Appeal for Human Rights Day to release Cuban librarians; also news & a post card offer

[Steve Marquardt]

Dear supporters of Cubans seeking to exercise their freedom to read,

This is the quarterly appeal -- with some recent news items at the end
-- for Cuba's library prisoners during for year’s Human Rights Day
(December 10). Again, in light of the economic downturn, this one may
be sent with only a 44-cent stamp. Simply copy this web page and
paste it into Word, alter it as you wish, date it, sign it and send.
Thank you for your participation!

Steve Marquardt, Ph.D.
South Dakota State University Dean of Libraries Emeritus
Amnety International Legislative Coordinator for Minnesota
9383 123rd Avenue SE
Lake Lillian, MN 56253-4700
marquar...@gmail.com
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the
silence of our friends.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

MONTH DATE 2009

Sr. Jorge Bolaños
Chief of the Cuban Interests Section
2630 16th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009-4202

Señor Bolaños,

Human Rights Day will be observed worldwide this week, on the December
10 anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.

Article 19 of this Declaration reads as follows: “Everyone has the
right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive
and
impart information and ideas through any media regardless of
frontiers.”

In violation of this human right, independent library managers
imprisoned in Cuba, despite their nonviolent civic activities and
their status as prisoners of conscience whose freedom has been
requested by the numerous prestigious organizations and individuals
from many nations. These individuals and their libraries are:

Ariel and Guido Sigler Amaya -- General Pedro Betancourt Library in
Matanzas
Blas Giraldo Reyes Rodriguez -- 20th of May Library in Sancti Spiritus
Iván Hernandez Carrillo -- Juan Gualberto Gómez Library, Branch II, in
Matanzas:
Carmelo Augustín Diaz Fernandez -- Biblioteca sindical Emilio Máspero
in Havana
Luis Milán Fernandez -- 11th of September Library in Santiago de Cuba
Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares, alias "Puchungo", -- Bartolomé Masó
Library in Santiago de Cuba
Fabio Prieto Llorente -- Mir Francisco Mulets (Neuva Gerona, Isla de
la Juventud)
Fidel Suárez Cruz -- St. Paul Library (Pinar del Río)
Joaquín Cabezas de León -- Enrique José Varona Library (Camajuaní,
province of Villa Clara)
José Luis García Paneque -- Carlos J. Finlay Library (Las Tunas)
José Miguel Martínez Hernández -- General Juan Bruno Zayas Library
(Havana Province)
José Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernández -- Sebastián Arcos Library (Havana
Province)
Lester Gonzalez Pentón -- Jorge Mas Canosa Independent Library (Santa
Clara)
Librado Ricardo Linares García -- Enrique José Varona Library
(Camajuaní, Villa Clara province)
Ricardo Severino Gonzales Alfonso -- Jorge Mañach Library (Havana)
Victor Rolando Arroyo Carmona -- Reyes Magos Library (Pinar del Río)
Pedro González Acosta -- Martin Luther King Independent Library (San
Juan y Martínez)
José Gabriel Ramón Castillo, whose personal and private collection was
sent to an incinerator.

I join the international calls for the immediate and unconditional
release of these individuals, and the release of other previously or
subsequently detained nonviolent prisoners of conscience associated
with independent libraries.

Señor Bolaños, please convey to President Raúl Castro my request to
release immediately and unconditionally these and other individuals
associated with independent libraries. I am sure that you are aware
that their civil-minded energies would be useful in restoring Cuba and
serving Cuban readers laboring to overcome the ongoing challenges
faced by the citizens of Cuba.

I thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely and respectfully yours,

YOUR NAME
Your TITLE

# # # # # # #

OTHER NEWS, in addition to the assault on the award-winning blogger
Yoani Sanchez, which I reported to the Group on November 20:

The Committee to Protect Journalists in September posted an
interesting article about the hope and harassment represented by
independent bloggers in Cuba’s information scene. See
http://www.cpj.org/reports/2009/09/cuban-bloggers-offer-fresh-hope.php.

Human Rights Watch issued on November 18 a new 123-page report, “New
Castro, Same Cuba: Political Prisoners in the Post-Fidel Era,”
available online at http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/11/18/new-castro-same-cuba-0.
This report shows how the Raúl Castro government has relied on the
Criminal Code offense of "dangerousness," which allows authorities to
imprison individuals before they have committed any crime, on the
suspicion that they are likely to commit an offense in the future.
This "dangerousness" provision is overtly political, defining as
"dangerous" any behavior that contradicts Cuba's socialist norms. The
Cuban government is also increasingly employing short-term detention
and threats in order to suppress free expression.

Finally, a group of 60 eminent African-Americans issued a November 30
statement condemning Cuba’s crackdown on Afro-Cuban (black) civil
rights groups. The most notable Afro-Cuban independent librarian is
Ivan Hernandez Carrillo, whose library’s biography of Martin Luther
King Jr was ordered by his April 2003 court sentencing document to be
burned, along with all other contents of his library. Links to the
statement and other documents issued by the African-American group can
be accessed at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/1360990.html.

If you would like a post card bearing Ivan's photo and an appeal for
his release, to send to Cuba, please let me know. I'll even provide
the airmail postage stamp.

[tbd]

I would like one of these spostcards. Please send to 170 Mira Monte
Road, Alto, NM 88312.

Thanks,
Barbara Edwards

On Dec 6, 3:42 pm, Steve Marquardt <cubalib...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear supporters of Cubans seeking to exercise their freedom to read,
>
> This is the quarterly appeal -- with some recent news items at the end
> -- for Cuba's library prisoners during for year’s Human Rights Day
> (December 10).  Again, in light of the economic downturn, this one may
> be sent with only a 44-cent stamp.  Simply copy this web page and
> paste it into Word, alter it as you wish, date it, sign it and send.
> Thank you for your participation!
>
> Steve Marquardt, Ph.D.
> South Dakota State University Dean of Libraries Emeritus
> Amnety International Legislative Coordinator for Minnesota
> 9383 123rd Avenue SE
> Lake Lillian, MN 56253-4700

> marquardt.st...@gmail.com

> independent bloggers in Cuba’s information scene. Seehttp://www.cpj.org/reports/2009/09/cuban-bloggers-offer-fresh-hope.php.

>
> Human Rights Watch issued on November 18 a new 123-page report, “New
> Castro, Same Cuba: Political Prisoners in the Post-Fidel Era,”

> available online athttp://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/11/18/new-castro-same-cuba-0.

> This report shows how the Raúl Castro government has relied on the
> Criminal Code offense of "dangerousness," which allows authorities to
> imprison individuals before they have committed any crime, on the
> suspicion that they are likely to commit an offense in the future.
> This "dangerousness" provision is overtly political, defining as
> "dangerous" any behavior that contradicts Cuba's socialist norms.  The
> Cuban government is also increasingly employing short-term detention
> and threats in order to suppress free expression.
>
> Finally, a group of 60 eminent African-Americans issued a November 30
> statement condemning Cuba’s crackdown on Afro-Cuban (black) civil
> rights groups.  The most notable Afro-Cuban independent librarian is
> Ivan Hernandez Carrillo, whose library’s biography of Martin Luther
> King Jr was ordered by his April 2003 court sentencing document to be
> burned, along with all other contents of his library.  Links to the
> statement and other documents issued by the African-American group can

> be accessed athttp://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/1360990.html.