Chronicle on Cuba - March 2008

Exile Community

March 3: Ramón M. Barquín, a respected Cuban Army officer whose struggles to restore the rule of law in Cuba clashed with both the dictator Fulgencio Batista and later the revolutionary government of Fidel Castro, died at his home in exile in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. He was 93. Mr. Barquín, who held the rank of colonel in the Cuban Army, played a role in the events leading up to the triumph of Mr. Castro’s rebels. He was imprisoned after leading a group of professional officers in an unsuccessful coup d’état against Mr. Batista in 1956, eight months before Mr. Castro landed on the southeastern coast of Cuba to launch his revolution. When Mr. Batista fled the country before advancing rebel forces on January 1, 1959, Colonel Barquín, who had the support of United States officials, escaped from solitary confinement. Colonel Barquín assumed control of the Cuban armed forces at Camp Colombia, the country’s principal military base, in Havana. When the rebel leader Camilo Cienfuegos arrived at the Camp Colombia barracks on January 2 with orders to assume command of the army, Colonel Barquín did not stand in his way. For the next few weeks, Colonel Barquín helped to establish a new government. But his relationship with Mr. Castro quickly soured. Colonel Barquín and other moderates in the new government formally broke ties with Mr. Castro in mid-1960. He resigned and went into exile. (El Nuevo Herald, 5/3/08)

March 12: A Miami-based group that supports dissidents in Cuba said politically motivated arrests are on the upswing in the communist nation. More than 350 political arrests occurred last year in Cuba, while 200 people were detained this January alone, according to the Cuban Democratic Directorate, which receives funding from the US government and private sources. In February, the same month that Fidel Castro officially ceded the presidency to his younger brother Raul, another 50 people were arrested, said the group, which based its numbers on incidents collected by the Cuba-based Council of Human Rights Rapporteurs, which was formed last May. Several calls to the Cuban government's interest section in Washington went unanswered. Most of the detentions were brief, and during that same period some higher profile prisoners were released. But Janisset Rivero, the directorate's executive director, said during a news conference she believes the rise in arrests signifies "little change is likely under Raul Castro." (AP, 12/3/08)

March 13: The documentary “Un presidio plantado” (2007), which compiles testimonies from numerous Cuban political prisoners under the Castro regime, will début in Miami. Financed by the Cuban Historical Memory Institute, the film was shot on location in Miami, New York, Washington and New Jersey and gathers testimonies by former inmates at the infamous Presidio Modelo, at Isla de Pinos. Directed and produced by Cuban-Americans Luis Guarda and Pedro Corzo, the documentary also describes the closure of this prison in 1967. (EFE, 13/3/08)

March 14: Under the banner "Latin-American Solidarity with Cuba," the Christian Democratic Organization of America (ODCA) hosted in Costa Rica a conference that was attended by several former heads of state. A number of Cuban organizations both from the exile and the domestic opposition presented a "Common Position." In the document, the groups maintain that the destiny of the island is the responsibility of all Cubans, without exclusion, and reject any third-party interference.  [Posición común de los cubanos] (EER, 14/3/08)

March 17: Members of Cuban organizations based in over 40 countries of the World will gather in Havana on March 19-21 during the Encounter of Cuban Representatives Abroad against the US Blockade and Terrorism. Carlos Zamora, director of the Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad Division of the Cuban Foreign Ministry told reporters that some 150 representatives from Europe, Canada, Mexico and the United States are expected to participate in the encounter called by the foreign ministry office. Last year, 20 percent of all Cubans based in other countries came to Cuba for the event, a figure similar to previous years, Zamora explained and he went on to announce that the encounter will focus on issues like the US economic blockade of Cuba and the actions taken to denounce its impact; the Bush Plan against Cuba and its measures against the Cuban family; and the solidarity movement with the five Cubans held for nearly 10 years now in US prisons. (ACN, 17/3/08)

March 18: On the fifth anniversary of the imprisonment of 75 Cuban human rights activists, a group of Cuban exiles in Puerto Rico asked that a plebiscite be held in Cuba so that the "people" can decide on the country’s future. With the slogan "No to succession, democracy now," the exiles departed from the Puerto Rican Parliament and walked down several streets in San Juan to commemorate the so-called "Black Spring" when the dissidents were detained, said Luis Alberto Ramírez, secretary of the Front for the Total Freedom of Cuba. (EFE, 18/3/08)

