June 27, 2003: The United Nations' top human rights official for Cuba has urged Fidel Castro to pardon the peaceful dissidents, union organizers and independent journalists sentenced to over 1,000 years in jail, terms that were ratified by Cuba's Supreme court. Special human rights representative Christine Chanet confirmed that she had forwarded that request to the Cuban leader after the high court confirmed sentences slapped in summary trials on 50 of the 75 individuals who were condemned to an average 20 years apiece in jail. (EFE, 27/6/03)
June 27, 2003: Dissident leaders Elizardo Sánchez, Vladimiro Roca, Félix Bonné, René Gómez Manzano and Gustavo Arcos complained of a slander campaign enshrined in print in a book written by two journalists, Luis Báez and Rosa Miriam Elizalde, which was presented by Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. The dissident leaders all of whom identified as foreign mercenaries by moles infiltrated into their organizations by Cuban intelligence said the entire book consists of "claims made by individuals who falsely try to pass themselves off as members of the opposition". In a separate statement, the head of the Christian Liberation Movement, Osvaldo Paya noted that 42 of the 75 people jailed were associated with the campaign his group spearheaded calling for the peaceful, gradual and consensual constitutional reform of Cuba's one-party state. (EFE, 27/6/03)
June 26, 2003: Cuban dissident Osvaldo Payá issued an appeal for a campaign in favour of the release of the 75 dissidents held in prison in Cuba and for a referendum on the Varela Project led by him. (Radio Martí, 27/6/03)
June 26, 2003: The mother of dissident Oscar Espinoza Chepe sent a letter to Angelo Bonelli, Executive Coordinator of Italian Green Party, asking him not to continue on hunger strike. "You have deeply moved me with your action", said Clara Chepe, but "You will add an extra sorrow to the ones I already have", she added. (Cubanet, 26/6/03)
June 26, 2003: Fourteen female members of parliament of the Italian Leftist Democrats party proposed a motion to Parliament requesting the release from prison of Cuban dissident Martha Beatriz Roque, sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Fidel Castro regime. (AP, 26/6/03)
June 25, 2003: To mark the 100th day since the round-up of dissidents, Reporters Without Borders announced the launch of an awareness campaign targeted at French tourists going to Cuba this summer. To complete the picture of press freedom violations in Cuba, Reporters Without Borders is releasing the findings of investigations into the working conditions for foreign correspondents in Havana and for the Catholic press, the only privately-owned press tolerated by the government. (Reporters Without Borders, 25/6/03)
June 24, 2003: The European Commission considers Cuba's ratification of the lengthy sentences imposed on dissidents a sign that Cuban leaders do not understand the damage that suppression of free speech does to the island's international image. A spokesman for the European Commission said the court action constitutes "a confirmation that the Cuban regime has still not understood that [its behavior] is very harmful to its international image and its relations with the European Union.'' (EFE, 25/6/03)
June 24, 2003: The national coordinator of Italy's Green Party, Angelo Bonelli, began a hunger strike for the release of a group of Cuban dissidents from prison and to protest against the ratification by Cuba's Popular Supreme Court of the harsh sentences imposed on them. (AFP, 24/6/03)
June 24, 2003: Cuba stepped up its campaign against dissidents, launching a book about the activities of 12 agents who infiltrated their ranks and issuing a warning that many more were still working undercover. Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque said the book, "The Dissidents," based on interviews with the agents, "proved that so-called dissident groups were a creation of the United States." Pérez Roque called the agents, whose testimony helped send 75 democracy activists, independent journalists and others to prison in April, "heroes and heroines," saying, "the enemy (the United States) should know that there are many more still at work." The book by Cuban journalists Luis Báez and Rosa Miriam Elizande was quickly put together after the dissidents' trials. (Reuters, 24/6/03)
June 23, 2003: Oscar Espinosa Chepe's mother sent a letter to UN Secretary General asking him to request from the Cuban government that his sick son be transferred to a hospital in Havana. (EFE, 23/6/03)
June 23, 2003: Cuba's high court has upheld the 20-year sentence of independent journalist Raúl Rivero, who was among 75 Cubans sentenced to prison in a crackdown on the opposition this year, Rivero's wife said. Blanca Reyes said her husband's defense attorney told her that her husband's appeal had been rejected by the Supreme Tribunal, the island's court of last resort. Among other prominent opponents of the government whose convictions were upheld were economists Oscar Espinosa Chepe, Martha Beatriz Roque, Hector Palacios, journalist Osvaldo Alfonso Valdes, and journalist Ricardo Gonzalez, who was tried with Rivero. Fifty of the sentences have now been upheld, said Carlos Menendez of the non-governmental Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation. (The Washington Post, AFP, 23/6/03).
