The UN is upset, and its independent torture investigator, Manfred Nowak, is "deeply disappointed" that the Cuban regime will not allow him to visit the island and inspect the condition of its prisons and assess if any torture has taken place.

UN torture investigator disappointed by Cuba's decision to block fact-finding trip

By The Associated Press (CP)

GENEVA — The U.N.'s independent torture investigator says he is deeply disappointed by Cuba's decision to block him from visiting the country for the first time.

Manfred Nowak says the Cuban government informed him it was unable to accommodate his visit before the end of his term on Oct. 30.

Nowak said Wednesday that he had received a "clear invitation" from the government earlier this year and had hoped to investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment in the communist country.

The U.N.-appointed human rights expert has made several fruitless attempts to visit the island since 2005.

Cuban Ambassador in Geneva Rodolfo Reyes Rodriguez declined to comment, saying he was awaiting instructions on the matter from Havana.

It is interesting that the UN, which accepts as fact Cuba's claims of 163% literacy and free penile implants for all its citizens, would suddenly doubt the regime's claims that all its prisoners are happy and content in their air-conditioned prison cells with satellite TV and high-speed internet access.