What Everyone Should Avoid

What Everyone Should Avoid / 14ymedio, Jose Daniel Ferrer

14ymedio, Jose Daniel Ferrer, Miami, 6 August 2016 — We live in complex
times. The world is full of problems, some more serious than others. We
live in the twenty-first century of the Christian Era, with some
surrounded by comfort and wonderful technologies and others living like
poor serfs of the Middle Ages. We live in a world where millions of
people enjoy all their rights and freedoms, other millions only enjoy
certain rights and freedoms, and many millions suffer under regimes that
violate all or almost all their rights and freedoms. We live in a world
where there are very noble, humanitarian and sweet people, and others
who are criminals and madmen like those of ISIS, or the regimes of the
Castros and North Korea.

We live in a world where many citizens of the first powers of the free
world, and luckily the planet, say they never thought to reach a
presidential election with two candidates as controversial. Others
believe they have magnificent aspirants for the Oval Office who will
represent them well inside and outside the country's borders. We live in
a world where a pope praises a Stalinist like Fidel Castro and a Cuban
Bishop says he wants "socialism to prosper" in a nation where we have
the worst capitalism, which is bad capitalism, that of a family and
generals, who own everything and everyone. We live in a world where
other bishops and pastors do not forget that Christ was persecuted and
died on the cross and that evil is confronted with dignity and courage.

We live in a very complex world and the free press confirms it for us
every day. And in the midst of so many complexities, we Cubans have our
own. Some of the worst of any people living on the planet. We live under
a regime comparable only to that of Stalin and North Korea, a comparison
annoys the cynics and cowardly agents of the Castro regime and the
Castros themselves. Our people live without rights and in the deepest
misery. Thousands escape risking their lives in search of freedom and
opportunity in other lands. And worse, against all logic, while the
Unites States, the European Union and others, strive to help Cuba out of
the sorry state the Castro regime has plunged it into, Raul Castro does
the exact opposite of what at certain times he faked that he was willing
to do.

To the extent that the US and the European Union show more generosity to
the Castro regime, this regime repressed more, beats its opponents more,
imprisons them more, tortures more and assaults and steals more from
peaceful opponents, those fighting for the democratization of country
and respect for human rights.

With increased its repressive actions, knowing the commitment of the
European Union and the United States to human rights, the regime not
only hurts its people more every day, it also mocks the powers of the
free world, which creates a negative image of weakness and/or
insensitivity before the excesses of a dictatorship.

At a time when, instead of advancing economic openness, the Castro
regime prefers to harass, excessively control and exploit those who try
to get ahead as entrepreneurs; at a time when instead of demonstrating
greater respect for the people's feelings and their fundamental rights,
and respect for their foreign partners, the Castro dictatorship attacks
with greater force the opposition movement, Guillermo Farinas, Carlos
Amel Oliva Torres and other members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba
(UNPACU) engaged in a long and very dangerous hunger strike with the aim
of calling attention to the excesses of the Castro regime and seeking to
put limits on their infamous behavior.

To the extent that the US and the European Union show more generosity to
the Castro regime, this regime repressed more, beats its opponents more,
imprisons them more, tortures more and assaults and steals more from
peaceful opponents, those fighting for the democratization of country

We all need to prevent these brave and selfless Cubans from losing their
lives. We need those who love them and admire them, they need good
people, they need the churches called to act as Good Samaritans, they
need the governments of the United States and the European Union in
dialogue with the Castro regime, and above all, Raul Castro, who has
already caused too much damage, and in times in which we are living does
find it in his interest to take the steps that can end it in a way that
is comfortable for him and his family, rather than in way that results
in international tribunals and conditions like those in which the
Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic ended up.

Those who love and admire the hunger strikers have been making strenuous
efforts to convince them to suspend their hunger and thirst
strikes. They, with too many reasons in their favor and with principles
and an honor very rare in our times, refuse to end their strikes without
seeing some positive demonstration from the Castro regime. The strikers
only ask that the regime complies with its own laws. Or do the laws of
the regime authorize beating, assaulting and robbing peaceful citizens
who have committed no crime? We remember the brutal and constant
beatings against activists handcuffed behind the back, the torture and
the theft even of food and our children's books.

For our request to the strikers to stop their hunger and thirst strikes,
it would be a great help to have the support of the Catholic Church, the
US government and the European Union, through authorized officials who
could communicate with whose who risk their lives for a just cause and
who would express their concern for their lives and tell them about the
efforts, which undoubtedly must be made before the Castro regime, to put
an end to, or moderate, their uncivilized behaviors.

The US government and representatives of the European Union have already
expressed concern for the lives of the strikers, and other prominent
politicians and personalities have also done so. To them we are all are
very grateful. The days pass, the dictatorship does not give the
slightest sign of willingness to act and the lives of these worthy
Cubans fades slowly. Let us join efforts to convince them to lay down
their strikes and to pressure the regime to moderate its despicable
behavior. The death of more Cubans on hunger strike for just demands, is
what we should all avoid.

The author is coordinator of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, UNPACU.

Source: What Everyone Should Avoid / 14ymedio, Jose Daniel Ferrer –
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/what-everyone-should-avoid-14ymedio-jose-daniel-ferrer/