(RSF/IFEX) – Imprisoned Cuban journalist and poet Raúl Rivero has lost nearly 20 kg (40 pounds) since he was jailed in March 2003, according to his wife Blanca Reyes, who fears he is being starved in jail in Ciego de Avila. Rivero is serving a 20-year sentence for allegedly “undermining the independence and integrity of […]
(RSF/IFEX) – Imprisoned Cuban journalist and poet Raúl Rivero has lost nearly 20 kg (40 pounds) since he was jailed in March 2003, according to his wife Blanca Reyes, who fears he is being starved in jail in Ciego de Avila. Rivero is serving a 20-year sentence for allegedly “undermining the independence and integrity of the state.”
Reyes told RSF on 4 August that she had spoken to Rivero by phone on 31 July and that it was clear he was suffering, even though he did not complain. He is deliberately being held in harsh conditions and only allowed one visit every three months, instead of every month. She also said “conjugal” visits are restricted.
“I can only bring him extra food once every three months,” Reyes said. “Canned food is forbidden, so he has to eat biscuits and has no protein in his diet. I won’t be able to see him again until 21 August.” She added that Rivero has circulatory problems and that the authorities were providing him with the medication she brings for him.
“His detention conditions are inhuman and unacceptable,” Reyes said. “He suffers from the heat and the cells are filthy and infested with cockroaches and mosquitoes. Even Fidel Castro, when he was jailed for armed rebellion against dictator Fulgencio Batista, didn’t have to suffer such conditions. Raúl is innocent. I am in despair.”
While continuing to call for Rivero’s release, Reyes urged the authorities to put an end to her husband’s harsh detention regime and provide him with a nutritious and balanced diet. She said Rivero’s 82-year-old mother, Hortensia Castañeda, was very affected by his imprisonment. “I hold the government responsible for her state of health,” she warned.
Rivero is in Canaleta prison in Ciego de Avila, 420 km east of Havana. He was arrested on 20 March and in April sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was accused of writing “biased” articles in the foreign press, meeting with United States (U.S.) diplomats and working with RSF, which was described as a “French terrorist organisation manipulated by the U.S. government.”
Rivero, who was awarded the RSF-Fondation de France prize in 1997, is also a member of the Manuel Márquez Sterling Journalists’ Association, which is part of the RSF Network that includes press freedom organisations around the world.
At least seven other independent journalists arrested at the end of March are reportedly ill. Journalist Oscar Espinosa Chepe is suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and has been transferred to a hospital in Santiago de Cuba as a result of strong international pressure. His wife, Miriam Leiva, says the hospital is not clean and has asked for his transfer to a hospital in Havana. Espinosa fears he will contract new illnesses in the Santiago hospital and has refused to undergo medical tests. His wife says he has lost about 20 kg and his health is jeopardised.
The six other journalists who are reportedly ill are Víctor Rolando Arroyo Carmona, Carmelo Díaz Fernández, Hector Maseda Gutiérrez, Jorge Olivera Castillo, Miguel Galván Gutierrez and Normándo Hernández. Several of them have reportedly not received the medical treatment they need and have also lost weight.
A total of 75 dissidents were arrested at the end of March, including 26 independent journalists. They were tried in early April and sentenced to between 14 and 27 years in prison, mostly under laws to protect the state’s “independence and integrity”. They were accused of publishing articles abroad that allegedly served the “imperialist interests” of the United States and having contacts with the U.S. Interests Section (U.S. diplomatic representation in Havana). Tape-recorders, computers, fax machines and written material seized at their homes were presented as evidence at their hasty trials.
Article 53 of the Cuban Constitution bans privately-owned media. Apart from the small Catholic Church press, all media is controlled by the ruling Cuban Communist Party.
More than 13 years ago, RSF set up a system whereby international media can “sponsor” imprisoned journalists. Some 120 media outlets around the world have responded by adopting colleagues, regularly calling for their release and publicising their plight so that they are not forgotten. Rivero is sponsored by the French daily newspapers “Ouest France”, “Le Figaro”, “Metro” and “La Tribune”, as well as the TV5 television station and the France Culture radio station.
For additional information on journalists imprisoned in Cuba, see the section “Cuba, the world’s biggest prison for journalists,” on RSF’s website: http://www.rsf.org