June 21, 2003: The Cuban government placed a billboard-sized reproduction of Pablo Picasso's Spanish Civil War mural " Guernica" in front of Spain's embassy in Havana. "Right here a monument to Spanish culture will be erected," reads a banner above the artwork, while on the bottom part - in large block letters - is the word "antifascist." (EFE, 21/6/03)
June 20, 2003: France decided to reassess its cooperation with Cuba given the human rights situation on the island, announced the spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, Francois Rivesseau. In a press conference in Paris, the spokesman said the decision was taken nationally in the wake of the latest developments in Cuba. (Radio Martí, 20/6/03)
June 20, 2003: The European Union heads of state or government have condemned as "totally unacceptable" the recent behaviour of Cuban authorities regarding the EU and expressed concern over "the violation of fundamental freedoms in Cuba." The 25 EU heads of state or government thus support the position adopted by their foreign ministers, ratifying at the same time the punitive measures and diplomatic sanctions announced on June 5. (El Mundo, 21/6/03)
June 20, 2003: The Cuban Ambassador to the European Union sent a letter to the EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid emphasizing Cuba's disposition to maintain dialogue with the EU. (EuObserver, 20/6/03)
June 19, 2003: Human rights organizations and relatives of dissidents imprisoned in Cuba denounced the inhumane conditions in which they are being held, 90 days after the massive arrests. (AFP, 20/6/03)
June 19, 2003: Several members of the European Parliament (MEP) are calling on EU leaders to pursue a yet tougher course against Fidel Castro's regime. In a letter to the three EU presidents (of the Parliament, Council and Commission) and to the EU's chief for foreign affairs, Javier Solana, a group of MEPs headed by Portuguese conservative MEP, José Ribeiro e Castro have asked the EU to step up contacts with Cuban dissidents. As a show of solidarity with the Cuban opposition MEPs have asked leaders to contact, Oswaldo Payá, a leading dissident in Havana and invite him to meet with the leaders at the highest level. This would also allow Mr Payá to personally inform Europeans about the current situation on the island. (EUObserver, 19/6/03)
June 19, 2003: In an article published in the weekly Le Nouvel Observateur, former French socialist Prime Minister Laurent Fabius criticized France's "silence" in the wake of the human rights violations committed by the government of Fidel Castro, whom he described as a "dictator." (Notimex, 19/6/03)
June 18, 2003: A group of Cuban women appealed to all "individuals of good will" to demand that the government of Fidel Castro releases dissident Martha Beatriz Roque, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and whose life is in danger due to her failing health. (AFP, 19/6/03)
June 17, 2003: "Palabra Nueva", a magazine published by the Archdiocese of Havana, made reference to the sentences handed down to 75 Cuban political dissidents and the firing-squad execution of three young men who hijacked a passenger boat in Havana. The magazine also published a letter from Pope John Paul II to the Cuban government. (Cubanet, 17/6/03)
June 17, 2003: Former Czech President and dissident Vaclav Havel wants to become actively engaged in protection of human rights in Cuba, Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda told journalists. Czech diplomacy intends to provide material aid to the Cuban opposition suppressed by the regime of Fidel Castro, Svoboda said. "We want to increase the interest of the world community," Svoboda said. (CTK, 17/6/03)
June 17, 2003: In an interview with the Canadian press, Cuba’s ambassador to Canada, Carlos Fernández de Cossío says that the US aggression is ultimately to blame for Cuba's much-criticized crackdown on dissidents. (Canadian Press, 17/6/05)
June 16, 2003: Cuba's Supreme Court upheld 22 prison terms handed down earlier this year to several dissidents. (AFP, 16/6/03)
June 16, 2003: European Union foreign ministers said recent anti-European demonstrations in Havana were "unacceptable" and reiterated their demand that Cuba end its brutal crackdown on democratic protesters. The 15 ministers said they had continuing "grave concerns about the serious deterioration of the human rights situation" in Cuba, adding recent protests against the EU, led by Fidel Castro, did not help. "The behavior of the Cuban authorities toward the EU, its member states and acceding states (were) unacceptable," the ministers said in a statement. They added that they would "continue to monitor" the situation in Cuba, and especially how Cuban opposition leaders and supporters were being treated. Beyond saying that they had started a "review of relations" with Cuba, the foreign ministers did not discuss whether the EU should impose economic or further political sanctions against Castro. (AP, 16/6/03)
