Earlier this week Babalu reader Lori sent us the story of Jorge E. Aluar, the Cuban political prisoner that recently made it to Miami after having his arms amputated while serving time in one of castro’s gulags.
I’ve just received another email from Lori with more and am posting it today, Good Friday:
Wednesday, we took up some money here at the firm and I was sent to take him the money, and the very many wishes that were sent from the office. My boyfriend took his camera and we took pictures.
It turns out that a Dr. Quirantes, an orthopedic surgeon and Oscar Haza decided to give him a surprise while on the show Wednesday night. They are donating a pair of kick ass prosthetic arms, that are worth between $120,000 and $130,000. They will be taking him to Washington very soon to do something about getting his wife and daughter out of Cuba.
After they amputaded his arms he was sent back to jail, and he was so depressed and without hope, he asked another prisoner in the jail to cut the veins in his feet and legs so he could die. Below are the scarred feet and ankles. Warning: pictures are rough.
This last attempt to leave Cuba, left them stranded on an island near Cancun, Mexico. A human smuggler and Ocean “Cayote” rescued them, and promised them safe passage to Maimi. Once he had them on his boat, he asked him for his relative’s number in the states. He called this guy’s aunt and asked her for ransom or he’d turn them over to the Cuban authorities. None of the family members who he called of the others that had escaped with him, had the kind of money he was asking for. All they could come up with was $2000. For that amount he dropped them off in Cancun and told them to find their own way. That is a whole other story, but he did tell us that two of the people who had escaped with him, were doctors from Holguin, and thanks to them and their help he made it through to the border.
We were at the house he’s staying at, for over an hour. There are so many things he told us, heartbraking and vomit enducing, but he’s finally here.
I also forgot to take a picture of his belly. Through the years he’s dedicated time to getting USA tatoos all over his belly.
Meet Mr. Aluar:
And as a special message for those like Steve Clemons and Mike Hunter, etal, who blindingly and willfully act as mouthpieces for the castro regime, here is a picture of Mr. Aluar’s leg, where he sought to bleed himself to death rather than live another day under the inhumanity that is fidel castro’s regime.
Email this picture to Steve Clemons and Mike Hunter.
Val,
When I spoke to them on the phone, I misunderstood the spelling of his last name. His complete and correct name is:
Jorge E. Aluar
As gut wrenching as this is, as heartbreaking and as sob inducing as Mr. Albal’s story is, I want the apologists for the castro regime to keep in mind that this horrific story is the tip of the iceberg. Mulitiply it by uncounted tens and tens of thousands. There are no human rights monitors in Cuba, no international outcry against the abuses, the tortures and the executions. The castro brothers are monsters, celebrated by amoral fools whose refusal to acknowledge the truth makes them collaborators to that regime. We only know about this overwhelming horrific crime against Mr. Albal’s humanity because Mr. Albal managed to escape. For the other thousands of unknown, uncounted suffering victims of castro’s tyranny, there is only silence.
Ziva,
You are so right. If you could only listen to the other stories Mr. Aluar told us. His two girl cousins went to the prison to see him after the amputations, and they weren’t allowed. They protested and for that each got thrown in jail for six months. Those don’t go down in the record books as political prisoners, which you and I know are in the thousands.
His friend was handcuffed to the ceiling for asking too many times for medication. They let him die there. And the list of accounts this man has is endless.
The worst of it is, that there are Cubans, not in the high ranks of the government that lend themselves as tools of that awful regime.
These are things that cannot be ignorned or forgotten. In my eyes, the MSM is one of those tools, and it hurts to know that when the truth comes out, finally, they’ll find a way to spin it so that it seems they were unaware of these things, all these years.
Lori, this is why it’s so important for all of us to support Val’s El Exilio Project, so there is a puplic record of the stories, a virtual depository if you will. The truth must not pass into an unknown history and you know that is what the regime want’s to do. We must not let that happen.
It may be worth a try, but no matter what you tell people who don’t want to hear, or what you show people determined not to see, it will make little or no difference. By this point, after half of century of constant, countless abuses, there is no real excuse for “not getting it” except not wanting to (unless, of course, one’s dealing with certifiable idiots, as in mentally retarded or insane).
I wouldn’t waste too much energy trying to enlighten people whose job or intent clearly seems to be to bait and provoke, misinform and confuse. They’re not idiots; I think they know very well what they’re doing and have reasons for doing it.
