A clear and vivid example of double standards and the hypocritical position of the US Government on Cuba is the "fight against terrorism".
The US Government has planned, coordinated and sponsored terrorists actions against Cuba since the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. A total of 3478 persons have been killed as a result of terrorist activities and 2099 have received injuries.
In 1976, Cuban national Luis Posada Carriles, masterminded the blowing up over Barbados of a Cubana Airlines plane with 73 persons on board including 11 Guyanese citizens. Now Posada Carrilles is requested in extradition from the US where he is in prison for "illegal entry into the Country" and not for being as a master in Terrorism, considered the Osama Bin Laden of The Americas.
At the same time, the US Government has in prison Five Heroes of the Republic of Cuba, fighters against terrorism, Human Rights defenders, who were gathering information on terrorist plans targeting Cubans and American citizens, much of which was delivered to the US by the Cuban Government. They were tried in Miami under the pressure of the extreme right Cuban Mafia of that city, some of them sentenced to more than one life termin prison, been denied of the condition of political prisoners, they can't receive visits by their relatives including their children and the Defense Lawyers can hardly meet with them.
Last year, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions of the UN Human Rights Commission publicly declared that their's was an arbitrary detention. But they're still in jail. Isn't it a Human Rights violation by the US ?. I wish Cuba's critics could answer this question.
At its meeting in the City of Havana on April 11 and 12, 2006, the Bureau of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) recognized the illegal and unjust character of the legal process organized against this five Cuban heroes imprisoned in the United States for the sole crime of fighting terrorism.
A Washington Post article on 3 June, 2006 reads ﾅ"There has been a groundswell of support for the five acknowledged agents among some American liberal groups and celebrities, including Alice Walker, author of "The Color Purple," actor Danny Glover and author Noam Chomsky". "A San Francisco group maintains a Web site called "National Committee to Free the Cuban Five." The Detroit City Council even passed a resolution in March calling for their release, saying the agents were attempting to prevent terrorism against Cuba".
"The calls for their release gained momentum last August when a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, overturned the convictions and ordered a new trial, because of a "perfect storm" of bias in the Cuban exile bastion of Miami", The Newspaper said.
If the US and all those critics of Cuba really believe in plurarism, diversity, freedom and democracy, why is it that we cannot build a different kind of society, based on the interest of our people?
Persons who criticize Cuba should first think that it is a country that several US Governments have always wanted to annex using the excuse that being in its backyard it must belong to them. But thanks to Fidel Castro who led a Revolution in 1959, everything changed in Cuba. We left behind 20,000 people murdered by the Batista Government, sponsored by the US.
Education, Science, Health, Sports, Culture, Social Services, the Economy, now belong to the Cuban People, not to a minority group of ﾠmillonaires and corrupts.
I urge Bahamians to visit Cuba. They will not see shanty towns. Despite the limits imposed by the US embargo, nobody starves because the little we have is shared by everybody. Life expectancy is higher than in many parts of the US, while infant mortality is among the lowest in the world.
The important achievements of Cuba in areas such as healthcare, education, scientific and technical research, culture and sports are internationally known.
An example of ﾠCuba's success in health is what we have been doing to fight AIDS. On May 30th, the UNAIDS report on the world AIDS epidemics, presented at the UN headquarters in New York, Cuba was highlighted as the Caribbean country with the lowest HIV-AIDS levels as well as for carrying out one of the most efficient programs in the world to prevent the transmission of the illness from mothers to children.
The document says that in the case of Cuba, there was a 0.1 percent rate for adults by the end of 2005, with some 4,800 people living with HIV and fewer than 500 dead due to diseases associated with AIDS.
The Cuban program to prevent mother-child transmission of HIV has kept the number of newborn HIV children under 100 so far, the report praises.
In Sports, Juan Antonio Samaranch, former President of the International Olimpic Committee has said that "Cuba's sport system is one of the most advanced around the world…" and "Cuban athletes rise to the challenge in cup games". And there are many other areas I can mention.
