News from International Committee for Democracy in Cuba March 2006

News from ICDC - March 2006

Commemorative events in Prague to mark the anniversary of the Cuban Spring
For the third time, a symbolic jail cell was organized on Wenceslas
Square in the centre of Prague to commemorate the brutal crackdown on
the Cuban democratic opposition in March 2003. The whole event began on
March 16, 2006 with a demonstration in front of the Cuban Embassy in
Prague where protesters demanded the release of all political prisoners.
The symbolic cell was officially opened on May 17 at 12.00 by Pavel Bém,
the mayor of Prague, Šimon Pánek, the director of People in Need, and
Mirek Toponánek, the leader of the Civic Democrats (ODS). Czech public
figures and members of the general public ‘served time‘ for one of the
Cuban political prisoners. Symbolic ‘prisoners‘ included actress Aňa
Geislerová, director Václav Marhoul, former dissident Dana Němcová,
documentary director Olga Sommerová, Castro’s former prisoner Jan
Bubeník and members of parliament Táňa Fischerová, Petr Bratský and
Jaromír Štětina. In addition to the cell, a series of photographs from
the exhibition ‘It is our Problem Too: Women of the Cuban Spring’ were
exhibited on the square. The event was closed with a symbolic protest
march and church mass on March 18 similar to those carried out by Damas
de Blanco.

Commemorative events in other European cities
In Bratislava, People in Peril and the Pontis Foundation together
prepared an event at the Cinema Charlie Center entitled “Cuba – the
Island Behind Bars“. Three films related to the issue of refugees, human
rights and dissent were screened and a discussion entitled ‘Cuba seen by
the Non-Typical Tourists’ took place lead by three professionals who had
recently traveled to Cuba.
In Madrid, Spain, Reporters without Borders organized a photo exhibition
and presented the new RSF report documenting the human rights situation
on the island. Cuba en Transicion also coordinated a demonstration
outside the Cuban embassy.
Further events in Europe included a symbolic jail cell in Amsterdam,
Netherlands (organized by Pax Christi), a demonstration in Frankfurt and
one in Berlin (the International Society for Human Rights) and a
demonstration in Belgrade (E-75). In Latin America, events took place in
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Mexico; Uruguay and Peru. For
more details see our website www.cubaprison.org.

ICDC member Ribeiro e Castro launched the “No Estais Solos” (‘You are
not alone’) initiative
The “It is our problem too: Women of the Prisoners of the Cuban Spring”
photo exhibition was held in Portugal in cooperation with ICDC member
José Ribeiro e Castro on March 18, 2006. A PIN representative also
participated in this event. The photographs were installed in a truck
used for traveling exhibitions and a small press conference was held at
the opening. On the same day, an initiative by Mr. Ribeiro e Castro,
entitled “No Estais Solos”, in support of the Cuban democratic
opposition was launched in the headquarters of Mr. Ribeiro e Castro’s
party. The exhibition continued the following week in the campus of
Lisbon law school.

ICDC panel discussion to be held in Vienna on the eve of the EU-LAC summit
The ICDC secretariat is organizing the opening of the photo exhibition
“It Is Our Problem Too: Women of the Prisoners of the Cuban Spring”,
followed by a short panel discussion with several ICDC members in
Vienna, Austria on May 10, 2006. An ICDC declaration will be prepared
for this occasion describing the worsening human rights situation in
Cuba and demanding the states present at the EU-LAC summit develop a
stronger approach towards Cuba. Speakers will include ICDC members
Arnold Vaatz and Karel Schwarzenberg, Austrian Member of Parliament
Franz Glaser, the Cuban writer living in exile Zoe Valdes and a
representative of Reporters without Borders. Partners to this event will
be the Political Academy of Austrian People’s Party, the Konrad Adenauer
Foundation, the Pontis Foundation, the FAES Foundation and Reporters
without Borders.

http://www.miscelaneasdecuba.net/web/article.asp?artID=5226