URGENT ACTION
Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), a group of women relatives and friends of prisoners detained during a major crackdown on government critics in March 2003, plan to protest on 2 May through the streets of the Cuban capital, Havana to call for the release of their relatives. Amnesty International believes they are at risk of harassment and intimidation.
Damas de Blanco have carried out a weekly march every Sunday since they formed in 2003. The group march through the streets of Havana, starting at the Santa Rita Church, where they attend mass. Although the group reported harassment and intimidation in the past, they have stated that during the last few weeks, harassment by government supporters, the police and state security officials has increased. During their weekly marches, government supporters have amassed to shout insults and police and state security officials have broken up some marches by force.
At the beginning of April, state security officials visited around 30 members of Damas de Blanco at their homes in Havana to inform them of new regulations applying to their Sunday marches. They are now required to apply for authorisation from the police at least 72 hours before each march. The marches must be limited to only five blocks within Havana and there are restrictions on the number of supporters allowed to march in solidarity with them. This was the first time Damas de Blanco were made aware of such regulations and the officials failed to notify them in writing of the regulations. Damas de Blanco have rejected the legitimacy of these restrictions and refuse to comply with them as they see them as unreasonable and an attempt by the authorities to prevent them from expressing their views and continuing with their peaceful activities.
Following the imposition of these new regulations, it has become increasingly difficult for the Damas de Blanco to march on Sundays. On Sunday 25 April, only six members of Damas de Blanco were allowed through a police check point to reach the Santa Rita Church. When they started to march after the mass they were confronted by two police officers and a state security official who reminded them of the new regulations and their lack of a permit to march. The Damas de Blanco ignored this warning and continued with their march. They were soon surrounded by dozens of government supporters who started to intimidate them by shouting insults and making noise with cooking pots and banging hoes. The Damas de Blanco were penned in and not able to move for almost eight hours until police officials intervened and took them home.
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Spanish or your own language:
calling on the authorities to cease immediately the harassment and intimidation of the Damas de Blanco and any other citizens who seek to peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
n Calling on the authorities to permit the Damas de Blanco to march peacefully on Sundays without unreasonable restrictions.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 10 JUNE 2010 TO:
Head of State and Government
Raúl Castro Ruz Presidente
La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 8333085 (via Foreign Ministry); +1 2127791697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)
Email: cuba@un.int (c/o Cuban Mission to UN)
Salutation: Su Excelencia/Your Excellency
Interior Minister
General Abelardo Coloma Ibarra
Ministro del Interior y Prisiones
Ministerio del Interior, Plaza de la Revolución, La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 8333085 (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
+1 2127791697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)
Salutation: Su Excelencia/Your Excellency
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
Peaceful protestors targeted in Havana
ADditional Information
In 2003, over several days, the Cuban authorities arrested 75 men and women for their peaceful expression of critical opinions of the government. They were subjected to summary trials and were sentenced to long prison terms of up to 28 years. Amnesty International declared the 75 convicted dissidents to be prisoners of conscience, 53 of them remain in prison.
Damas de Blanco organize peaceful marches where they distribute flowers and call for the release of their relatives and friends. In 2005, Damas de Blanco was awarded The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament.
In March 2010 Damas de Blanco organized a daily march for a week to mark the seventh anniversary of the arrest of their relatives. On 17 of March 2010, their march was forcibly broken up by Cuban police, who briefly detained several women. Some of the women claimed that they were beaten by the police. They included Reyna Tamayo, mother of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a prisoner of conscience who died on 22 February 2010, having spent several weeks on hunger strike whilst in prison.
UA: 98/10 Index: AMR 25/006/2010 Issue Date: 28 April 2010
Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), a group of women relatives and friends of prisoners detained during a major crackdown on government critics in March 2003, plan to protest on 2 May through the streets of the Cuban capital, Havana to call for the release of their relatives. Amnesty International believes they are at risk of harassment and intimidation.
Damas de Blanco have carried out a weekly march every Sunday since they formed in 2003. The group march through the streets of Havana, starting at the Santa Rita Church, where they attend mass. Although the group reported harassment and intimidation in the past, they have stated that during the last few weeks, harassment by government supporters, the police and state security officials has increased. During their weekly marches, government supporters have amassed to shout insults and police and state security officials have broken up some marches by force.