March 19: More than 100 Cubans living abroad, including some from Miami, are in Havana for a three-day meeting with Cuban officials, and some participants say Cuba's migration policy may be up for discussion. Although Miami participants have not publicly acknowledged invitations to the Havana conference, at least two controversial South Florida Cuban-American broadcasters, Francisco Aruca and Max Lesnik, said they were traveling to Cuba to cover the event. Aruca and Lesnik said they expect the meeting to deal with a hot topic on both sides of the Florida Straits: Cuban migration. ''The meeting is expected to involve an exchange, opinions from Cubans living abroad, and the views of Cuban officials as what to do toward the future,'' said Lesnik. There's speculation among Cuba experts in South Florida that the government could use the meeting to announce new measures related to emigration. (The Miami Herald, 19/3/08)

March 19: The Cuban government is considering reforms to make migration regulations more flexible, which may include the possibility of longer stays abroad and even the elimination of exit visas, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said. “We are firm in our commitment to make ever more fluid the relationship between Cubans living abroad and Cuba, and making the procedure and the regulations on that issue faster,” Perez Roque said during a meeting in Havana with Cubans living abroad. When asked whether relaxing laws on exit permits and the extension of stays abroad - now with an 11-month limit - are among reforms to be mentioned by Raul Castro when he formally becomes the country’s president in February, Perez Roque admitted that such issues “are being considered.” The meeting was also a chance to discuss ways of combating the US economic embargo on Cuba, he added. According to the minister, the main obstacle to completely normal ties is the US policy that limits Cubans living there to one visit to Cuba every three years. The meeting included 129 representatives of Cuban organizations in 34 countries that are “committed and active” in Cuba’s “main battles,” Perez Roque said. The meeting wraps up on March 21 with a resolution of support for Cuba's ''Five Patriotic Heroes'' -- five Cuban agents now serving long sentences in the United States on espionage charges. Havana has waged a high-profile propaganda campaign for their release. [Discurso de Felipe Pérez Roque] (DPA, The Miami Herald, BBC, 19/3/08)

March 20: The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented a new Web site on emigration, during the conclusion of a conference on United States aggression. Representatives of the Cuban Diaspora meeting in Havana observed the design of the web page (http://www.nacionyemigracion.com/) offering information on consular services. According to Otto Vaillant, informatics director of the chancellery, this useful website is an important voice of Cubans abroad. This page was decided upon during the 3rd Conference of the Nation and Emigration in 2004 and includes a calendar of events, photo galleries and cyber-debate forums on Cuban issues. The 129 delegates from 34 countries also witnessed the launching of the journal “Correo de Cuba” that includes, in this issue, an article by Gerardo Hernandez, one of the five anti terrorist Cubans jailed in the United States. At this venue the participants ratified their commitment to work towards the liberation of these patriots who suffered trumped up and politicized trials.
(ACN, 29/3/08)

March 20: A group of Cuban exiles living in different countries issues a statement calling for “peace, reconciliation, and concord among all Cubans”. The over 40 signatories reject “hate and mutual resentment” that have prevailed throughout Cuba’s national history and have led to “violence and fratricide struggles”. The document makes a call to the governments of Cuba and the United States to lift all restrictions against free movement of Cubans. It reaffirms the principle of non-violence, national reconciliation, and calls for an amnesty “which includes all Cubans on all sides of the political and ideological shores”. [Declaración de Concordia] (El Nuevo Herald, 21/3/08)

March 21: Cuban culture and national identity was the topic of discussion of a panel held by Cuban émigrés during the meeting of Cubans Residing Abroad against the Blockade and Terrorism, which concludes at the Hotel Nacional in Havana.  “It would be very reductionist to say that the identity of the Cuban nation is only on the island, and that it is only the heritage of those of us that live here,” said Miguel Barnet, national literature award, when describing factors that comprise Cuban culture. Cuban Cultural Minister Abel Prieto, who presided over the second day of the gathering, said the panel was a special conversation with the 129 compatriots from 34 nations attending the meeting. Also speaking were Nancy Morejon, another national literature award winner; Eduardo Heras, author; Pedro Monzon, coordinator of the Cuban chapter of the Network of Networks in Defense of Humanity, as well as academics Milagros Martinez, Nelson Valdes and Felix Masud. The culture minister noted that Masud “has defended our culture in the United States.” (Prensa Latina, 21/3/08)

