The Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba urged this Monday, the anniversary of the July 11 demonstrations in Cuba, to remember the events, given that the regime’s intention is to “weaken the perspective and historical significance of those days.”
In that “citizen revolution”, recalls the organization in a statement, Cubans from all walks of life, social strata, generations, ideologies and religious creeds, and especially young people, who contributed “energy, imagination and rhythm” spontaneously joined to the protests, whose antecedents were the San Isidro Movement and 27N.
The Council also underlines that 11J was reached “without an intellectual or political plan”, and with “a shared fundamental demand: that of freedom”. That day there was, continues the NGO, a “change of headquarters” of the revolutionary subject: from a repressive and stagnant government to hundreds of thousands of Cubans demanding “homeland and life” and the satisfaction of “promises postponed for 63 years.”
In the same text, the Council calls for the release of political prisoners and denounces the new Penal Code, an “unconstitutional” law that breaks with the traditions of Cuba and democratic procedure.
The organization warns that, as of July 2021, the Cuban government implemented a detailed plan to deactivate any subsequent demonstrations, and documented 155 cases of repression.
In memory of 11J, one year after the historic days, the organization Human Rights Watch has also joined, with a long report titled Prison or exile. Systematic repression against the July 2021 protests in Cuba.
In it, the organization recalls that, during the events, one of the demonstrators died due to police violence, and that of the 1,400 people detained, 700 remain in custody, including minors. In addition, the Internet service was affected or suspended in most of the national territory, which made it difficult for the media to cover 11J.
The organization warns that, as of July 2021, the Cuban government implemented a detailed plan to deactivate any subsequent demonstrations, and has documented 155 cases of repression of activists since that date. The consultation of around 170 people, including protesters and relatives of prisoners, produced evidence of numerous cases of abuse by State Security, the Police, the special military forces known as “black berets” and the armed civilian bodies, called “rapid response brigades”.
Added to this repressive system is the “kidnapping” of courts, prosecutors and lawyers, who in numerous cases have contradicted the initial sentence, increasing the seriousness of the charges and thus guaranteeing a greater sanction for the accused.
The report includes a series of recommendations to the North American, European and Latin American governments, urging them to recognize “unequivocally the repression against demonstrators and critics in Cuba”, in addition to executing a process of multilateral dialogue that guarantees safe migration and the right of asylum to Cubans who have left the Island.
He asks US President Joe Biden to “progressively dismantle the policy of isolation towards Cuba, replacing the embargo and restrictions on travel and trade with Cuba with more effective forms of multilateral pressure.” Also included in the text are special recommendations for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the signatory states of different conventions against torture.
Lázaro Mireles referred to the role of Spain and the member states of the European Union, which must stop “oxygenating the dictatorship with millions of euros”
The Human Rights Watch document, some 40 pages long, carefully documents many of the most emblematic cases of repression of the 11J protesters, including Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, Joseph Daniel Ferrerthe sisters Maria Cristina and Angelica Garrido and the musician Abel Gonzalez Lescay.
Remarkable have also been the demands of hundreds of Cubans in different cities of the world, grouped to remember the first anniversary of 11J. For the nearly two hundred demonstrators who marched in Madrid this Sunday, the spirit of the protests “is more alive than ever.”
The Cuban singer Yotuel Romero, one of the authors of the song Homeland and Life, says that the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel has identified the nation with death and that Spain, as “mother country”, has the duty to help Cuba to produce “a real transition and not a fraud”.
Lázaro Mireles, president of the Actions for Democracy movement, also referred to the role of Spain and the member states of the European Union, which must stop “oxygenating the dictatorship with millions of euros.”
For his part, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, assured that during the last 12 months “he has reiterated the call to the Cuban Government to respect human rights and freedoms”, and has demanded that it “release to all political prisoners” on the island.
Also Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, issued this Monday a statement recognizing “the determination and courage of the Cuban people” during 11J. Blinken underscored the family and friendship ties between the two peoples, to which he adds his “fervent desire for freedom, prosperity and a bright future for his children.” The politician accused the Cuban regime and its supporters of “abusing the human rights” of citizens and called for the urgent release of political prisoners.
Addressing the Cuban people directly, Blinken concluded his message by describing as “unacceptable” the convictions of more than 700 protesters, whom he and the other Americans viewed “with admiration” on July 11.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our newspaper. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
