Cuba
The following is a joint statement issued by NGOs from across Europe
working on the defence of human rights, the promotion of democracy, and
support for civil society in Cuba.
Following his recent visit to Cuba, Louis Michel, the European
Commissioner for Development, has publicly called for the European Union
to normalise relations with the Cuban government. He has referred to EU
sanctions, which are currently suspended, as the main obstacle to doing so.
The EU sanctions were first put in place in 2003 in response to a
massive crackdown against independent journalists, human rights
defenders, democracy activists and independent librarians, among others
in March of the same year. 75 Cubans were arrested, subjected to summary
trials and handed down lengthy prison sentences.
The EU Common Position, originally approved in 1996, states clearly that
"the objective of the European Union in its relations with Cuba is to
encourage a process of transition to pluralist democracy and respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as a sustainable recovery
and improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people." The Cuban
government has repeatedly violated these principles. Consistency on the
part of the EU is vital at this time to show that these ideals are not
mere rhetorical flourishes, but a rather, a real commitment on the part
of the EU and its member states to certain values and rights.
Five years after the Black Spring of 2003, little has changed in Cuba:
• No moves towards a transition to a true democracy in Cuba have taken
place. Instead, one dictator has been replaced with another and top
positions have been given to noted hardliners.
• Approximately 230 political prisoners continue to languish in Cuban
prisons, including 55 of the 75 prisoners of conscience arrested in
2003. Almost all of the prisoners who have been released were critically
ill and were forced to leave the country upon their release. The
families of prisoners consistently report physical mistreatment,
violations of religious rights, and horrific conditions inside the
prisons. Furthermore, there are well documented cases of new political
prisoners since 2003. None of this indicates to us any real commitment
on the part of the Cuban authorities to seriously addressing this problem.
• In its Common Position, the EU pledges to facilitate peaceful change
in Cuba and promote respect for human rights by intensifying the
dialogue with the government and "all sectors of Cuban society."
However, during his visit, Commissioner Michel did not meet with a
single representative of Cuban civil society, including human rights
defenders or pro-democracy activists, nor did he meet with any families
of political prisoners. It is worth noting that Commissioner Michel also
failed to meet with past Sakharov Prize winners, Oswaldo Paya and
representatives from the Ladies in White, who have all been prohibited
from travelling to Europe to receive their prize.
• According to Commissioner Michel's aide, Stefano Manservisi, "he found
that economic and political changes, including advances in human rights,
are in the pipeline, though they may take time and are not being
publicly broadcast by the new leadership." We are not against
"engagement" with the Cuban government in principle, but strongly
believe that any engagement must be conditional and based on concrete,
measurable improvements in the area of human rights and not on vague
promises of undefined improvements in the future.
We do not believe that this is the time for the European Union to remove
its sanctions against the Cuban government. While we welcome the fact
that Cuba recently signed the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and the International Covenant on Cultural and Social
Rights, the rights enshrined within these treaties are not yet reflected
in Cuban law or practice. We believe that legislative changes to ensure
that these rights are guaranteed under Cuban law would be a significant
step which would merit the normalising of relations.
Removing the sanctions at this point would require no real concession on
the part of the Cuban government. Instead, the message that the EU
would be sending, not only to the Cuban regime but to other
authoritarian governments, like those in Burma and Belarus, is that
there is little reason to take the EU's calls for democratic and human
rights reform seriously, since even symbolic sanctions can be so easily
brushed aside.
It is imperative that the EU make it clear to the Cuban government that
the true obstacles to normal relations are the systematic violation of
human rights in Cuba and a failure to implement any democratic reforms.
We call on EU member states to reject any move to remove sanctions and
normalise relations with the Cuban government at this time. We call on
all of the EU institutions to continue to send clear signals to the
political, military and economic elites in Havana that the EU will not
engage in greater cooperation until the Cuban regime takes concrete
steps and makes measurable changes in regards to democracy and rule of law.
No comments:
Post a Comment