(CJFE/IFEX) – The following is a joint CJFE – Amnesty International Canada letter to Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy: **Updates IFEX alerts of 11 March and 2 March 1999** The Hon. Lloyd Axworthy Minister of Foreign Affairs House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Fax: + 613-996-3443 12 March 1999 Dear Minister Axworthy, Both Canadian […]
(CJFE/IFEX) – The following is a joint CJFE – Amnesty International
Canada
letter to Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy:
**Updates IFEX alerts of 11 March and 2 March 1999**
The Hon. Lloyd Axworthy
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Fax: + 613-996-3443
12 March 1999
Dear Minister Axworthy,
Both Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and Amnesty
International Canada (AI) wish to strongly condemn the government of
Cuba’s
recent moves against press freedom. Of particular offense is the arrest
and
detainment of journalists trying to cover a trial in progress. We urge
the
Canadian government to pursue the matter with Cuban authorities and do
everything possible to assist in the release of the journalists who
remain
in jail.
At least 15 journalists were arrested surrounding a sedition trial on 1
March in Cuba and two journalists have reportedly disappeared, provoking
an
international outcry. The 15 journalists were detained to prevent them
from
covering the trial on 1 March of political dissidents Vladimiro Roca,
Marta
Beatriz Roque, Félix Bonne, and René Gomez, known as the “Group of Four”
or
“Grupo de Trabajo”, who are charged with sedition.
The four, members of the Internal Dissidents’ Working Group for the
Analysis
of the Cuban Socio-Economic Situation, were arrested on 16 July 1997.
The
arrests followed their public criticism at an internationally-attended
press
conference a month earlier of the government paper: “The Party of Unity,
Democracy and Human Rights which we Defend” where they also handed out
copies of their own critique of the document entitled “The Homeland is
for
Everyone”.
In addition to the arrests of journalists, State Security agents ordered
reporters to clear the area in front of the courthouse, preventing the
international press from covering the trial.
Among the journalists arrested was the award-winning Raúl Rivero,
Director
of the independent CubaPress. Other reporters from the independent
CubaPress
and HavanaPress news agencies were also arrested, as well as several
human
rights defenders and numerous dissidents. Many of those detained were
reportedly released shortly after the trial, including some of the
journalists. However, we fear others remain in jail and two journalists
have
disappeared.
Journalists Jesús Díaz Loyola, a HavanaPress reporter in Havana, and
José
Edel García Díaz, a reporter with “Centro Norte del País” based in
Caibarién, have been missing since 25 February and their whereabouts are
unknown.
This crackdown comes shortly after a repressive law was passed in Cuba
on 16
February that imposes sentences of up to 20 years in prison for the
possession or distribution of “subversive” documents. The law, called
the
“Ley de Proteccion de la Independencia Nacional y la Economía de Cuba”,
“Law
for the Protection of the National Independence and Economy of Cuba,”
also
makes it a crime to contact foreign media or distribute information
opposed
to Cuba’s “fundamental interests.”
On 9 March, Rivero was again detained and questioned for two hours by
officers of the state police who threatened him and “warned” that he
would
be the first individual punished under the new law. This is a clear
indication that the crackdown surrounding the trial was not an isolated
incident.
Mr. Axworthy, on a visit to Cuba in 1997, you persuaded Fidel Castro to
let
Canada help Cuba build a civil society. In light of the continuing
detention
of political prisoners, the new legislation aimed at journalists, and
the
round-up of activists and journalists, it is clear that we are no closer
today to seeing such a society in Cuba.
At the annual Human Rights NGO Consultations on 4 March in Ottawa, you
stated, “Dialogue is not a substitute for pressure or public censure. It
is
another channel that can be used to deliver tough human rights messages
and
to work with a range of actors in government and civil society to bring
about change.”
Clearly dialogue is not working with the Cuban authorities. We urge the
government of Canada to use all channels of influence at its disposal
and
insist that Cuba make public the status of Jesús Díaz Loyola, José Edel
García Díaz and the other journalists who reportedly have not been
released,
and confirm the whereabouts and safety of journalist Raul Rivero.
Finally, we ask Canada to insist that the Cuban authorities respect the
internationally recognized right to collect and impart information
freely,
as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
Sincerely,
Wayne Sharpe
Executive Director
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Roger Clark
Secretary-General
Amnesty International
Canadian Section
Appeals To
The Hon. Lloyd Axworthy
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
Fax: +1 613 996 3443
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
