Elusive reform in Cuba

Article published Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Elusive reform in Cuba

IN FEBRUARY, Cuba saw a monumental change: Fidel Castro officially
stepped down from his 49-year rule as president. But at least one
subsequent incident makes clear that if the country wants to see reform,
it will have to do more than simply change its head of state.

After all, the new administration is not all that new. Mr. Castro was
replaced by Mr. Castro - that is, Raul Castro, his younger brother, who
has been second-in-command since 1965.

On April 21, 10 women, dressed in T-shirts bearing the photos of their
husbands, all of whom are political prisoners, staged a demonstration in
a park next to Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion, near Cuba's government
and Communist Party headquarters. Members of a group called the Ladies
in White, they are seeking the release of their husbands. On that day
they demanded to meet with Raul Castro before they would agree to leave
the park.

Instead of meeting with them, Mr. Castro dispatched 20 female police
officers to round them up. The demonstrators held fast, though, and the
officers needed several extra government workers to drag the Ladies in
White onto a bus that hauled them away.

Not that anyone would expect dramatic political reform from a new
Castro-in-Chief, but this kind of intolerance of even a nonviolent
protest makes a hypocrite of the new Cuban president.

First, Mr. Castro stated during his inaugural address, "This society …
is undoubtedly full of justice and everybody in it has the opportunity
to express their views." Second, just days after Mr. Castro was
"elected" president, his foreign minister signed two international human
rights treaties, the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and
Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights. The agreements commit Cuba to respect basic rights like freedom
of expression and association.

Amnesty International says, however, that Cuba has at least 58
"prisoners of conscience," making it one of the most repressive
governments in the world.

If Mr. Castro truly believes in justice and human rights, he should
honor his word. He should meet with the Ladies in White, release Cuba's
political prisoners, and apologize to the families terrorized by
political oppression under either Castro.

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