I have also been surprised by comments made by persons who are not properly informed about Cuba. Some are saying that the Cubans are not allowed to travel. Being a Cuban Representative in The Bahamas, I should only speak in regards to our citizens coming to this country.
Last year only, over 500 Cubans traveled to The Bahamas on letters of Invitation by Bahamian nationals presented either in Cuba, or at our Embassy in Nassau. As of May 31st, there have been more than 250.
The procedures are: you present a letter of invitation. Then the person needs to apply for a passport if he/she doesn't have it, go to the British Embassy, get a Police record ﾠand at the end if there is no criminal record he/she is allowed to travel.
It is important to note that at the British Embassy in Havana, a Letter of Invitation is a condition imposed on all applicants of visas to The Bahamas, including Government Officials who travel to attend an Event on their working capacity. It is not The Cuban Government who imposed this.
Every country in the world has rules to comply with when it has to do with travel by its citizens. In terms of the Professionals, Cuba can't be brain drained by the US or any other country. After spending thousands of dollar in free Education, having to endure a cruel and inhumane Embargo for over 45 years, we can't let our professionals ﾠgo to the US, whose Government through the Embargo, wants to destroy us. Actually, I am told that many countries worldwide, when financing the education of its citizens, on their return they are required to give a determined amount of years Service to their Government
Speaking about the right to travel, last Tuesday, Gov. Jeb Bush signed the Travel to Terrorist States Act, banning Florida scholars from travelling to Cubaﾠ proving once again that the political leadership in the US does not respect the Human Right to travel!
There are in Cuba, more than 56 different religions, with over five hundred Churches. Likewise, to give possibility to believers who may not have a Church where to preach, the Cuban Government have approved 1624 Cult Houses, and among them, Baptists have 174 Cult Houses; Adventists, 149; Evangelist Pentecostals 572; Methodists, 105. In this regard, more than 4,000 religious persons visited Cuba from different countries, including the US in 2005.
On the contrary, in the US, 31 May 2006, ﾠthe National Council of Churches USA and Church World Service (the churches' global development agency) ﾠjoined with other organizations to renew objections to new American Government restrictions on religious travel to Cuba.
"The current US policy toward Cuba restricts religious freedom and is contrary to the principles upon which our nation was founded," said the Rev Brenda Girton-Mitchell, the NCC staff Executive for Justice and Advocacy during a news conference. Last year, the NCC and CWS, along with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, American Baptist Churches, Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ Global Ministries, received notices from the US Office of Foreign Assets that their existing licenses for religious travel to Cuba would not be renewed.
Additionally, I should �mention that in the US, followers of exotic religions like Santer�a, very popular in Cuba, are restricted to groups of 25 persons, chosen by the US Government. But such restrictions do not apply to the Catholic Church. Isn't it interesting?
Needless to say that the State Department has adopted a policy to deny visas for religious travel to the United States by officials of the Cuban Council of Churches because it believes these officials are agents of the Cuban Government. Isn't that discrimination and violation of the religious rights?
Cuba will always be as it has been all over the years since of the Revolution led by our President Fidel Castro. Friendly, sharing the little we have with others, and cooperating the way we can with the rest of the world. Showing our commitment to the advancement of human rights for all, worldwide, being an example by having more than 19,000 Cuban physicians who have reached the remotest villages, mountains and the most inaccessible corners of 63 nations in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, in order to share with those peoples Cuban accomplishments in health care and scientific research. We will continue adding graduate students to the over 45,000 youths from Third World countries graduated during the last four decades. Many will be added to the more than 23,000 youths from 120 countries, currently studying free of any charge in Cuban universities.
Critics can use US propaganda and their own emotions when criticizing Cuba. The option is theirs and they are free to do as they like. But in doing so, remember that the Cuban People are entitled to continue supporting the Leader and Government whom we ﾠbelieve to be the best choice for our Country. Cuba nor its Government criticizes the choice by the People of other Nations when choosing their Governments. Then why should other People try to choose our Government for us?
Best Regards
F�lix Wilson Hern�ndez
Ambassador of Cuba to The Bahamas
