by Jonathan T. Stride
MIAMI - Nonviolent human rights groups here contend that much of the U.S. media shows little interest in political prisoners in Cuba, even in cases where lives may be in jeopardy.
Among cases cited are those involving the first black nonviolent Cuban dissident nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and a nonviolent Chinese Cuban dissident whose case may resemble that of Harry Wu, Chinese American nonviolent human rights activist.
The black Cuban is Dr. Leonel Morejon Almagro, 32. Dr. Morejon is a lawyer jailed on charges of "resisting arrest" and "civil disobedience." The Chinese Cuban, Armando (Chino) Alonso Romero, 40, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in the Province of Camaguey on charges of "illegal entry" into Cuba and "carrying enemy propaganda." He was caught with some bumper stickers, according to government charges reported here.
He has been placed in solitary confinement in a Camaguey Province jail with a reputation of toughness on prisoners. Alonso, who had been a merchant marine officer, left Cuba in 1991 as a political exile and in mid-1993 returned to Cuba, using a Dominican Republic passport under a psyeudonym, with plans to help nonviolent human rights advocates. He was arrested by Cuban police shortly afterwards.
His life may be in danger, according to his wife, Ana, who lives in Miami. She traveled to Cuba recently to visit her husband but was prevented from doing so by State Security (SS) officials.
When Ms. Alonso arrived in Havana, the agents obviously knew much about her, meeting her plane, accusing her of being affiliated with the Cuban Human Rights Committee--which she did not deny, and having counterrevolutionary intentions, which she did deny.
Ms. Alonso was not jailed, however, and was allowed to visit with family members in Havana. She traveled to Prison Kilo 8 in an attempt to see her husband but was barred from entry. Officials did allow her to return to Miami to the couple's young daughter.
Alonso's family members told Ms. Alonso her husband over the past six months has been held in solitary confinement and frequently beaten since he tried to serve as a legal adviser for fellow prisoners who are being mistreated.
In the case of Harry Wu in China, world media and human rights organizations showed great interest in his arrest after he returned to China to attempt to gather information that might reflect on the China dictatorship. Wu subsequently was soon released from prison.
Amnesty, International, headquartered in London, England, has declared both the above Cubans "prisoners of conscience" but the Amnesty declaration reportedly has not been followed by media notice.
Amnesty officials estimate there are at least 600 people currently imprisoned in Cuba because of peaceful attempts to exercise international human rights to freedom of expression, association, or assembly.
Dr. Morejon applied in 1985 for permission from the Cuban Ministry of Justice for permission to register an ecological group. It was called "NaturPaz" (NaturePeace). He was president.
Ten years later--December 1995, Dr. Morejon was denied permission on grounds a similar organization already existed. Dr. Morejon said the other group was begun in 1993. He said he thought it was started so as to provide an excuse for the denial to him.
Amnesty officials said the government response was unusual-- in that it occurred. Most such applications never receive an answer from the Castro government, Amnesty said.
Meanwhile, from late 1995 to early 1996, Dr. Morejon was arrested nine different times and held for periods ranging from 12 to 72 hours. His wife, Soiris, 31, a nurse, also was arrested once.
He was arrested again on Feb. 15 and charged with "resistance" and "disobedience" for refusing to take his identification (ID) card to the SS office--a "crime" not listed in the Cuban penal code. He went on a hunger strike; the last offense was not prosecuted. But he was found guilty of resistance and sentenced to six months in jail.
When Dr. Morejon's lawyer appealed the sentence, the provincial court not only ratified the first sentence but found him guilty of the ID crime and increased his sentence to nine months. He also was moved to a harsher prison--Villa Marista.
Back on Jan. 18, Dr. Morejon had been elected to the National Secretariat of the Cuban Council, dissident group. And on Feb. 10 he had been elected as a national delegate of the Cuban Council, which planned a meeting for Feb. 24, 1996--the day Castro's airforce shot down two U.S. civilian planes--killed three Americans and a Cuban--in international waters.
Among many other recently jailed prisoners of conscience are Amado Paz Gonzalez, Jose Hernandez Echevarria, Juan Luis Carmona, and Oscar Luis Ledesman, all members of the Popular Democratic Alliance (ADEPO); Jose Antonio (Tony the Lawyer) Garcia Moreno, charged with trying to "organize a clandestine cell;" Genero Cortes, given an eight-year term for "falsifying documents," and Lazaro Gonzalez, one of four deputy delegates of the Cuban Council.
Gonzalez was sentenced to 14 months in prison on charges of "disrepect" and "disobedience."
Amnesty recently reported that since mid-1994, Cuban officials have reduced their common practice of jailing dissidents and more often now simply detain them frequently and threaten them with prison and violence unless they give up their activities and leave the country.
Such detentions increased markedly after the beginning of the Cuban Council, according to Amnesty officials.
Amnesty said the new oppression of peaceful activities may be because it is the first time the Fidel Castro government has been faced with any degree of serious opposition of an organized and peaceful nature.
Besides the Cuban Council and various media groups, these include the unofficial organization called Corriente Agramontista (Agramontist Current), whose president, Dr. Rene Gomez Manzano, became a founder of the Cuban Council.
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