(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is concerned about the health of journalist Fabio Prieto Llorente, who has been on a hunger strike since 11 August 2004 to protest his prison conditions. “It is the third time since the beginning of the year that the journalist has been driven to take this course of action,” the organisation said, […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is concerned about the health of journalist Fabio Prieto Llorente, who has been on a hunger strike since 11 August 2004 to protest his prison conditions. “It is the third time since the beginning of the year that the journalist has been driven to take this course of action,” the organisation said, reiterating that it holds the Cuban government responsible for Llorente’s health.
“In Cuba, journalists suffer a double injustice, that of being imprisoned for doing their job and that of being held in appalling conditions,” said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard. The organisation is demanding the immediate release of all journalists held in Cuban jails.
“The release of three journalists in June and the recent transfer of three others to prisons closer to their homes does not amount to an improvement in the situation for the press, given that 26 journalists remain in prison and the state still has a monopoly on the news. On the other hand, these latest moves do testify to the effectiveness of pressure brought to bear by the international community, which should therefore be maintained until the authorities in Havana respect press freedom,” the organisation said.
With 26 journalists in its jails, Cuba is the second largest prison in the world for the profession, after China, which has 27 imprisoned journalists. President Fidel Castro features on RSF’s list of 38 press freedom “predators”.
Third hunger strike
On 19 August, Clara Lourdes, sister of the imprisoned journalist, said that Llorente had been on a hunger strike since 11 August to protest his transfer to a cell with common criminals. The prison authorities use these common criminals to harass political prisoners, offering them privileges in exchange. Llorente also went on hunger strikes in January and July for the same reasons.
A correspondent for the banned Havana Press agency, based in Isla de la Juventud, in the southwestern part of the country, and for the former news website http://www.cubafreepress.org, Llorente was arrested on 19 March 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He has had little contact with his family since his arrest and has been transferred three times. He is now in “Kilo 8” prison in Camagüey, more than 700 kilometres from Isla de la Juventud, where his family lives.
Llorente suffers from violent headaches as a result of the constant noise in the prison. He has said that a radio is left on continuously close to his cell to prevent him from sleeping. He has detailed the “inhumane” conditions he suffers, including ill treatment, lack of medical attention, poor food and denial of the right to walk and go outdoors for several days at a time. In July 2004, he said he was suffering from joint pain, after not being allowed outdoors for two months.
Very limited improvements
In June, journalists Carlos Alberto Dominguez, Carmelo Diaz Fernández and Manuel Vázquez Portal were granted medical parole for health reasons. They may be required to return to prison once their health improves.
In early August, journalists Pedro Argüelles Moran, Alfredo Manuel Pulido López and Omar Moisés Ruiz Hernández were moved to prisons closer to their families. These improvements, however, are very limited. The majority of the 26 jailed journalists are being held hundreds of kilometres from their homes. Given the country’s transport problems, travel to visit them is an ordeal for their families, who are restricted to one visit every three months instead of a visit every three weeks.
Most of the journalists are imprisoned with common criminals, some of whom are dangerous. They are kept under stressful conditions, subjected to psychological pressure and humiliation, deprived of proper nourishment, adequate medical attention and regular contact with their families. They are denied visits from clergy.
Journalist and economist Oscar Espinosa Chepe’ health is particularly worrisome. Chepe is currently serving a 20-year sentence. His family says he is suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and cancer that was detected in February. He can barely eat. Initially treated at the Carlos J. Finlay of Havana military hospital, he was moved to the infirmary at Combinado del Este prison in Havana province on 12 August, before Hurricane Shirley hit the area. Despite promises, as of 19 August he still had not been returned to the military hospital.
Twenty-five of Cuba’s 26 jailed journalists were arrested in March 2003, along with around 50 dissidents, during Cuba’s “black spring”. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 27 years.
