(WiPC/IFEX) – The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN is deeply concerned about the deteriorating health of Normando Hernández González. He is among a number of Cuban writers, journalists and librarians still detained today in violation of their right to freedom of expression following mass arrests in April 2003. They are held in prisons […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN is deeply concerned about the deteriorating health of Normando Hernández González. He is among a number of Cuban writers, journalists and librarians still detained today in violation of their right to freedom of expression following mass arrests in April 2003. They are held in prisons where reports of poor conditions, ill treatment and lack of medical attention are common.
Hernández González is an honorary member of the English and American PEN Centres. PEN America reports that on 18 March 2003, he was arrested in his hometown of Camagüey, central Cuba, along with 74 others considered by the Cuban government to be dissidents. Hernández González, then 33, was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment under Article 91 of the Cuban Criminal Code for reporting on the conditions of state-run services in Cuba and for criticizing the government’s management of issues such as tourism, agriculture, fishing, and cultural affairs. Since his arrest, there have been consistent reports of abuse, appalling prison conditions and denial of medical attention. In the early months of his imprisonment, Hernández González was kept in solitary confinement and allowed only four hours of sunlight a week, no access to television or radio, and only extremely restricted communication with his family. Reports also suggest that he has been given polluted water and inadequate food and offered only the most basic medical services.
In 2004, Hernández González was transferred to Kilo 5½ prison in Pinar del Río, over 400 miles from his home and family. There he is said to have been denied all access to the outside world and forced to share a small, filthy cell with insects, rodents, and prisoners considered dangerous or mentally unstable. His family report that they have been denied proper access to him and that they have received reports that he has been beaten by prison officials.
Alarm for Hernández González’s well-being has increased in recent days since his wife reported to human rights activists in early December that her husband was transferred to a provincial hospital in Camagüey after suffering further health complications. He is reported to have malabsorption syndrome, a disease of the intestine causing difficulties in absorbing nutrients, which carries with it acute conditions such as malnutrition, heart disease and anaemia. As a result, he has reportedly lost around 35 pounds and there are growing fears that he may die in detention.
BACKGROUND:
Hernández González was among twenty five writers, journalists and librarians sentenced during one-day trials between 3 and 4 April 2003. The accusations focused on alleged conspiratorial dealings between the arrested “dissidents” and the chief of the US Special Interests Section in Havana, James Cason. Since that time, several reports have been published detailing the shocking conditions in which these imprisoned writers remain, often with no access to medical attention or their families.
International PEN has long been concerned for the welfare of writers, journalists and librarians detained in Cuban prisons, many of whom, like Hernández González, suffer from acute health conditions. It considers their detention to be in direct violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is calling for their release. International PEN further urges that all prisoners in detention be treated humanely and granted access to all necessary medical treatment.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send appeals to authorities:
– expressing alarm at reports of the deteriorating health of Hernández González and fears that he may die in detention
– urging the Cuban authorities to provide, as a matter of urgency, all necessary medical attention to Hernández González
– requesting the immediate release of all writers and journalists held in Cuban prisons in violation of their right to freedom of expression, as recognised by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
APPEALS TO:
Presidente interino Raul Castro Ruz
[Interim President]
La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 8333085
Dr. Juan Escalona Reguera
Fiscal General de la República
[Attorney General]
Fiscalía General de la República
San Rafael 3
La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 669 485/333 164
General Abelardo Colomé Ibarra
Ministro del Interior y Prisiones
[Interior Minister]
Ministerio del Interior
Plaza de la Revolución
La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 8301 566
Please also send appeals to the diplomatic representatives of Cuba accredited to your country.
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
