Support for Costa
Rica’s Offer of
Humanitarian Asylum to
Imprisoned Journalist
Reporters Without
Borders says it supports
Costa Rica’s request for
imprisoned journalist
Normando Hernández
González to be allowed
to leave Cuba for
humanitarian reasons.
His health has
deteriorated steadily
since his arrest in the
“Black Spring” crackdown
of March 2003.
Costa Rica’s consul in
Havana, José Maria
Penabad, formally
submitted the request to
Cuban foreign minister
Felipe Pérez Roque on
September 16.
“Humanitarian concerns
are clearly paramount as
regards all prisoners of
conscience, especially
the 20 journalists held
since March 2003 in very
harsh conditions,” the
press freedom
organization said. “We
hail the Costa Rican
government’s efforts to
have Hernández moved to
Costa Rica so that he
can received appropriate
treatment for his
condition, which is now
alarming.”
Reporters Without
Borders added: “We
strongly hope the Cuban
foreign ministry will
accede to this request
from Costa Rica, which
as already issued a visa
for Hernández. We also
hope other governments
will support this
initiative and will take
similar initiatives on
behalf of other
imprisoned journalists.”
Costa Rica’s director of
immigration notified the
consul on 14 September
that it has issued a
humanitarian visa for
Hernández at the request
of a legislator, José
Manuel Echandi, who has
been trying for several
months to have the
seriously ill Hernández
flow to Costa Rica. Two
days later, Penabad
formally asked the Cuban
foreign minister to
allow Hernández to take
advantage of this offer
of humanitarian asylum.
The director of Cuba's
Colegio de Periodistas
Independientes de
Camagüey, an independent
news agency, Hernández
was arrested on 24 March
2003 along with 26 other
journalists during the
last major crackdown on
Cuban dissidents.
Arbitrarily accused of
spying and threatening
state security, he was
given a 25-year prison
sentence.
Held since 10 September
2006 in Camagüey’s Kilo
7 top-security prison
and suffering from
tuberculosis, Hernández
went on hunger strike in
March of this year in
protest against
mistreatment, denial of
the right to visits and
prison leave, poor food
and other unacceptable
conditions. He was
transferred four days
ago to Carlos J. Finlay
hospital in Havana.
Two other independent
journalists who have
been held since March
2003 were taken to
hospital the same day.
They are Ricardo
González Alfonso,
Reporters Without
Borders correspondent
and editor of the
magazine De Cuba, who is
serving a 20-year
sentence, and Julio
César Gálvez Rodríguez,
serving a 15-year
sentence. They were
taken to the military
hospital in Havana’s
Combinado del Este
prison, where they are
being held. González,
who has been
hospitalised before, has
high blood pressure.
Gálvez has developed
serious respiratory
problems while in
detention.
With a total of 24
journalists currently
held, Cuba is the
world’s second biggest
prison for the press,
after China. Three of
those currently in
prison were arrested
after Raúl Castro took
over as acting president
on 31 July 2006. The 20
still held since March
2003 are serving prison
sentences ranging from
14 to 27 years. |
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