June 16, 2003: Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini added his voice to the chorus of protest against Fidel Castro following his recent attacks on the European Union. The minister stressed he was in favor of urgent humanitarian aid to Cuba, but opposed to any kind of financial help that would "encourage the regime to continue along its current path". Frattini made his comments ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg which will discuss further action against the Cuban government following its latest crackdown on dissidents. (ANSA, 16/6/03)
June 16, 2003: Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio reiterated that Madrid would not be drawn into a verbal battle with Fidel Castro over the EU's decision to slap political sanctions on the communist island for rights abuses. "With respect to certain statements (from Cuba) aimed against two states -- Italy and Spain, the position of the (Spanish) government is to not enter into a spiral of verbal abuse," Palacio said upon arriving at an EU meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the bloc's relations with Cuba. (EFE, 16/6/03)
June 16, 2003: Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel rejected any implementation of EU sanctions against Cuba, calling instead for more political dialogue between Europe and the communist island. "I am not in favor of sanctions (...) not for Cuba or any other country," Michel stressed. (EFE, 16/3/03)
June 16, 2003: Cuba's Ambassador to Spain, Isabel Allende, has demanded that her country be treated equally and with respect by the European Union. During a news conference at the Cuban Embassy in Madrid, Havana's representative noted that her country's relations with Spain have always been based on mutual respect, non-intervention in the internal affairs of each country and the right of self-determination. The Spanish government is solely responsible for the deterioration of relations with Cuba, the ambassador said, (Radio Habana Cuba, Xinhuanet, 17/6/03)
June 16, 2003: Spain 's Foreign Ministry summoned the Cuban Ambassador to that country, Isabel Allende, to express the discomfort of Spanish authorities over the recent behaviour of the Castro regime. (ABC, 17/6/03)
June 16, 2003: The lower house of the Polish Parliament called upon the government of Fidel Castro to respect the human rights of its citizens. The resolution was passed 330 votes to 9, and 65 abstentions. (Radio Martí, 16/6/03)
June 16, 2003: The European Union's top foreign affairs representative said that the situation in Cuba was dramatic and becoming downright "grotesque." "Unfortunately, there's not much we can do," Spain's Javier Solana told reporters, referring to possible EU measures to end the crisis in Europe's relations with the Caribbean island. According to Solana, "there would have to be profound changes in Cuba, a country that is becoming very difficult to understand, even for people who can see the bigger picture." Regarding changes that might be adopted in the upcoming review of the EU's common policy toward Cuba, Solana has said that it "would be difficult to make it harsher," vowing to reject any decision "which could imply actions affecting the Cuban people." (EFE, 17/6/03)
June 14, 2003: The First Vice-President of the Spanish government, Mariano Rajoy, refused to comment on Cuban government accusations against Spanish premier José M. Aznar saying they"speak for themselves." (El Nuevo Herald, 14/6/03)
June 14, 2003: Fidel Castro snubbed the visiting leader of Portugal's Communist party because of the latter's criticism of a recent crackdown on dissidents on the communist island, Portuguese media reported. Portuguese Communist party sources told the weekly Expresso newspaper that Castro's refusal to meet with Carlos Carvalhas was a punishment for his vocal condemnation of the crackdown. (AFP, 14/6/03)
June 14, 2003: The main leaders of the Corriente Socialista Democrática Cubana have been warned that they could be detained and sentenced to long prison terms by state security if they continue with their activities. The Secretary General of the organization, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, has been banned from travelling to the eastern provinces. (Cuba Nuestra, 14/6/03)
June 13, 2003: European Union Commission President Romano Prodi said that the EU's sanctions against Cuba were "absolutely inevitable" because of the communist government's recent behavior. Commenting to reporters in the southern Italian city of Lecce, Prodi justified the EU's measures, which were fiercely criticized by the Cuban government, and said "there was no way to avoid them." (EFE, 13/6/03)
June 13, 2003: The Spanish coalition Izquierda Unida (IU) asked the European Union (EU) to maintain an independent policy from the US concerning Cuba that favors political dialogue and international rights. In a communiqué issued in Madrid, IU expressed its opposition to the content of the recent EU declaration criticizing Cuba for human rights violations and which applies measures to pressure it. (Prensa Latina, 13/6/03)
June 13, 2003: Fidel Castro's government took its first major step in its anti-Europe campaign, taking control of the Spanish Embassy's cultural center. In 1995, Spain and Cuba agreed to establish a Spanish Cultural Center in the Cuban capital. The center, which opened in 1997, has been run until now by the Spanish International Cooperation Agency. Castro announced that he would give instructions to rescind the agreement and turn the Spanish Cultural Center into one that would bear the name of poet Federico Garcia Lorca, who was killed by fascists during the Spanish Civil War. (The Toronto Star, EFE, 13/6/03)
