Here’s an essay (Spanish, pdf) by Rene Gomez Manzano, a prominent dissident who practiced and taught law before breaking with the system. He analyzes the legal and political conditions that lead him to conclude that it is not worth the opposition’s while to attempt to contest any seats in Cuba’s upcoming municipal assembly elections, and why the opposition will instead “continue our peaceful struggle” to change the “Machiavellian” electoral system.
And here’s an essay (pdf, original and translation) by independent journalist Miriam Leiva that I translated for a colleague and am posting here for you to read. It compares the treatment in the Cuban legal and penal system of the 75 dissidents arrested in 2003 with that received by the “Cuban Five” in the
“Why is Cuba so far away?” A reflection on the pain of separation from an independent journalist, via CubaNet.
To compare the case of people who took resources (directly or not) from foreign governments to participate in activites funded and conceived as part of a"regime change" strategy vs. those who bravely tried to defend their people from attack is ludacris.
ReplyDeleteHere is what Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's ex Chief of Staff, had to say on the Cuban 5 case in an open letter he recently published.
"It is hard to believe that this case ever happened in the first place—unless, of course, one contemplates the real power of this group of Cuban-Americans in Florida and the hold they exercise over the U.S. Government.
He finds it unbelievable that the US would give life sentences to "men who came here to determine how and when their country was going to be attacked by people breaking US law."
"These men were unarmed, not intent on any physical damage to the United States, and were motivated to protect their fellow citizens from invasion and repeated attacks by Cuban-Americans living in Florida."
"And we have to ask also, just how is it that we have become a safe haven for alleged terrorists? How is it that we - the United States of America - may rate a place on our own list of states that sponsor terrorism?"
"You see, I know the depths to which our government is capable of sinking. Torture. Lies. False intelligence. Tyranny."
He also tells of USG activities where they role played the "Cuba scenerio" (ie. some rupture of governance). He says the US Govt. role at that time will be focussed on preventing hundreds of boats - "with automatic weapons, explosives, and lots of Cuban-Americans, from getting to Cuba."