuestros
Decadencia
Eskuadrón, Eskuadrón Yo
Decadencia
Una vez mas mi misión, la libertad esta cerca.
"Where are my warriors for peace?" - David D. Omni
David D. Omni ZF and Raudel (Escuadrón Patriota) hold concert in Miami. One of the theme's was "Action not reaction." Below is an excerpt from the concert. The concert began with the question poised by David: Where are my warriors for peace?
At the same time the message of resistance to tyranny was heard loud and clear throughout the concert. It was a message of nonviolent civic resistance. Resisting evil through action while rejecting hatred and embracing love.
The Ladies in White, through theirrepresentationin the UnitedStates,call forthe media, thecommunity andtheir organizations to participatein a meeting-vigil tohonor the memory ofLaura Pollán Toledoandthe martyrs andvictims of Castro's tyranny for 54 yearsoftotalitarianisminCuba.
At the meeting-wakeparticipate askeynote speakerthemovement's leader,BertaSolerwhowill bein the city ofMiami for two days . During the eventthe mayor ofCoralGablesJamesCason will deliver thekey to the citytoMs.Solerandwill welcome herto this community.
SaturdayApril 27, 2013, 5:30-7:30 pm, MerrickPark,from the City ofCoralGables, Le JeuneRdandMiracleMiles.
Also, onApril 28, 2013BertaSoler will participate in a Mass at12:00 noonat Our Ladyof Charitytoprayfor the souls ofthe martyrs of theCuban Resistanceand the futureof the island,and will beofficiated by FatherJuan Rumín Domínguez, rector ofOur Lady of Charity.
Contact: Yolanda Huerga, representative of the Ladies in White in the United States (786)302-4537
