Dear all,
Bruselas, 27th November 2019.-We are two Cuba solidarity movements, based in Brussels, the heart of Europe. We were outraged that Cuba made it to the agenda of the debates in plenary session of the European Parliament. On Thursday 28 November, there will be a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, focusing on Cuba and the case of José Daniel Ferrer.
Where is the European Parliament's attention for the massacres in Bolivia, where in only 10 days more than 30 people lost lives ? Where's the European Parliament attention for the human rights violations in Chile, where according to leading international organisations such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the army has acted in an excessively repressive manner. Why all this attention to one arrest of one person, which turns out to have a violent and delinquent past, one element in the slanderous campaign to discredit Cuba, launched by the US Embassy in Cuba.
For several weeks now, the United States Government has been leading a new campaign of discredit against Cuba from Washington as part of its policy of growing hostility against the island.
It uses as a pretext the arrest of the counterrevolutionary José Daniel Ferrer, a salaried agent in the service of the United States, with a long history of provocative actions against public order and legality.
The Embassy of the United States in Cuba has been the fundamental vehicle of attention, orientation and financing of the conduct of José Daniel Ferrer, in a clear manifestation of interference in the internal affairs of Cuba and of open instigation to violence, disturbance of order and disrespect of the forces of order on the part of this citizen. The head of the diplomatic mission personally leads this performance.
It is well known that, far from dedicating itself to the promotion of bilateral ties, to safeguarding the interests of the American people and its Government, and to promoting peaceful relations among States, the Diplomatic Mission of that country in Cuba and particularly its Chargé d'Affaires have in recent months concentrated on the failed purpose of recruiting mercenaries, to promote division and confusion among the Cuban people, to identify areas of the economy against which to direct coercive measures, and to try to slander and discredit the management of the Cuban government and the Revolution.
Let's go back to the facts: José Daniel Ferrer was arrested by the police last October 1st in response to a complaint filed by a Cuban citizen, who accuses Ferrer and three other individuals of having kidnapped him for an entire night and delivered a severe beating that left him in hospital conditions.
Ferrer is awaiting trial. He has received visits from his wife and children, as befits his legal situation. All references to his physical disappearance, alleged physical mistreatment, torture or insufficient food are pure lies deliberately conceived and directed by the United States Government and its Embassy in Havana. He has received due medical attention, carries out regular physical exercises and, upon request, is provided with religious assistance.
It should be noted that prior to his service to the United States Government, José Daniel Ferrer had a history of delinquency and violent conduct totally devoid of political motivation. He has a record dating back to 1993. These include assaults with physical violence on other citizens, including women, and public disorder, behavior that has increased in recent years.
There is sufficient evidence for all of this. It is not new that the U.S. government uses people of these characteristics for its subversive political activity against Cuba and for discrediting campaigns with the unscrupulous support of the mainstream media.
We thought it was important to let you know our version of the 'Daniel Ferrer case' . Why this disproportionate attention to this case, at the clear request of the United States?
A few years ago, the European Union took a step in the right direction: that of dialogue with the Cuban Government, with respect for Cuban sovereignty. We would therefore like to call on you to continue along this path. Within this process of dialogue, the EU and Cuba also hold a dialogue on human rights. Four sessions have already taken place.
The talks reconfirmed the wish of the EU and Cuba to deepen their dialogue and understanding in the area of human rights, with a view to developing cooperation to attain the objectives of the EU-Cuba partnership. We believe that a dialogue based on respect offers more prospects than the EU engaging in a slanderous campaign launched by the US administration in the middle of the election period.
In solidarity,
Regi Rotty, Vrienden van Cuba vzw
Isabelle Vanbrabant, Cubanismo.be