The European Parliament,

A. whereas on 17 July 1991 the Cuban national Mario Chanes, now thought to be the longest-serving political prisoner in the world, will have completed his 30-year prison sentence,

B. whereas on 12 July 1990 the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the immediate release of Mario Chanes,

C. whereas Mario Chanes took part in the attack on the Moncada barracks in Santiago, an action led by Fidel Castro against the Batista dictatorship, for which he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, though he was pardoned after 23 months in gaol at the same time as Fidel Castro; whereas Chanes continued to fight against Batista and took part in the 'Granma' landing in 1959 and in the guerrilla war against Batista which led to his flight and the subsequent entry into power of Castro and his followers in Havana,

D. whereas the accusations against Chanes for which he was sentenced were never proved by the Castro authorities; whereas it was simply shown that he had moved away from the Castro government because of its decision in favour of Marxist-Leninism, and worked modestly in a bar in Havana until his arrest by the Cuban police on 17 July 1961,

E. whereas he has spent the last 30 years in several prisons, including Isla de Pinos, La Cabaña, Guanajay and Combinado del Este, where he has been subjected to hard labour and repeatedly beaten,

F. whereas he has always been a 'stubborn' prisoner, i.e. unwilling to submit to the process of 're-education' or indoctrination his gaolers wish to impose, while his behaviour in prison has otherwise been exemplary,

G. whereas 81 former Cuban political prisoners recently sent a letter to the President of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights asking him to intervene to guarantee Mario Chanes' physical safety; whereas these 81 former prisoners have spent a total of 1 097 years in prison between them, which gives their petition particular authority,

1. Calls on the Cuban authorities to release Mario Chanes immediately on 17 July and to guarantee his personal safety both inside and out of prison;

2. Hopes that he will be given every opportunity to leave Cuba if he wishes;

3. Urges the Cuban authorities to review the trial of Mario Chanes in the presence of impartial observers from the international community, to avoid it having to be reviewed when Cuba regains its political freedoms;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, European Political Cooperation, the Cuban Government and the President of the UN Commission on Human Rights.