MIAMI, United States. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) reinforced the precautionary measures in favor of the independent journalist María Matienzo Puerto and the activist Kirenia Núñez Pérez.
After “analyzing the available information and identifying challenges in the face of the lack of response” by the island’s regime, the mechanism adopted on February 26, 2023 the Follow-up Resolution 9/2023which gives continuity to the implementation of both Cuban precautionary measures.
“The Commission decided to issue the Follow-up Resolution, considering that risk events persist that affect the beneficiaries María de los Ángeles Matienzo and Kirenia Núñez Pérez,” the IACHR indicated in a release.
The Commission recalls that both María Matienzo and Kirenia Núñez Pérez have suffered arrests and threats by the Cuban political police and restrictions on their participation in protest events. They have also been besieged, besieged, and persecuted by state agents on their personal errands. They have also suffered immigration restrictions.
On March 14, 2021 the IACHR granted precautionary measures in favor of María Matienzo Puerto and Kirenia Núñez Pérez “considering that the women defenders were in an urgent situation of risk of irreparable damage to their rights, because they both faced threats, surveillance, intimidation and attacks in the framework of her work as a human rights defender and independent journalist.”
On this occasion, the Resolution on the follow-up of the precautionary measures takes into account the risk situation of both “as members of the LGBTI community, as well as additional factors of vulnerability for being women, human rights defenders and independent journalist, and being criticism of the government.
Despite the continued lack of response from the Cuban State regarding the situation of the journalist and the activist, the IACHR called on the Cuban authorities to “take protection measures, with a gender and LGBTI approach, to ensure that their agents respect the rights of the beneficiaries in accordance with international standards on the matter, which allows them to continue their work as a human rights defender and independent journalist.”
Similarly, the agency asked Havana “to send specific, detailed and updated information on the situation of the beneficiaries with a view to continuing to evaluate their situation under the terms of article 25 of the Regulations, as well as for the representation to continue sending said information. ”.
The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights.
The Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter.
The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
