Federation of Cuban Women unmasked in Geneva
By Cuban Democratic Directorate

Activists who defend human rights in Cuba confront representatives of the dictatorship at the UN Human Rights Council

Geneva – During the fourth session of the UN Human Rights Council, Osvaldo Alfonso Valdés, former Cuban political prisoner and member of Liberal International along with Calixto Navarro of the Cuban Democratic Directorate (Directorio) unmasked Rita M. Pereira Ramírez, representative of the Federation of Cuban Women (FCW), a Cuban governmental organization that presents itself at the UN forum as a non-governmental organization (NGO). The incident occurred during a parallel conference held at the Palais des Nations presented by the International Organization Against Torture (IOAT) where both activists were invited to give their testimonies about repression against human rights defenders in Cuba.

“The representative from the Federation of Cuban Women attempted to divert the discussion concerning human rights violations against peaceful activists in Cuba by shouting accusations against Directorio. We responded that it was shocking that she would have the nerve to say those things when her own organization is one of the most active on the Island in repressing and violently attacking human rights activists, especially the Ladies in White, who are family members of Cuban political prisoners. The woman from the FCW began screaming in the auditorium, and the moderator asked her to be quiet,” explained Navarro after the meeting in Geneva.

Osvaldo Alfonso Valdés explained how in Cuba, these mass organizations, which now have the facade of NGO’s, are part of the totalitarian regime’s repressive machinery in response to the FCW representative and another member of the Tupac Amaru organization who questioned the veracity of human rights violations in Cuba.

“With their disheveled demeanor and I would say hysterical behavior, in addition to the words used in the document they distributed to the audience, they demonstrated that they are intolerant and do not believe in respect for human rights. They accused Directorio of promoting ‘ideological deviance.’ We demonstrated in our speeches that if the Cuban regime considers speaking about human rights as ‘ideological deviance,’ then what can be expected of their actions toward people who defend these right son the Island?” stated Alfonso Valdés.

Rodolfo Reyes Rodríguez, the ambassador of the totalitarian regime’s delegation and Yuri Ariel Gala López, deputy ambassador stood at the door of the conference room to hand out papers written in English attacking the Cuban Democratic Directorate, attacks that are poorly substantiated, and were easily refuted by Alfonso Valdés and Navarro.

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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