UNITED NATIONS DEMANDS CASTRO DICTATORSHIP GIVE THE PEOPLE LIBERTY !!!!
PEDRO MARTORI
Subject: Date: Friday, April 19, 2002 5:11 PM
Human Rights Body Seeks Cuba Action
By JONATHAN FOWLER
.c The Associated Press
GENEVA (AP) - The top United Nations human rights watchdog passed a resolution
Friday calling on Cuba to grant its citizens individual liberties such as
freedom of speech, the press, association and assembly.
The U.N. Human Rights Commission, voting 23-21 with nine abstentions, also
urged Cuba's communist authorities to let a U.N. representative visit the
island to monitor compliance - a suggestion Cuba has rejected.
But in an apparent reference to the 40-year-old U.S. embargo against Cuba,
which most other nations oppose, the resolution recognized Cuban government
efforts to ``give effect to the social rights of the population despite an
adverse international environment.''
Cuba insists it respects human rights by guaranteeing its people broad social
services such as free health care and education, and that rich nations that
fail to protect the poor are in no position to preach.
``None of (the resolution's) sponsors has the moral authority to judge human
rights in Cuba,'' Cuban Ambassador Jorge Ivan Mora Godoy told the 53-nation
commission.
The commission has voted to censure Cuba every year over the past decade except
1998. Cuba accused the United States of using strong-arm tactics to lobby
support for the vote this year, a claim U.S. officials have denied.
``In recent days, the government of the United States has come exercising new
and more brutal pressures at the Human Rights Commission with the objective of
approving the project,'' Cuba's Foreign Ministry said in a communique published
Friday in the Communist Party daily Granma.
The United States was one of several co-sponsors of the resolution, proposed by
Uruguay. For the first time since the commission's creation in 1947, the United
States is not a member this year and cannot vote at the annual session, but as
an observer it can co-sponsor resolutions.
Last month, Cuba said any Latin American country giving in to what it called
U.S. pressure to sponsor a resolution condemning Cuba's human rights record
would be a ``Judas.''
Cuba has been particularly disappointed with Mexico's decision to join the vote
this year. Mexico, the only Latin American country that refused to break
diplomatic relations with Cuba after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution,
traditionally has abstained.
The other Latin American nations voting for the measure were Peru - which had
abstained last year - and Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
Brazil and Ecuador abstained, as they have in the past. Venezuela voted against
the proposal.
Cuba won the backing of many African, Asian and Middle Eastern nations. China
proposed a counter-resolution calling for ``no action'' but it was defeated
24-23, with 6 abstentions. China has used no action motions to block scrutiny
of its own record in the past.
Censure by the U.N. body brings no penalties but draws international attention
to a country's rights record.
In another ``no action'' vote Friday, the commission decided not to discuss a
European Union proposal to criticize Zimbabwe for a flawed election that gave
Robert Mugabe a new term in March and for political intimidation by his
supporters.
Russia escaped censure over its war in Chechnya for first time in three years
when the commission, in a 16-15 vote with 22 abstentions, rejected a resolution
from European nations, Canada and the United States.
The resolution would have criticized abuses by both Russian forces and rebels,
called for an end to the fighting in Chechnya and urged Russia to investigate
human rights violations.
The commission also condemned rights violations in Iraq, including repression
of opposition, political killings, torture and rape. It said there had been no
improvement despite previous resolutions.
http://www.ticotimes.net
http://www.thepanamanews.com
http://www.economist.com
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/lists/by-name/index.html
http://www.transfairusa.org/index.html
Tomcat
The "First World":
Denmark 5
Canada 5
Spain 5
United States of America 7
Cuba 7
Honduras 33
Haiti 61
Chile 12
Brazil 38
Argentina 20
Panama 19
Philippines 29
Estimated adult Illiteracy rate (%), 2000
(Ages 15-24 Ages 25+)*
Men Women Men Women
Spain 0.6 0.7 3.1 7.2
Italy 0.2 0.2 ... ...
Cuba 0.3 0.3 ... ...
Haiti 38.3 38.6 ... ...
Honduras 23.0 20.0 40.0 43.0
Argentina 1.9 1.5 4.4 4.9
Brazil 14.6 9.8 22.2 24.7
Chile 1.8 1.3 6.7 7.6
Peru 3.2 l 7.1 l 10.4 27.5
Panama 5.0 5.0 13.0 15.0
Philippines 3.7 3.1 7.2 8.7
Source: http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/social/literacy.htm
http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/social/health.htm
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