Cuban Democratic Directorate Calls Attention to Increased Repression in Cuban Prisons, Announces Plan to Petition European Union for Solidarity
By Cuban Democratic Directorate

The Cuban Democratic Directorate announced today the beginning of a campaign directed at the governments of the European Union soliciting their solidarity with Cuba’s political prisoners and denounced the latest repressive measures of the Cuban regime against Cuban political prisoners, highlighting the case of Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez,” whose sister is presently on hunger strike protesting mistreatment against him.

Bertha Antúnez Pernet, Photo Christian Solidarity International

MIAMI, September 1, 2004 -- The Cuban Democratic Directorate announced today the beginning of a campaign directed at the governments of the European Union soliciting their solidarity with Cuba’s political prisoners and denounced the latest repressive measures of the Cuban regime against Cuban political prisoners, highlighting the case of Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez,”  whose sister is presently on hunger strike protesting mistreatment against him.

“I ask that my brother be transferred to Villa Clara.  He has spent 10 years exiled from our province, besides suffering all types of mistreatment, beatings, tortures and inhuman conditions.  Enough already.  I cannot permit this to go on,” said Bertha Antúnez via telephone from her home in Placetas, Villa Clara.

Bertha, Jorge Luis’s sister, initiated her hungerstrike on August 23, after asking Colonel Lino Torres of the National Direction of Jails and Prisons [Dirección Nacional de Cárceles y Prisiones] on July 14th to transfer her brother to their home province and not receiving a response.

Janisset Rivero, executive director of the Cuban Democratic Directorate, presented a summary of additional cases of political prisoners who have been victims of similar maltreatment and emphasized that although the case of Antúnez is emblematic of the repression to which political prisoners and their relatives are subjected, it is not the only one. 

“We are not seeing an isolated case but rather the continual and systematic repression of political prisoners and their relatives, so that the ‘release’ of seven members of the opposition carried out by the Cuban regime recently does not signify a more tolerant disposition on the government’s behalf or a desire to resolve the necessities of the nation,” indicated Rivero. 

Rivero explained that the Directorio would begin a campaign this week of meeting with the consulates in Miami of member states of the European Union to ask for their support for political prisoners and their families and will carry out an information campaign towards international organizations who defend and advocate human rights.

“It is important to inform European political leaders about the reality in Cuba so that they not reward the Cuban government with more favorable treatment when repression in Cuban prisons has increased,”said Rivero.

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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