Today Amnesty International urges the Cuban authorities to immediately and unconditionally release five men who have been named prisoners of conscience.
The cases of the five men – Rafael Matos Montes de Oca, Emilio Planas Robert and the brothers Alexeis, Diango, and Vianco Vargas Martín – are indicative of the continuing repression of freedom of expression on the island, the organization said. “These five cases are only the tip of the iceberg for Cuba’s repression of free speech,” said Javier Zúñiga, Special Advisor for Amnesty International. “The only progress made by the Cuban government has been the reform of the Migration Law earlier this year. It allowed many people including human rights defenders and government critics to travel abroad. Much more needs to be done to guarantee civil and political liberties in the country.” Emilio Planas Robert and Rafael Matos Montes de Oca Both have both been found guilty of “special proclivity to commit crimes” and sentenced “security measures”, even though no evidence was presented against them in court. “The use of this particular legislation, which allows the government to jail its citizens on the slightest evidence because it believes they may commit a crime in the future, is a flagrant violation of international standards and must be immediately repealed,” said Javier Zúñiga.
Alexeis Vargas Martín and his 17-year-old twin brothers, Diango and Vianco Vargas Martín – all members of UNPACU – have been accused by the police of using violence or intimidation against a state official. They have not been formally charged and their lawyer has not been granted access to their case-files. They are being held at different prisons in Santiago de Cuba province. “Repression of independent journalists, opposition leaders and human rights activists increased last year in Cuba, and show no sign of abating,” Javier Zúñiga added. “In recent months, we have received scores of reports of people who were arbitrarily arrested and even imprisoned on ludicrous charges that violate international standards.”
The non-governmental Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation reported 6,602 detentions of government critics last year, compared to 4,123 in 2011 and 2,074 in 2010.
via Amnesty International | Cuba: Release five prisoners of conscience immediately.
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