June 12, 2003: Fidel Castro led hundreds of thousands of people in a march outside the Spanish Embassy to protest what he sees as Europe's alignment with US policies toward the communist island. Surrounded by security men and his closest aides, the 76-year-old Castro led a river of people past the white, colonial Spanish mission. The demonstration lasted about two hours but Castro stayed for only about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, a few kilometres away, Castro's brother and designated successor, Defence Minister General Raul Castro, headed a march outside Italy's Embassy. One sign showed Italian Prime Silvio Berlusconi with strings attached to his hands. "Berlusconi: are you, or are you not a puppet?" it said. (The Globe and Mail, 12/6/03)
June 12, 2003: Veteran dissident Elizardo Sánchez said that the consequences of the dispute between Cuba and the European Union "will be negative" for the island's interests and feared that the government would send more dissidents to jail. In an interview, the human rights activist was convinced that "most Cubans, including intellectual and government officials themselves, support full-fledged international economic and political relations." (Notimex, 13/6/03)
June 12, 2003: The opposition coalition Arco Progresista said in a statement that the situation created with the European Union isolates Cuba. "This is an unacceptable situation that greatly reduces the possibilities of communication and insertion of our country into the international arena," the group said. "It is important to reverse this course of action that can provoke a spiral of undesirable events," the dissident group added. (EFE, AP, 12/6/03)
June 12, 2003: With a letter sent to Italian defence minister Antonio Martino, senator Giovanni Crema - president of the inter-parliamentary union - resigned from the presidency of the bilateral section "Italy-Cuba friendship". "I acknowledged that, following the last tragic events, there is no possibility to communicate frankly"."My availability, as a democratic socialist, to take part in initiatives to help the Cuban people ferry across to a democracy respecting human rights is still intact, but it cannot be fruitful without a credible interlocutor". (AGI, 13/6/03)
June 12, 2003: Fidel Castro's accusations and threats are "unacceptable", said a leading member of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. The Vice-President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Darío Rivolta, said " Cuba has everything to be part of the civilized world, but its dictator Fidel Castro, a serial killer using terror as a political weapon, stands in its way." (AFP, 12/6/03)
June 12, 2003: Former head of the Spanish government Felipe González said "Fidel is pathetic. Now he's like Franco when he was dying." González also thinks that "the Cuban transition will not be very dramatic." (Radio Martí, 13/6/03)
June 12, 2003: The Italian Foreign Ministry summoned Cuban ambassador in Rome, María de los Ángeles Flores, to express its "deep indignation" over Fidel Castro's offensive statements against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The Secretary-General at the Italian Foreign Ministry, Giuseppe Baldocci, said that Castro's statements were beyond compare, which the Italian government along with most Italian political forces find unacceptable. Baldocci asked the Cuban Ambassador to remind her superiors "their responsibilities for safeguarding" the Italian diplomatic mission in Havana, their staff and the many Italian citizens who travel to Cuba on business and pleasure trips. (Encuentro en la Red, 13/6/03)
June 12, 2003: Intellectuals participating in a conference in Havana condemned the sanctions announced by the European Union (EU) against Cuba. In an international round table program in Havana, some of the delegates to the 3rd Congress on Culture and Development, like Brazilian Thiago de Melo, Spanish Jaime Losada, Chilean Volodia Teitelboim, and Canadian Keith Ellis stated their opinions. Among those present in the international round table program were Armando Hart, member of the Council of State and Cuban Minister for Culture Abel Prieto. (AIN, 12/6/03)
June 12, 2003: During a meeting with the press, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Rodrigo Rato denied accusations made by the Cuban Government against Spain. "The Cuban government is free to organize demonstrations in front of any embassy, but instead it should guarantee respect for human rights and better conditions for its citizens." He added that Spain "is a friend of Cuba." "What we want to see is a change in position on certain matters that clearly violate the rights of Cuban citizens," he said. (Radio Martí, 13/6/03)
