Rev. Al Sharpton Calls for the Freedom of Afro-Cuban Political Prisoners and Democracy Activists at New York Demonstration
By Directorio Democrático Cubano

New York. July 22, 2008. Cuban Democratic Directorate. Today, African-American civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton led a demonstration to protest the Castro regime's ongoing human rights violations. The demonstration was held outside the Cuban Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Rev. Sharpton highlighted the tragic plight of Afro-Cuban political prisoners and democratic opposition leaders, in particular Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet and Jorge Luis Garcia Perez "Antúnez." Dr. Biscet is the founder of the Lawton Foundation for human rights, and is currently unjustly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. Antúnez is the president of the Pedro Luis Boitel Political Prisoners Association and has become one of Cuba’s most active democracy leaders since he was released from prison in 2007. He had been unjustly imprisoned for 17 years.

Antúnez's sister Berta Antúnez Pernet and several former Cuban political prisoners- who had served terms ranging from 10 to 29 years- stood alongside Rev. Sharpton as he shared the stories of their suffering. Antúnez spoke to Rev. Sharpton yesterday evening by telephone from Cuba, and offered a firsthand account of the continued harassment he suffers daily on the Island.

Rev. Sharpton also highlighted the case of Dr. Biscet who is currently being held at the notoriously harsh Combinado del Este prison, and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for speaking out against the Castro regime. Conditions in the Cuban gulag are abysmal, and Biscet is regularly subjected to torture and extended stays in vermin-infested solitary confinement cells.

Ernesto Díaz Rodríguez, a former Cuban political prisoner, underlined the significance of a major African-American leader expressing support for Cuba’s long-suffering political prisoners and opposition activists.

“This event will be very fruitful for the cause of human rights in Cuba“ said Díaz Rodríguez on a Radio República broadcast.

Biscet's wife, Elsa Morejón, sent a letter from Cuba thanking Rev. Sharpton for bringing attention to her husband's plight, and describing the conditions of his cruel and unjust incarceration.

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Directorio Democrático Cubano
P.O. Box 110235
Hialeah, Florida 33011
Tel. 305-220-2713
info@directorio.org

In Memory of Mario Manuel de la Peña