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To: mifas12@ui.edu.ru
Subject: Help Us Free An Imprisoned Human Rights Activist
The following is a complete background on the case of Armando Alonso
Romero , a human rights activist sentenced to 12 years in prison for the
crime of collecting human rights reports.
The Call of the International Committee to
Defend the Life and Liberty of Armando Alonso Romero
This is the initiating statement of the international campaign to
release Armando Alonso Romero. Our challenge is to go out to the
international community and reach people so that many more people can
speak out on this outrage, and also to deepen our campaign so that our
goal can be accomplished.
Armando Alonso Romero is the Cuban Harry Wu. He has been found guilty and
sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crime of collecting reports of
human rights violations inside of Cuba.
There is every reason to fear for the life of Armando Alonso Romero at the
hands of one of the world's bloodiest totalitarian dictatorships. The
Castro regime has repeatedly murdered its civilian dissidents, from the 41
men, women, and children butchered in cold blood on July 13, 1994, the
slow motion murder of Sebastian Arcos Bergnes, and the thousands more
executed, tortured, and imprisoned over the past 37 years
of the Cuban regime's existence. The Cuban Constitution has
institutionalized the systematic denial of basic human rights.
Mr. Romero has been suffering beatings and is in a very poor state of
health, and is being denied medical care. Armando Alonso Romero must be
freed! Print this form to add your name, join the ICDLL today, and e-mail
us with your name and mailing address including your profession
Armando Alonso Romero
Armando Alonso left his job as an officer in the Cuban merchant fleet to
join the Cuban Committee For Human Rights
(CCFHR) in the late 80's. He worked with the Cuban committee - a peaceful
human rights organization - until he came to the
United States in 1991. He continued his collaboration with the CCFHR from
Miami, where he lived with his wife and daughter.
In April 1993 Armando Alonso returned to Cuba illegally to collect on-site
reports of human rights violations, and was arrested
by the Cuban secret police. After months of isolation in Villa Marista -
the headquarters of the secret police in Havana - Alonso
was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crimes of "enemy propaganda"
and "illegal entry". He is currently serving his
sentence in Kilo 8 Prison, in Camaguey Province, enduring terrible living
conditions.
Armando Alonso is considered the "Cuban Harry Wu," in reference to the
Chinese Dissident who was arrested in China in
1995 in a similar incident. Harry Wu was released by the Chinese
authorities after widespread international protest. Armando
Alonso, however, is still in prison. He is 38 years old. His wife and
daughter still live in Miami.
Putting It Into Context
Romero's case bears a remarkable similarity to the Chinese dissident,
Harry Wu, who was arrested
in China in 1995 under a similar incident. Harry Wu was released by
Chinese authorities after
widespread international protest. Romero has been in prison since 1993.
Although the situation today in Cuba, as far as we know, is not as bad as
the genocidal practices
carried out against the Tibetan people for the past forty years, or the
genocide in Cambodia in the
1970's in which one third of the entire population was slaughtered. It
does bear some similarity in its
treatment of Cuban rafters and Citizens fleeing the dictatorship.
The situation in Cuba bears a greater similarity to the situation in
Burma, where a brutal
dictatorship squashes any and all dissent. A nation in which the
supporters of democracy and
human rights are constantly harassed, driven into exile, imprisoned, and
in many cases tortured. It
differs from Burma in the media's reaction to the tyrant of Burma and the
tyrant of Cuba. One they
condemn. The other they invite over for cocktails.
Cuba has the dubious distinction of having had the worlds longest serving
political prisoner. Chanes
de Armas served over 27 years in Castro's prisons. He had participated
with Castro on the Assault
on the Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953 and fought against Batista and
for democracy. When
Castro sought to betray the promise of restoring Cuban democracy; Chanes
de Armas protested and
paid the price for speaking out.
Currently there are over 1200 political prisoners in Cuban prisons. In
Cuba, carrying a copy of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights is in itself considered a subversive
act and punishable. The
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a report outlining the
wholesale institutional
denial of basic human rights. The past thirty seven years of dictatorship
has charted new agonizing
pages in the history of the treatment of political prisoners. The denial
of basic medical care, torture
and death our common occurences for Cuba's political prisoners.
Amnesty for Armando Alonso Romero: What can you do?
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/airmail
websites:
- add the following code to your pages:
src="http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/Armandovsm.jpeg" alt="Click here to help freean imprisoned human rights activist">
letters:
- expressing concern at reports that Armando Alonso Romero is in a very
poor state of health;
- urging that he be given any necessary medical attention immediately;
- urging that Armando Alonso Romero be granted immediate and continuing
access to a lawyer of his choice;
- requesting that any charges brought against him in connection with his
attempts to peacefully exercise his right to freedom of
expression and entry be dropped and that he be released immediately.