Refuting lies and misinformation is always appropriate, but some people are simply incorrigible, unless and until they have no choice but to pretend they’ve changed their tune or that they didn’t know any better. There’s going to be a LOT of that ALL over the place, eventually.
asombra,
I tend to agree that some people will refuse to acknowledge the truth because, think about it, after fifty years preaching to the world how “perfect” castro’s Cuba is, when the true reality is known and made public, what are they going to do?
But, I must disagree on “not wasting too much energy” exposing the truth. First because its a righteous effort and thus our energies are not “wasted.” And second, because the truth has to be known, it has to be recorded and if it takes us screamin at the tops of our lungs that truth, then sobeit. That’s why Babalu is here. That’s why all of those blogs on the cubiche blogroll are here: to slap the naysayers and apologists with reality and, if need be, bash their heads in with metaphorical clue bats.
Val, I was referring to wasting too much time on trying to enlighten those who have no intention of letting themselves be enlightened. I was not referring to telling the truth or refuting lies.
There are people who deliberately and knowingly turn a deaf ear to reason and refuse to accept any evidence, no matter how valid, if it goes against their agenda. They will never “see the light” unless they’re left with no other viable option, and even then, their “change of heart” or “awakening” may be simply convenient pretense.
Asombra,
I agree. However:
There are people who deliberately and knowingly turn a deaf ear to reason and refuse to accept any evidence, no matter how valid, if it goes against their agenda. They will never “see the light” unless they’re left with no other viable option, and even then, their “change of heart” or “awakening” may be simply convenient pretense.
At some point they may want to refuse to see the light, but I think we need to blind the shit out of them with it. Embutirle the reality like you give a kid his dreaded purgante. Anything else simply will not do, IMHO.
“By this point, after half of century of constant, countless abuses, there is no real excuse for ‘not getting it’ except not wanting to…”
Or not caring, or caring but not enough to allow others to take away their god given natural rights.
And how exactly is this any different then what is happening to Chinese, Tibetan, Iranian, Syrian, Saudi Arabian, or North Korean dissidents? The last time I check we still did business with those countries and U.S. citizens were free to travel there.
Also this guy made it to a safe, free, democratic, third country Mexico. A country which would have had to accept his claim for asylum because they are a signatory to the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. And he still snuck across the border (which is a felony) to get into the United States.
So obviously he was less concerned with leaving Cuba due to fear of repression and more concerned with having a better quality of life in the United States.
Mike- Mexico routinely sends Cubans back to Cuba. You are not putting forth any argument we have not heard before, a zillion times. You just look stupid. You want to justify your morally bankrupt position so you can what? Go frolic on the beach at Veradero while Cubans live in miserable slavery? Take is someplace else.
I saw the episode where Mr. Aluar appeared on A Mano Limpia. As I type this I am getting “Goosebumps”.Hearing the story from the guy was heart wrenching. It was incredible !! He mentioned that he tried to leave Cuba 5-6 times and tried to committ suicide 6 times. If you didn’t shed some tears for what this man went through, you’re not human. All he wants is to have arms so he can hug his daughter. Here is the number they displayed at the bottom of TV screen in case anyone wanted to help this man – (305) 326-8694
No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver.
“You want to justify your morally bankrupt position so you can what?”
I don’t have to justify my position to anyone much less those here. I just want the United States government to stop it’s repression of U.S. citizens property rights and freedom of travel. And when I see people advocating a repressive policy on the grounds that they it to stop the same practices in another country I call them on their bullshit.
As for Mexico on paper if someone seeks asylum then they have to give them a trial and take them if it’s a valid claim. On paper at least. I’m not sure how it works in practice because I don’t live in Mexico.
By now I should be used to crying when I hear about what people in Cuba have to go through but this story is no exception. I have dozens of emails from exiles who have shared their stories of time in castro’s prisons or their relatives’ stories and each one seems to be more horrific than the rest. Mr. Aluar’s story makes me proud to live here, to know what people are willing to endure to have the same freedom as we enjoy and I don’t care what ANYBODY says. If an amputee can get himself to the USA the way this man did, have his adoptive country tatooed on his body (this procedure is NOT without a fair amount of pain!) after trying to choose “muerte” over “socialismo” I say God Bless and more power to him. I hope his family can join him soon.
Claudia
Val, cabe señalar que la amputacion de este bravo cubano ocurrio en la decada de los 80. Creo que la noticia es fresca porque finalmente llego a los Estados Unidos hace poco. Por favor corigeme si estoy equivocado. No deja de ser una historia espeluznante.
Abajofidel,
Al Sr. Aluar, le amputaron los brazos en el año 90, cuando tenia 20 años.