June 12, 2003: Fidel Castro said that Europe should keep its mouth closed, because the mute do not speak, alluding to what he defined as the European Union's (EU) double morality regarding Cuba. The president spoke at the closing of the third Culture and Development Congress that took place in Havana, with the attendance of 800 delegates from 50 countries and 17 international organizations. Castro warned that massive demonstrations outside the Spanish and Italian embassies were just the beginning of what he called a "proper response" to a European Union declaration against his government. "The declaration, the sanction, the punishment by the European Union make it necessary for us to initiate a proper response," Castro said in his speech. (Prensa Latina, EFE, 13/6/03)
June 12, 2003: The Italian Foreign Ministry summoned Cuban ambassador in Rome, María de los Ángeles Flores, to express its "deep indignation" over Fidel Castro's offensive statements against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The Secretary-General at the Italian Foreign Ministry, Giuseppe Baldocci, said that Castro's statements were beyond compare, which the Italian government along with most Italian political forces find unacceptable. Baldocci asked the Cuban Ambassador to remind her superiors "their responsibilities for safeguarding" the Italian diplomatic mission in Havana, their staff and the many Italian citizens who travel to Cuba on business and pleasure trips. (Encuentro en la Red, 13/6/03)
June 11, 2003: The Castro government, usually at odds with its longtime political foe the United States, turned its ire on the EU. " Cuba calmly but firmly issues a warning to the European embassies and to local US government mercenaries (dissidents) that it will not tolerate provocations or blackmail," Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said, referring to the EU sanctions. "European embassies should be conscious of the fact that they will be failing to meet their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations if they allow themselves to be used for subversion against Cuba," Perez Roque said in his statement, broadcast live to the nation. "It's too much", said the Cuban foreign minister Felipe Perez Roque. "After exhausting its patience and capacity for dialogue and tolerance, Cuba feels obliged to reply to what it considers to be the European Union's hypocritical and opportunist behaviour", the foreign minister added. (Reuters, EUObserver, 11/6/03)
June 11, 2003: Fidel Castro has slammed the EU's decision to scale back its diplomatic ties with Cuba as "grossly insolent", calling the leaders of Spain and Italy "fascists and bandits" for spearheading the anti-Cuba measures. Castro appeared on Cuban television to blast the EU's unanimous decision to review its common relationship with Cuba because of flagrant human rights violations. Castro singled out Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar calling him "a little Fuhrer with a mustache and Nazi-fascist ideology." "They ( Spain and Italy) deserve these protest marches," Castro said during the four-hour television special dedicated to the EU conflict. Castro hinted that the Spanish embassy has been acting in collusion with US interests and ordered a review of Cuba's 1996 treaty with Spain concerning the Spanish Cultural Center -- which he described as "Cuban property" -- because the center "has been used for everything except Spanish culture. "If their mission as diplomats in Cuba is simply to maintain relations with mercenaries in the pay of the United Sates, then they are not wanted here," Castro said " "El Comandante", in the late night television address characterized by his poor diction which at times made it difficult to understand his words clearly, said of (dictator Francisco) Franco: "Franco himself was more astute, cautious, operated and kept an absolute tenacity with respect to Cuba." (EFE, ABC, 11/6/03)
June 11, 2003: EU spokesman, Diego de Ojeda, declined to specifically address Cuba's charges, instead repeating the bloc's current stance toward the island. "Our main objective is to integrate Cuba back into the community of democratic and market economy nations, of which Cuba is an exception in her neighborhood," De Ojeda said. "In the best interest of both Cuba and ourselves and Cuban citizens, we need Cuba to at the very least respect a minimum standard of the most basic human rights." (AP, 12/6/03)
June 10, 2003: At the close of 33rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States, Secretary General César Gaviria agreed to have the human rights situation in Cuba discussed at the OAS. (Radio Martí, 11/6/03)
June 9, 2003: Vice-President of Argentina, Daniel Scioli, said that the recent visit of Fidel Castro to that nation should not be interpreted as a change of his country's position on human rights. "Today more than ever Argentina favours democracy, freedom of the press, private ownership and above all the defence of human rights," said the Vice-President. (El Nuevo Herald, 9/6/03)
June 9, 2003: Relatives of Cuban dissidents sentenced to long prison terms thanked the European Union for imposing sanctions on the communist regime in response to its abuse of human rights. An open letter signed by nearly a dozen wives of dissidents was released in Havana. It expresses the gratitude and "represents all the relatives of the convicted dissidents," Miriam Leiva, whose husband Oscar Espinosa Chepe, an independent journalist, received a 20-year term, told the press. Copies of the letter will be delivered in the next few days to the different embassies that represent the members of the EU in Havana, Leiva said. (EFE, 9/6/03)
