New Castro, Same Cuba Political Prisoners in the Post-Fidel Era Copyright © 2009 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-562-8 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org November 2009 1-56432-562-8 New Castro, Same Cuba Political Prisoners in the Post-Fidel Era I. Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 7 II. Illustrative Cases ......................................................................................................................... 11 Ramón Velásquez Toranzo ......................................................................................................... 11 Alexander Santos Hernández ..................................................................................................... 12 “Jorge Barrera Alonso” ............................................................................................................... 14 Juan Luís Rodríguez Desdín ........................................................................................................ 16 III. Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 19 Lack of Cooperation by the Cuban Government .......................................................................... 19 Sources and Research ............................................................................................................... 19 Who Is a “Dissident”? ............................................................................................................... 20 Anonymity and Security ............................................................................................................. 21 IV. The Legal Foundation of Repression in Cuba .............................................................................. 22 Criminalizing Dissent ................................................................................................................. 22 Contempt ............................................................................................................................ 23 Insubordination .................................................................................................................. 25 Collaboration with the United States .................................................................................. 26 Association ......................................................................................................................... 27 “Dangerousness” ............................................................................................................... 28 Restricting Rights ....................................................................................................................... 32 Denying Judicial Protection ........................................................................................................ 34 Denying External Protections ..................................................................................................... 38 V. Political Prisoners ........................................................................................................................ 40 Repression under Fidel Castro ................................................................................................... 40 2003 Crackdown ................................................................................................................. 41 Repression under Raúl Castro ................................................................................................... 48 Applying the “Dangerousness” Provision ............................................................................ 48 Other Forms of Criminalizing Dissent ................................................................................... 54 VI. Due Process Violations ............................................................................................................... 56 Failure to Provide Information to Detainees and Families ............................................................ 56 Restrictions of Family Visits ....................................................................................................... 57 Lack of Access to Legal Counsel ................................................................................................. 58 Forced Interrogations ................................................................................................................ 60 Abusive Pre-Trial Detention Conditions ...................................................................................... 61 Indefinite Detention .................................................................................................................. 62 Summary Trials ......................................................................................................................... 64 Closed Trials .............................................................................................................................. 65 Arbitrary Actions by Prosecutors and Judges ............................................................................... 67 Parole and the Threat of Retraction ........................................................................................... 68 VII. Inhumane Prisons ...................................................................................................................... 71 Restricted Visits and Correspondence ........................................................................................ 72 Arbitrary Prison Transfers ........................................................................................................... 73 Exposure to Tuberculosis .................................................................................................... 74 Unhygienic Conditions ............................................................................................................... 76 Health Problems and Inadequate Medical Treatment.................................................................. 77 Harassment and Beatings .......................................................................................................... 81 Solitary Confinement ................................................................................................................ 82 Lack of Adequate Monitoring and Complaint Mechanisms ......................................................... 84 VIII. Everyday Forms of Repression ................................................................................................... 87 Short-term Detention ................................................................................................................. 87 Beatings and Excessive Use of Force ......................................................................................... 89 Public Acts of Repudiation .................................................................................................. 92 Threats and Warnings ................................................................................................................ 93 Invasive Surveillance ................................................................................................................. 95 Denial of Employment and Financial Hardship ............................................................................ 97 Fines ........................................................................................................................................ 98 Reprisals against Families ........................................................................................................ 99 Travel Restrictions ................................................................................................................... 100 IX. State of Fear .............................................................................................................................. 102 Self-Censorship and Coerced Allegiance .................................................................................. 102 Surveillance and Suspicion ...................................................................................................... 105 Distrust of the Courts ............................................................................................................... 106 Emotional and Psychological Impact ........................................................................................ 108 A Strategy of