Sun May 18, 5:18 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States, pushing a new initiative, is
seeking to spotlight political prisoners' plight in communist Cuba, US
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENT
"These are people who in many cases have just disagreed with the regime.
... And ... the conditions -- they're thrown in dungeons and in some
cases, the little compartments where they can't stand up," the
Cuban-born US official told CNN, referring to Cuban political prisoners
now estimated around 270.
"Invariably, they get sick almost immediately and they're denied medical
attention. This is brutality at its worst," Gutierrez said, explaining
how Washington was observing May 21 as International Day of Solidarity
with Cuba.
Asked about US economic sanctions that have not undone communist rule in
Cuba in more than five decades, Gutierrez, who immigrated with his
family as a boy, said: "there is some disagreement about the policy, the
embargo; but at least we can all agree on human rights and the plight of
political prisoners."
Gutierrez appeared to back the embargo policy he argued was "designed to
deny resources from a country that is a state sponsor of terrorism,"
though he did not detail on what basis Washington believes Havana has
any terror links.
And the US commerce chief quickly pointed out that even with the US
trade embargo in place, thanks to exceptions the United States made to
its own sanctions in order to sell food, "what a lot of people don't
realize is one-third of (Cuba's) food and one-third of their medicine
comes from the United States.
"The problem isn't the US policy. The problem is communism. It doesn't
work. The problem is the policies in Cuba, the repression, the fear. ...
I think the question that should be asked is, when are they going to
change?"
Gutierrez did not question communism in key US trade partner China.
Asked about small social and economic changes Cuban President Raul
Castro had made since taking power after ailing Fidel Castro stepped
aside, Gutierrez said: "Everything we hear is that it is the same exact
repression, fear, brutality that has existed over 49 years.
"We believe that people deserve to know, and we believe that the
political prisoners in those dungeons deserve to know that the
international community is paying attention to them," he added.
Raul Castro, 76, took over as president in February after his ailing
brother Fidel Castro, 81, left Cuba's helm after almost 50 years as leader.
In March Raul Castro authorized the sale of personal computers to
Cubans, and sales began this month, drawing new attention to
restrictions on the Internet. Computer sales were banned in 2003 with
Cuba blaming a nationwide power shortage.
Raul Castro also has launched other reform measures including allowing
Cubans to stay in tourist hotels, take out mobile phone contracts, and
buy appliances such as computers, motorbikes and pressure cookers.
The government also is carrying out some farm reforms hoping to boost
food production, which Havana calls a top national security issue.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080518/pl_afp/uscubapoliticsrights_080518211824
No comments:
Post a Comment