June 9, 2003: Secretary of State Colin Powell challenged Organization of American State foreign ministers to join the United States in finding ways to "hasten the inevitable democratic transition in Cuba." Powell told his 34 colleagues from Latin America and the Caribbean that any such steps would be consistent with the OAS Inter-American Democratic Charter, approved in 2001. The charter, Powell said in a speech, "declares that the people of the Americas have a right to democracy. It does not say the peoples of the Americas except Cubans have a right to democracy." Powell criticized the March crackdown on Cuban dissidents, saying these activists were merely seeking to "act on their basic human rights." He also protested what he called the "harsh sentences" meted against them. The Cuban issue generally has been off-limits for the OAS. (AP, 9/6/03)
June 7, 2003: Fidel Castro accused the European Union of joining Washington in ganging up on Cuba after the EU cut back diplomatic and political ties in response to a crackdown on dissidents. "We must all remain calm, because a gang, a mafia, has joined the Yankee imperialists (...) disgracefully serving the Nazi-fascist government of the United States," he told some 7,000 people in a rally in a working-class suburb of Havana. While Castro did not name the EU, the comments clearly referred to the EU's decision to put diplomatic sanctions on Cuba. (AP, 7/6/05)
June 7, 2003: Speaking about the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Cuba. Diego Ojeda, spokesman for European External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten, denied that the EU had been influenced by Washington and said that the Commission was just as critical of the United States for using the death penalty. "The decision-making process is completely autonomous," he said. "When we sense a marked deterioration of the situation, we react accordingly." On Castro's language, Ojeda said: "Those words speak for themselves." (Reuters, 7/6/03)
June 6, 2003: Cuba rejected European diplomatic sanctions over political repression on the island and said the European Union was bowing to pressure from the United States, Cuba's archenemy. "It is sad but there is no question that the European Union has been unable to formulate its own policy on Cuba," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told reporters. "It has given in under pressure to the aggressive US policy against Cuba," he said at a ceremony launching Havana's candidacy to hold the 2012 Olympic Games. The Cuban Foreign Ministry accused the European Union of being superficial in its analysis of recent events in Cuba. Pérez Roque said that the European Union had over-reacted to events on the island and had failed to properly assess "the realities and complexities of the situation," including the increased hostility and the present dangers for Cuba's independence." (Reuters, Radio Habana Cuba, 6/6/03)
June 6, 2003: Canada will ask the Organization of American States to consider taking non-economic measures against Cuba in response to a crackdown on peaceful dissent, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham said. In a telephone interview, Mr. Graham said the OAS should follow the lead of the 15-member European Union, which said it would cut back political and cultural contacts with the government of Fidel Castro due to the crackdown. Mr. Graham said he would steer clear of proposing economic sanctions, in line with Canada's long-standing opposition to the US trade embargo against Cuba. "Cutting out high-level meetings is a good way of sending a signal, " Mr. Graham said. "Economic sanctions punish the people. We want measures to punish the elite." (The Globe and Mail, 7/6/03)
June 5, 2003: Miami-based Cuban exile groups welcomed EU sanctions against Havana. Cuban Liberty Council director Ninoska Perez told EFE she was pleased with the "initiative that confirms the only possible attitude towards dictators such as Fidel Castro." Mariela Ferreti, spokeswoman for the Cuban American National Foundation, told EFE that the sanctions leveled further encourage the island's internal opposition. (EFE, 5/6/03)
June 5, 2003: The European Union has decided to impose several diplomatic sanctions against Cuba, because of its violation of fundamental freedoms and breaking the moratorium on the death penalty. The measures are a last-minute initiative from Greece in the twilight period of its six-month period as the EU's Presidency holder. The Greek Presidency made a short but sharp statement, saying that the EU will re-examine its relations with Cuba and several sanctions, like limiting high-level visits to Cuba. "The EU, deeply concerned about the continuing flagrant violation of human rights and of fundamental freedoms of members of the Cuban opposition and of independent journalists, being deprived of their freedom for having expressed freely their opinion, calls once again the Cuban authorities to release immediately all political prisoners", said the statement. (EUObserver, 6/6/03)
