OVER 100 REPRESENTATIVES OF CUBA'S CIVIL SOCIETY ASK THE U.N. TO NOT REELECT CUBA TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

OVER 100 REPRESENTATIVES OF CUBA'S CIVIL SOCIETY ASK THE U.N. TO NOT
REELECT CUBA TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
2009-05-05.
(www.miscelaneasdecuba.net).- May 4, 2009. Summit, New Jersey. In a
letter to all member states of the United Nations, 106 representatives
of Cuba's civil society call on them to not support Cuba's reelection,
explaining why its government does not meet minimum requirements for
membership.

Pointing to the wasted opportunity by the Cuban leadership to uphold
pledges it made for its previous election, they denounce its continued
and systematic violation of most rights enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

On May 12th the United Nations General Assembly will hold its annual
elections for a third of the membership of the Human Rights Council. 18
of the 47 members will be chosen individually and by secret ballot for a
three-year term based on geographical distribution among five regional
groups. Cuba, having already served for three years in representation of
the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, may serve another
consecutive term. It has presented its candidacy, together with Mexico
and Uruguay, to fill the three seats up for election of the eight
allotted to the region.

In 2006, the U.N.'s General Assembly established the Council in
replacement of the former Commission for Human Rights for the purpose of
strengthening human rights around the globe. According to its founding
Resolution, A/RES/60/251, states elected as members are to uphold the
highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.
Furthermore, their contributions and commitments to that effect are to
be taken into account in evaluating their candidacies.

The signatories are from all over the Cuba -leaders of human rights and
civic groups, independent journalists and librarians, as well as well as
current and former political prisoners. They enumerate specific laws of
the Cuban state that create a de facto legality denying citizens basic
civil, political, and economic rights starting with the right to self
determination.

Citing strict restrictions on freedom of expression, association,
assembly, information, press, work, movement, private property, access
to the means of production, and freedom to leave the country, they point
to "legal" absurdities meant to silence dissent including disrespect,
the propensity to commit a crime, and failure to denounce others.

Their listing of violations committed by the state includes the
extrajudicial assassination of citizens attempting to flee the country
and dozens of deaths a year that result from inhumane prison conditions.
They point to many thousands of citizens incarcerated for so-called
economic "crimes" for attempting to secure basic sustenance through
self-employment in addition to 205 documented political prisoners.

The signatories, human rights defenders persecuted in their country,
contend that the Cuban government's continued membership in the Council
would constitute an endorsement of its abusive practices that would rob
that intergovernmental body of needed credibility. In concluding, they
ask the international community at this historic juncture to support
freedom for the Cuban people, "from which true sovereignty derives."

The NGO Coalition for an Effective Human Rights Council, an umbrella
group of international human rights organizations, has also expressed
its concern over Cuba's human rights records, as well as that of
Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Russia and Saudi Arabia, all running for
re-election to the Council. In addition, it has cited the worrisome lack
of competitive elections in several regions, including Latin America and
the Caribbean.

The letter from Cuba's civil society groups is available at:

http://www.demcoalition.org/site09-2008/pdf/Cuba%20letter%20in%20English%20-%20Final.pdf

The website for the NGO Coalition for an Effective Human Rights Council
is: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/features/hrc2009/index.html

For additional information on the United Nations Human Rights Council,
see: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil.

Contact:

Maria Werlau
Cuba Archive
www.CubaArchive.org
Tel. (973)701-0520
info@CubaArchive.org

Janisset Rivero
Directorio Democrático Cubano
www.directorio.org
Tel. (305)-220-2713
info@directorio.org

OVER 100 REPRESENTATIVES OF CUBA'S CIVIL SOCIETY ASK THE U.N. TO NOT
REELECT CUBA TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL - Misceláneas de Cuba (5 May 2009)

http://www.miscelaneasdecuba.net/web/article.asp?artID=20586