Human Rights in Cuba Deteriorating Says European Union

Human Rights in Cuba Deteriorating, Says European Union
Number of political prisoners in Cuba said to be increasing

By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The European Union (EU) says it deplores what it calls
"further deterioration" of the human rights situation in Cuba since June
2005.

In a June 12 statement, the EU's foreign ministers said that according
to Cuban human rights organizations, the number of political prisoners
in Cuba has risen in the last year to more than 330 documented cases.
This figure includes several individuals detained without charge or
trial since 2005.

In addition, the EU's ministers said, hundreds of young Cuban citizens
have been detained and sentenced under a Cuban penal code that makes it
unlawful to show the "propensity to commit a crime." The foreign
ministers’ statement was released after the Luxemburg meeting of the
EU's General Relations and External Relations Council, which deals with
the EU’s foreign affairs.

The foreign ministers reiterated their call for the Cuban government to
"unconditionally" release all political prisoners in Cuba, including a
group of 75 people who were detained and sentenced to prison in 2003.

The EU foreign ministers expressed particular concern about several
dozen acts of violent harassment and intimidation against members of
Cuba’s peaceful political opposition and civil society reported since
July 2005. The Cuban authorities, said the ministers, were not
fulfilling their obligations to protect all Cuban citizens. The foreign
ministers "urgently" called on Cuba's government "to take prompt action
to stop the ongoing harassment and to undertake every effort to
effectively prevent its resumption."

EU relations with Cuba are governed by what is called the EU’s "Common
Position" adopted in 1996. Among other things, it requires regular
evaluations of the situation in Cuba.

The Common Position says the EU's objective in its relations with Cuba
is to encourage "a process of transition to a pluralist democracy and
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as
sustainable recovery and improvement in the living standards of the
Cuban people."

The United States and other members of the international community
repeatedly have condemned human rights abuses in Cuba. A report released
April 5 by the U.S. State Department says that for the past 47 years,
the Cuban government of Fidel Castro has "consistently spurned domestic
and international calls for greater political tolerance and respect for
human rights." (See related article.)

The department's report, called Supporting Human Rights and Democracy:
The U.S. Record 2005-2006, says that in 2005, the Cuban government
continued to ignore or violate virtually all of its citizens'
fundamental rights, including the right to change their government. The
Cuban people did not enjoy freedom of speech, press or movement, and
were denied the right to assemble peacefully or freely form
associations, said the report. The Cuba section of the report dealing
with Cuba and the Western Hemisphere is available on the State
Department Web site.

The full text of the EU foreign ministers’ statement is available on the
EU Web site.
http://www.eu2006.at/en/News/Council_Conclusions/1206Cuba.pdf

For more on U.S. policy, see
http://usinfo.state.gov/wh/americas/cuba.html

http://usinfo.state.gov/dhr/Archive/2006/Jun/13-480817.html?chanlid=humanrights