Cuba bans "Women in white" from receiving award.

[Andy Bowden]

What do comrades think? Bearing in mind many of the Women in Whites relatives have been at meetings with US govt officials it could be seen as taking action against foreign interference. On the other hand, are a group of women that much of a threat?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4527018.stm

[Punk Rocker]

On the other hand, are a group of women that much of a threat?

Dude, sexism?

[Andy Bowden]

Well I mean like a group of dissidents that have no support from the Cuban Populace going to pick up an irrelevant award - It'd be the same if it was a group of men in my opinion.


Basically, should the Cubans have just let them pick up their bauble.

[bolshevik butcher]

I think in the name of freedom of speech they should of. Not leeting them gives a big image for the Cuban government.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

First of all this isn't about free speech.

The "women in white" are counter revolutionary scum funded by Washington. They're the families of people jailed for using U.S. funds to attempt to overthrow the revolution. They're lucky that they're not in jail themselves.

When they tried to protest in Habana a large group of government supporters came up on them and shut it down. There was no "state repression", the Cuban people themselves don't accept counter revolutionaries.

And not to mention that "free speech" in some liberal astract sense is meaningless. Absolute free speech has never existed at any time in history. The class that rules decides what speech is acceptable.

[metalero]

The French organization Reporters without Borders (RWB) has asked the Cuban government to allow the denominated Ladies in White to gather the Sajarov prize of the European Parliament. The Ladies in White are spouses of the Cubans jailed in April of 2003, who worked for the government of the United States passing as journalists - they did not have a degree nor ever before had exercised journalism - to spread news of Cuba prepared by the section of interests of United States in Cuba. RWB has affirmed that "the Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes that any person has right to the freedom of circulating, to enter and to leave his country. Cuba must respect this principle, as a country member of United Nations ". What that declaration says in point 2 of its article 13 is that "All person has the right to leave any country, even the own one, and to return to her country". It is not just like what says Reporters without Borders, which is sadly surprising when being an organization dedicated indeed to the human rights to the information. Let us see some cases of how that right in the present world has worked.
Yaser Arafat was years without being able to leave his country, concretely of Cisjordania, because Israel did not allow it. Like he, all the Palestinians, cannot move freely, leave nor enter their country. The Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan cannot return to their land, not even to see their families. They can't leave the Lebanon neither Jordan towards another country, neither establish his residence outside the refugee camp.
The Serbs who left Kosovo can't return to this protectorate. The European forces of security and the NATO have recognized they cannot guarantee the security nor the recovery of their possessions. Same happens to many Serbs who left Croatia, they simply cannot return.
The Afghan refugees in Pakistan cannot either return to their country, "freed" by the United States.
The illegal inmigrants in the United States or Europe cannot leave to see their families because they could no longer enter again.
Saharaüis was citizen Spaniards in 1975, but now they can't enter Spain, some even keep their ID card.
Also, it's very difficult to return for the talian and German citizens who, according to the judges of those countries, were kidnapped by CIA agents in the supposed fight against terrorism.
But, in addition there is another element to have present. One is a somewhat ridiculous contradiciton, since to be able to leave a country, it is necessary to be able to enter another one.
US citizens cannot leave in the direction of Cuba. Nor the Moroccans in the direction of Spain. They not only can't enter spain, but the own Moroccan authorities don't let leave to them out of Morocco to Spain (we remember the article of the universal declaration: "right to leave any country"). The Haitians cannot enter Dominican Republic, that's the only country they can go by foot due to geographic reasons. Therefore, they cannot leave his own country. Weeks ago the Spanish Commission of Aid to the Refugee denounced that between those who were leaving the skin to shreds in the fences of Ceuta and Melilla, there were asylum applicants, persecuted in their countries, that were not taken care of and they even were deported their country of origin.
For them, there were no exit nor entrance permits, nor Sarajov prices, only fences of hawthorns and dogs of border post. Months ago, a Cuban caricaturist was awarded in Spain. He could not travel because he did not have economic resources, and since the Cuban government could not finance the airplane passage, no European institution did it. His case did not raise any solidarity, nor worried any organization. The reason was very simple, he supported and continues supporting the Cuban revolution; thus it didn't make sense for European institutions to finance his trip. It seems that the right to leave Cuba is only vindicated in Europe when you are wealhty and anti-Castrist, which, usually goes united. By the way, hundreds of people also want to go out of Cuba and they cannot. They are in Guantánamo, are the "Men in Orange".

[WUOrevolt]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 17 2005, 12:57 AM
I think in the name of freedom of speech they should of. Not leeting them gives a big image for the Cuban government.
Agreed, and I think you mean it gives the cuban government a bad name.

[Guerrilla22]

Cuba must respect this principle, as a country member of United Nations

The universal declaration of human rights was adopted by the UN general assembly in '48. Thi sis significant because all resolutions adopted by the GA are non binding Therefore Cuba does not have to respect this if they chose not to and they would not be in violation of international law.

Also were the husbands of the women in in white really dissidents or were they taking part in illegal intelligence gathering, or espionage activities?

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Did you just read my post and the one made by metalaro?

[Correa]

This is just like the fucking "librarians".

[Body Count]

If they are paid by the CIA to stir up trouble, I see nothing wrong with them being jailed.

I understand why the wives want there husbands back, but...it is what it is.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Right.

If the Cuban DGI was paying some of you Americans to overthrow the government and your plans were found out, what do you think would happen?

This shit is ridiculous.

[Guerrilla22]

They are in Guantánamo, are the "Men in Orange".

Excellent point, US hypocrisy is overwhelming.