Washington DC, June 15, 2022.- The arrests of peaceful protesters in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are an affront to democracy and the trials seek to silence freedom of expression, highlighted the Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs , Brian A. Nichols , during the event “Jailed for what?: People imprisoned for political reasons in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela” , organized by the Latin American Human Rights Consortium, of which is a part of the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) .

This event was held within the framework of the IX Summit of the Americas with the aim of generating a space for reflection and dialogue on the circumstances and conditions experienced by persons deprived of liberty in the exercise of their fundamental rights in these three countries. Apart from Nichols, the Rapporteur of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty and for the Prevention and Combat of Torture, Edgar Stuardo Ralón, participated in this space, as well as relatives of political prisoners and activists.

“The United States, along with its partners and allies around the world, continues to press for the release of all those unjustly detained for political reasons and for an end to human rights violations and to create the conditions for the holding of free and fair elections that allow Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans to choose their leaders for themselves,” Nichols said.

Stuardo Ralón: “The IACHR wants to reiterate its commitment to condemn this situation”

For his part, the IACHR Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty and for the Prevention and Combat of Torture, Edgar Stuardo Ralón, assured that the prisons in which political prisoners are held “are characterized by high levels of overcrowding, lodging in cells with structural deficiencies and unsanitary conditions; use of isolation measures, lack of access to drinking water; proper nutrition and medications; use of practices of torture and other ill-treatment.

Ralón said that the situation in the three countries is serious and particularly in Cuba, it became much more complicated as a result of the protests of July 11 and 12, 2021, which the regime repressed with violence; just as it happened in the peaceful demonstrations in Nicaragua in 2018 and Venezuela in 2014.

“The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights wants to reiterate its commitment to condemn this situation and demand the release of all political prisoners. The Commission’s commitment is to make all these situations visible with all the instruments at its disposal, whether these are press releases, precautionary measures to put an end to this regime of repression.”

Anamely Ramos: “In Cuba, political prisoners are not just victims, they are also heroes”

In Cuba there are more than 1,400 political prisoners as a result of the demonstrations of July 11 and 12 and the conditions in which they find themselves are completely inhumane, according to data from the organizations Cubalex and Justicia11J.

Anamely Ramos, a Cuban artist and human rights defender, expressed that the situation is difficult for all political prisoners, but especially for women. “The women who are imprisoned, in addition to the fact that half are mothers who are separated from their children, are subjected to degrading acts and all kinds of humiliation,” she said, and requested that prisons be given access to verify the health condition of political prisoners, more support for civil society, greater visibility of the incarceration of minors and denouncing the complicity of the justice systems of the three countries in favor of their regimes.

“In Cuba, political prisoners are not just victims, they are also heroes. They did not begin to be prisoners when they were arrested, but since they were born,” Ramos stressed.

Victoria Cárdenas from Nicaragua: “Let us join the cry for Freedom”

On June 8, but in 2021, the presidential candidate Juan Sebastián Chamorro was arrested by the Police of the Daniel Ortega regime and his wife, the businesswoman Victoria Cárdenas, had to go into exile so as not to be arrested as well. In prison, Chamorro has lost more than 50 pounds and is unrecognizable, according to people who have managed to visit him just seven times in the last year.

Until the beginning of June in Nicaragua there were 184 political prisoners and of them, 180 had already received a conviction in trials lacking due process and in which police officers were used as witnesses.

“I invite everyone to raise our voices for all those voices that authoritarian regimes like Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua wanted to silence. Let’s join the cry for freedom. I call on the international community, the heads of state, the international human rights organizations, civil society, the business community of the continent and the world, and people of good will, to do everything necessary to ensure that they comply with what the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ordered and release them immediately,” added Cárdenas.

Regarding the situation in Nicaragua, the director of Race and Equality, Carlos Quesada, stressed that since the beginning of the protests in April 2018, at least 1,614 Nicaraguans were arbitrarily detained until May 2020. “In most cases, what has been criminalized is the right to freedom of expression,” said Quesada.

To conclude, Quesada assured that they will continue to denounce the human rights violations committed by the Ortega regime in Nicaragua against the more than 180 political prisoners and for this they will launch the “Nicas Libres Ya” campaign that seeks to make their stories visible and achieve the necessary support for their early release.

Munira Muñoz: “In Venezuela we have 235 political prisoners”

Munira Muñoz, lawyer and coordinator of the organization Foro Penal USA/Venezuela, recalled that “in Venezuela we have 235 political prisoners, of which 15 are women.” In this country, at least 10 political prisoners have died since 2014, and many of them are confined together with common prisoners.

Muñóz mentioned the case of the political prisoner Emirlendris Benítez, 41, who was arrested in August 2018. “She was charged with crimes of terrorism, conspiracy to commit a crime, attempted intentional homicide against the President of the Republic, intentional homicide with treachery against the military high command, damage to public property and possession of explosive devices. She was giving a transportation service with her husband who is currently also in prison.”

Benítez lost the mobility of her legs after suffering an abortion due to the mistreatment she received at the time of her arrest and in 2021 her sister denounced that her health situation was quite delicate.

Serious situation for human rights defenders

The Executive Director of Race and Equality, Carlos Quesada, reported that the situation is serious for everyone in the three countries, but especially for human rights defenders and activists who, even when they intended to go to Los Angeles to participate in the Summit of the Americas, were prevented by the Cuban authorities.

“In particular, (restrictions) are imposed to prevent the participation (of activists) in international forums where they intend to expose human rights violations by the Cuban regime,” added Quesada.

This situation has occurred in Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela, whose governments limit the travel of those who are considered political opposition to avoid international denunciations of human rights violations.

Pronouncement

From the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) we do not stop demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Likewise, we urge States to comply with the United Nations Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules) in prisons.

It is imperative that these countries abide by the recommendations of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), treaty bodies and special procedures.

Freedom for political prisoners!