E-mail for Amnesty of Armando Alonso Romero
E-mail the Cuban Regime and demand amnesty for Armando Alonso Romero and
the over 1200 prisoners of conscience
imprisoned for their beliefs.
Send e-mail to Prensa Latina
* Granma Internacional Digital
Avenida General Suarez y Territorial,
Plaza de la Revolucisn,
La Habana, Cuba.
Apartado postal 6260.
E-mail: redac@granmai.get.cma.net
E-mail: Granma Internacional
E-mail: Granma International (English)
APPEALS TO: (SALUTATION)
1) Attorney General:
(Sr Fiscal General / Dear Attorney General)
Dr Juan Escalona Reguera
Fiscal General de la Republica
Fiscalia General de la Republica
San Rafael 3, La Habana
[Telegrams: Fiscal General, Havana, Cuba]
[Telexes: 307 511456 fisge]
[Faxes: 011 53 7 333164]
2) Minister of the Interior: (Sr. Ministro / Dear Minister)
General Abelardo Colome Ibarra
Ministro de Interior
Ministerio del Interior
Plaza de la Revolucion
La Habana
Cuba
[Telegrams: Ministro Interior, Havana, Cuba]
Cuba has no embassy in the US at present. to contact its interest
in the US, write
Cuban Interests Section
Mr. Alfonso Fraga Perez
2630 - 16th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
_________________________________________________________________________
*************Add my name to the "call" of the International***************
***Committee to Defend the Life and Liberty of Armando Alonso Romero!****
*On April 1993 Armando Alonso Romero, a human rights activist, was
captured by the Cuban secret police. After months of isolation in Villa
Marista - the headquarters of the secret police in Havana - Alonso was
sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crimes of "enemy propaganda" and
"illegal entry" - for collecting on-site reports of human rights
violations in Cuba.
*There is every reason to fear for the life of Armando Alonso Romero at
the hands of one of the world's bloodiest governments. The Cuban state has
repeatedly murdered it's political dissidents, from the 41 men, women, and
children butchered on July 13, 1994 in the 13 de Marzo massacre, to the
willful denial of medical assistance to Sebastian Arcos Bergnes who is now
dying of an easily diagnosed form of cancer which they Cuban government
refused to have diagnosed. In addition thousands of political dissidents
have been executed, tortured, and imprisoned over the past 37 years of
Castro regime's existence. The Cuban Constitution has institutionalized
and codified the denial of the most basic human rights.
*No knowledgeable and truthful observer of Cuba, regardless of their
political beliefs, can deny that Armando Alonso Romero is a prisoner of
conscience whose crime is "gathering reports of human rights violations to
present to the international community." Armando Alonso Romero merits the
broad international support that all imprisoned human rights activists
have always benefited from. He should be allowed access to the lawyer of
his choice, journalists, and doctors to insure his health. Furthermore,
he should have all charges dropped that pertain to his human rights as
defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which, Cuba is a
signatory.
*It is urgent that many voices be heard to demand that the Cuban state
respect the international conventions concerning the treatment of
political prisoners. That Armando Alonso Romero be freed, and allowed to
rejoin his wife and daughter.
Signature ___________________________________________
Print Name _________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________
___ Call me! my phone number is ______________________________________
Mail to: ICDLL c/o FREE CUBA Foundation
Graham Center Room 340
Florida International University
Miami, FL. 33199
---------------------------cut-here-------------------------------------
ICDLL Contact Form
Print this form, fill it out and mail today to:
ICDLL-USA
c/o FREE CUBA Foundation
Graham Center Room 340
Florida International University
Miami, FL. 33199
For more information call (305)348-2285
Check all that apply to you:
__ Give me a call, I want to help support the ICDLL!
My phone number is _____________________________
__ Add my name to the ICDLL mailing list.
__ I want to have the ICDLL Update Bulletins mailed to me.
I have enclosed $1.50 for each future bulletin.
__ I have read "The Call"
(http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/armando.alonso/armando.campaign.html) and would
like to sign on and join the ICDLL in the battle to defend the life and
liberty of Armando Alonso Romero!
__ I want to start a local chapter of the ICDLL in my area
Name ____________________________________________________
Street Address __________________________________________
City_______________________________ State __________ Zip_________
Other Comments or notes:
__________________________________________________________________
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