Crackdown in Cuba

In the last weeks of March 2003, the Cuban government sentenced nearly 80 human rights defenders, independent journalists, economists and librarians to up to 28 years in prison in the harshest crackdown on civil society seen on the island in years. The government’s actions have been widely condemned by human rights organizations, foreign governments and the United Nations.

The dissidents were arrested, tried and sentenced on charges of “disrespect” of the Revolution and “treason”, or “giving information to the enemy.” The real reason for their imprisonment appears to be their non-violent activism for human rights and democracy. Many of the imprisoned dissidents were organizers of the Varela Project (Proyecto Varela), a constitutionally-based civic initiative that collected signatures on a petition calling for a referendum on democratic reforms and respect for basic freedoms.

Family members of the dissidents have reported that they are being held in substandard conditions, in small, dimly lit cells with poor ventilation. Medical treatment has also been denied to at least two critically ill dissidents. The Lawyers Committee condemns the crackdown on independent human rights defenders and political activists and is urging the Cuban government to order the release of all individuals who were arrested and convicted because of their efforts to exercise their civil and political rights and their efforts to promote and protect basic human rights in Cuba.

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