Yes, those people-to-people tourist junkets are really working to improve openness, tolerance, and democracy in the Castro Kingdom.   Yeah.  Sure.   Ask anyone who lives there.

Report from Hablemos Press: political arrests and human rights violations, January 2013

Havana, 4 February 2013    ...  go HERE for original Spanish version, with abundant details

In January of this new year, the brutal repression of the military regime of Raul Castro continued against all political dissidents, despite all of the international agreements concerning human rights signed by it back in 2008.

Our center obtained documented information on 302 political arrests. In addition, we have recorded numerous acts of repudiaton and brutal beatings, especially against activists from the
Unión Patriótica de Cuba (UNPACU) in Palmarito de Cauto, Santiago de Cuba.

In addition, the homes of more than a dozen activists from UNPACU were thoroughly searched by government officials without judicial authorization. During these searches, many papers and documents were seized, including copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.

Members of the Christian Liberation Movement were also detained in Holguín, and their homes were searched. .

Acts of repudiation also increased against dissidents, carried out by the Rapid Response Brigades organized by officials of the Communist Party, under the direction of the State Security Department and the Ministry of the Interior. The deployment of these mobs, which shows no signs of abating, proves that the Castro regime has not made any change in regard to human rights abuses despite its well-publicized utopian “economic reforms.”

During these acts of repudiation – which are increasing rather than decreasing – the Rapid Response Brigades never cease from throwing rocks and other heavy objects against the homes of dissidents, whose sole intention is to plan peaceful demonstrations. These paramilitary mobs also throw excrement and other toxic substances against dissident homes, terrorizing the young and the old, as well as the entire population.

Between 18 and 29 January, activists from UNPACU and the Ladies in White were also subjected to brutal beatings throughout the country.

Day in and day out, the Castro regime allows the systematic abuse of power to take place, along with physical brutality and harrassment – especially against dissidents – with total impunity, without any sanctions being imposed on it by international organizations.

We also denounce the torture and physical abuse that is systematically carried out by agents of the Castro regime in over two hundred prisons throughout our country. We emphasize that these are not isolated cases, but rather a systematic practice, and that we receive daily reports and denunciations concerning all this and are ready to provide documentation to any organization that is interested in requesting such documents.

We condemn and accuse the Cuban state authorities of flagrantly violating our human rights before the court of Public Opinion, and we ask them – once again – to put an end to violations of such great magnitude.

Roberto de Jesús Guerra Pérez

Ramon Escalona after beating, Jan. 2013

robersm2007@gmail.com

Magaly Norvis Otero Suárez

magaly.otero1963@yahoo.com

René López Benítez

dr.renelopez@yahoo.es

Ladies in White harassed and beaten 21 Jan 2013

Ernesto Aquino Montes

aquino.liberyvid@gmail.com

Gerardo Younel Avila Perdomo

Arian Guerra Pérez

Enyor Díaz Allen