At the beginning of April, state security officials visited around 30 members of Damas de Blanco at their homes in Havana to inform them of new regulations applying to their Sunday marches. They are now required to apply for authorisation from the police at least 72 hours before each march. The marches must be limited to only five blocks within Havana and there are restrictions on the number of supporters allowed to march in solidarity with them. This was the first time Damas de Blanco were made aware of such regulations and the officials failed to notify them in writing of the regulations. Damas de Blanco have rejected the legitimacy of these restrictions and refuse to comply with them as they see them as unreasonable and an attempt by the authorities to prevent them from expressing their views and continuing with their peaceful activities.
Following the imposition of these new regulations, it has become increasingly difficult for the Damas de Blanco to march on Sundays. On Sunday 25 April, only six members of Damas de Blanco were allowed through a police check point to reach the Santa Rita Church. When they started to march after the mass they were confronted by two police officers and a state security official who reminded them of the new regulations and their lack of a permit to march. The Damas de Blanco ignored this warning and continued with their march. They were soon surrounded by dozens of government supporters who started to intimidate them by shouting insults and making noise with cooking pots and banging hoes. The Damas de Blanco were penned in and not able to move for almost eight hours until police officials intervened and took them home.
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Spanish or your own language:
calling on the authorities to cease immediately the harassment and intimidation of the Damas de Blanco and any other citizens who seek to peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
n Calling on the authorities to permit the Damas de Blanco to march peacefully on Sundays without unreasonable restrictions.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 10 JUNE 2010 TO:
Head of State and Government
Raúl Castro Ruz Presidente
La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 8333085 (via Foreign Ministry); +1 2127791697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)
Email: cuba@un.int (c/o Cuban Mission to UN)
Salutation: Su Excelencia/Your Excellency
Interior Minister
General Abelardo Coloma Ibarra
Ministro del Interior y Prisiones
Ministerio del Interior, Plaza de la Revolución, La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 8333085 (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
+1 2127791697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)
Salutation: Su Excelencia/Your Excellency
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
Peaceful protestors targeted in Havana
ADditional Information
In 2003, over several days, the Cuban authorities arrested 75 men and women for their peaceful expression of critical opinions of the government. They were subjected to summary trials and were sentenced to long prison terms of up to 28 years. Amnesty International declared the 75 convicted dissidents to be prisoners of conscience, 53 of them remain in prison.
Damas de Blanco organize peaceful marches where they distribute flowers and call for the release of their relatives and friends. In 2005, Damas de Blanco was awarded The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament.
In March 2010 Damas de Blanco organized a daily march for a week to mark the seventh anniversary of the arrest of their relatives. On 17 of March 2010, their march was forcibly broken up by Cuban police, who briefly detained several women. Some of the women claimed that they were beaten by the police. They included Reyna Tamayo, mother of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a prisoner of conscience who died on 22 February 2010, having spent several weeks on hunger strike whilst in prison.
UA: 98/10 Index: AMR 25/006/2010 Issue Date: 28 April 2010
_____________________________________
ACCIÓN URGENTE
MANIFESTANTES PACÍFICAS ATACADAS EN LA HABANA
MANIFESTANTES PACÍFICAS ATACADAS EN LA HABANA
Las Damas de Blanco, un grupo de mujeres que son familiares o amigas de personas detenidas durante la fuerte campaña de represión lanzada por el gobierno en marzo de 2003 contra quienes lo criticaban, planean organizar el 2 de mayo una protesta por las calles de la capital de Cuba, La Habana, para pedir la liberación de sus familiares. Amnistía Internacional cree que corren peligro de sufrir acoso e intimidación.
Las Damas de Blanco llevan a cabo una marcha semanal, cada domingo, desde que se crearon en 2003. El grupo marcha por las calles de La Habana, partiendo de la Iglesia de Santa Rita, donde escuchan misa. Aunque en el pasado han denunciado acoso e intimidación, han manifestado que, durante las últimas semanas, el acoso por parte de simpatizantes del gobierno, policías y agentes del Departamento de Seguridad del Estado se ha intensificado. Durante sus marchas semanales, los simpatizantes del gobierno se han congregado para insultarlas, y agentes de policía y del Departamento de Seguridad del Estado han disuelto algunas marchas por la fuerza.