March 22: Participants in the meeting of Cuban Residents Abroad against the Blockade and Terrorism sent a message to Fidel Castro, expressing their pride for being Cubans. "This pride stems to a great extent from the work we have been building for 50 years under your wise leadership," the text says. "You can be certain that, just like us, there are hundreds of Cubans worldwide, who feel an everlasting appreciation for you, because of your life of sacrifice and devotion to our people," it adds. The Cuban emigres wished Fidel Castro good health, "so that we can count on you for many more years." [Mensaje al Comandante en Jefe y Declaración final] (Prensa Latina, 22/3/08)

March 22: Cuban-born jazz musician Israel "Cachao" Lopez, credited with inventing the mambo, has died in Miami at the age of 89. The bassist and composer left Cuba for the US in the early 1960s and continued to perform until his final months. The mambo emerged from his improvisational work with his late brother, multi-instrumentalist Orestes Lopez, in the late 1930s. A family spokesman said Lopez died with his relatives around him. Cuban-American actor Andy Garcia, who made a 1993 documentary about the musician, praised him as the "musical father" of Cubans. "He is revered by all who have come in contact with him and his music," Garcia said in a statement. "Maestro (…) you have been my teacher and you took me in like a son”. "I will continue to rejoice with your music and carry our traditions wherever I go, in your honour." After he emigrated in 1962, Lopez performed at New York's Palladium nightclub with the leading Latin bands of the day. He collaborated with Latin music stars including Tito Puente, Tito Rodrigues and Gloria Estefan. In the 1990s, thanks partly to Garcia's documentary, Lopez came back to international attention and released several successful albums. In 2003, he was honoured with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. In 2004, he received a Grammy Award for his album Agora Si. (The Miami Herald, 23/3/08)

March 22: A small group of Cuban expatriates and their supporters who gathered on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, rejected the new leadership of Raul Castro and accused the Canadian government of being an enabler of the communist regime in Cuba. It started with the recognition of Castro by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who treated Castro like an "elected official instead of a dictator who took over the country," said Maurice Sambra, a sculptor and painter. "No government since then has recognized the brutality of the regime that usurped the human rights of the people and stole the assets of the country to maintain power." Sambra called on the government to intervene for the Cuban people and to press for the freedom of political prisoners and dissidents. "We want Canada to exert pressure by not allowing Canadian enterprises to invest in Cuba, which supports the enslavement of the workers. The Cuban government has a new leader, Raul Castro, but we don't want him or his regime. We want true freedom for the people of Cuba." David Levy is originally from Argentina but after living for a period in Cuba has been concerned for the Cuban people ever since. Levy thinks that it is important for Canadians to know what is happening in Cuba because "95 per cent of the money you spend goes to a regime that has never been elected. Levy said that while the Canadian government is aware of the situation in Cuba, it continues the "legacy left by Trudeau," treating Castro like an elected representative of the people of Cuba. "From then until now, Canada has continued to trade with Cuba, and promoted tourism and investment in Cuba. All these things support the “nomenklatura” which has stolen the people's assets. We don't understand why the robbers of the country are recognized as legitimate rulers." Sambra said the constitution that was in place before Castro took power should be brought back, which he said Castro changed "to suit his needs." (Epoch Times, 23/3/08)

March 24: Caller after caller on South Florida Spanish-language radio talk shows complained that cardinal Tarcisio Bertone had missed an opportunity to press for democratic change in Cuba. Bertone's visit marked the 10th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's historic trip to Cuba in which he urged the international community to help churches on the island and called on Castro's communist government to open up to the world. Unlike the late pope's calls for change, though, Bertone did not publicly question Cuba's human rights record or meet with dissidents or their families. The cardinal's silence on human rights is raising concerns that the Vatican has turned its back on Cubans seeking democratic change after 49 years of the Castro brothers' rule. Ninoska Pérez Castellón, a Radio Mambí commentator and a director of the conservative Cuban Liberty Council, said she wasn't surprised by Bertone's seeming inability to confront Cuba's dictatorship. Many exiles, after all, have long been upset with the Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, because he does not speak out against the regime. ''The church is paying a price for the actions of Cardinal Bertone and Cardinal Ortega in Havana (…) with a very comfortable relationship with the Cuban government,'' said Pérez Castellón. María Cristina Herrera, founder of the Cuban Studies Institute and a Catholic, noted that exiles have long helped island churches. ``Aid to church people in Cuba has been going on for a long time. But it has been done largely in silence.'' At St. Agatha Catholic Church in West Miami-Dade, a group of parishioners, mostly Cuban-born women, sells pies, breads and sweet rolls each Sunday after Mass -- all to help a church in Holguín, in eastern Cuba. (The Miami Herald, 24/3/08)