Over 100 representatives of Cuba’s civil society ask
the U.N. to not reelect Cuba to the Human Rights Council
May 4, 2009. Summit, New Jersey. In a letter to all member states of the United Nations, 106 representatives of Cuba’s civil society call on them to not support Cuba’s reelection, explaining why its government does not meet minimum requirements for membership. Pointing to the wasted opportunity by the Cuban leadership to uphold pledges it made for its previous election, they denounce its continued and systematic violation of most rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On May 12th the United Nations General Assembly will hold its annual elections for a third of the membership of the Human Rights Council. 18 of the 47 members will be chosen individually and by secret ballot for a three-year term based on geographical distribution among five regional groups. Cuba, having already served for three years in representation of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, may serve another consecutive term. It has presented its candidacy, together with Mexico and Uruguay, to fill the three seats up for election of the eight allotted to the region.
In 2006, the U.N.’s General Assembly established the Council in replacement of the former Commission for Human Rights for the purpose of strengthening human rights around the globe. According to its founding Resolution, A/RES/60/251, states elected as members are to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights. Furthermore, their contributions and commitments to that effect are to be taken into account in evaluating their candidacies.
The signatories are from all over the Cuba -leaders of human rights and civic groups, independent journalists and librarians, as well as well as current and former political prisoners. They enumerate specific laws of the Cuban state that create a de facto legality denying citizens basic civil, political, and economic rights starting with the right to self determination. Citing strict restrictions on freedom of expression, association, assembly, information, press, work, movement, private property, access to the means of production, and freedom to leave the country, they point to “legal” absurdities meant to silence dissent including disrespect, the propensity to commit a crime, and failure to denounce others. Their listing of violations committed by the state includes the extrajudicial assassination of citizens attempting to flee the country and dozens of deaths a year that result from inhumane prison conditions. They point to many thousands of citizens incarcerated for so-called economic “crimes” for attempting to secure basic sustenance through self-employment in addition to 205 documented political prisoners.
The signatories, human rights defenders persecuted in their country, contend that the Cuban government’s continued membership in the Council would constitute an endorsement of its abusive practices that would rob that intergovernmental body of needed credibility. In concluding, they ask the international community at this historic juncture to support freedom for the Cuban people, “from which true sovereignty derives.”
The NGO Coalition for an Effective Human Rights Council, an umbrella group of international human rights organizations, has also expressed its concern over Cuba’s human rights records, as well as that of Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Russia and Saudi Arabia, all running for re-election to the Council. In addition, it has cited the worrisome lack of competitive elections in several regions, including Latin America and the Caribbean.
The letter from Cuba’s civil society groups is available at:
http://www.demcoalition.org/site09-2008/pdf/Cuba%20letter%20in%20English%20-%20Final.pdf
The website for the NGO Coalition for an Effective Human Rights Council is: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/features/hrc2009/index.html
For additional information on the United Nations Human Rights Council, see: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil.
Contact:
Maria Werlau, Cuba Archive (www.CubaArchive.org), Tel. (973)701-0520,
Janisset Rivero, Directorio Democrático Cubano ( www.directorio.org), Tel. (305)-220-2713,