A principios de abril, unos agentes del Departamento de Seguridad del Estado visitaron a unas 30 integrantes de las Damas de Blanco en sus casas de La Habana para informarlas de la nueva normativa aplicable a sus marchas de los domingos. Ahora deben pedir autorización a la policía al menos 72 horas antes de cada marcha. Las marchas deben limitarse únicamente a cinco manzanas de La Habana, y se limita el número de simpatizantes que pueden participar en solidaridad con ellas. Fue la primera noticia que tuvieron las Damas de Blanco sobre esa normativa, y los agentes no se la notificaron por escrito. Las Damas de Blanco han rechazado la legitimidad de estas restricciones y se niegan a cumplirlas, ya que les parecen poco razonables y un intento de las autoridades de impedirles expresar sus opiniones y continuar con sus actividades pacíficas.
Tras la imposición de esta nueva normativa, a las Damas de Blanco cada vez les resulta más difícil celebrar sus marchas de los domingos. El domingo 25 de abril, sólo seis de ellas pudieron pasar un control policial para llegar a la Iglesia de Santa Rita. Cuando emprendieron la marcha, después de la misa, se les acercaron dos policías y un agente del Departamento de Seguridad del Estado que les recordaron la nueva normativa y les dijeron que no tenían permiso para realizar la marcha. Las Damas de Blanco ignoraron la advertencia y siguieron con su marcha.
Poco después se vieron rodeadas de decenas de simpatizantes del gobierno que empezaron a intimidarlas gritándoles insultos y golpeando cacerolas y azadas. Las Damas de Blanco se vieron cercadas y estuvieron sin poder moverse durante casi ocho horas, hasta que la policía intervino y las llevó a casa.
ESCRIBAN INMEDIATAMENTE, en español o en su propio idioma:
pidiendo a las autoridades que cesen de inmediato el acoso y la intimidación de las Damas de Blanco y de cualquier otra persona que trate de ejercer pacíficamente su derecho a la libertad de expresión, reunión y asociación;
n pidiendo a las autoridades que permitan a las Damas de Blanco marchar pacíficamente los domingos sin restricciones poco razonables.
ENVÍEN LLAMAMIENTOS ANTES DEL 10 DE JUNIO DE 2010 A:
Raúl Castro Ruz,
Presidente
La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 8333085 (vía Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores); +1 2127791697 (vía Misión de Cuba en la ONU)
Correo-e.: cuba@un.int (vía Misión de Cuba en la ONU)
Tratamiento: Su Excelencia
General Abelardo Colomé Ibarra
Ministro del Interior y Prisiones
Ministerio del Interior, Plaza de la Revolución, La Habana, Cuba
Fax: +53 7 8333085 (vía Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores)
+1 2127791697 (vía Misión de Cuba en la ONU)
Tratamiento: Su Excelencia
Envíen también copia a la representación diplomática de Cuba acreditada en su país. Consulten con la oficina de su Sección si van a enviar los llamamientos después de la fecha antes indicada.
ACCIÓN URGENTE
MANIFESTANTES PACÍFICAS ATACADAS EN LA HABANA
INFORMACIÓN ADICIONAL
En 2003, a lo largo de varios días, las autoridades cubanas detuvieron a 75 hombres y mujeres por expresar pacíficamente opiniones críticas con el gobierno. Estos 75 disidentes fueron sometidos a juicios sumarios y condenados a largas penas de hasta 28 años de prisión. Amnistía Internacional los declaró a todos presos de conciencia. Cincuenta y tres continúan en prisión.
Las Damas de Blanco organizan marchas pacíficas en las que reparten flores y piden la liberación de sus familiares y amigos. En 2005 recibieron el Premio Sajarov para la Libertad de Conciencia, que concede el Parlamento Europeo.
En marzo de 2010, las Damas de Blanco organizaron una marcha diaria durante una semana para conmemorar el séptimo aniversario de la detención de sus familiares. El 17 de marzo de 2010, la policía disolvió por la fuerza su marcha, y detuvo brevemente a varias mujeres. Algunas de ellas afirmaron haber sido golpeadas por los policías. Entre ellas se encontraba Reyna Tamayo, madre de Orlando Zapata Tamayo, preso de conciencia que murió el 22 de febrero de 2010, tras haber pasado varias semanas en huelga de hambre mientras estaba encarcelado.
AU: 98/10 Índice: AMR 25/006/2010 Fecha de emisión: 28 de abril de 2010
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