TruthNews Commentary, Feb. 25, 2003

Cuba's communist dictator is cracking down on supporters of political and economic reform. In recent days, dozens of Cubans have been harassed, jailed, and expelled from jobs and universities. Their only crime is that they supported a national referendum on whether Cubans should have fundamental freedoms.

The activists, members of Cuba's Christian Liberation Movement, tried to invoke a provision in Cuba's 1976 constitution that permits a referendum if 10,000 signatures are collected. The effort, dubbed the "Varela initiative," was publically supported by ex-President Jimmy Carter during his May 2002 visit to the communist dictatorship.

Despite harassment, the Christians collected over 11,000 signatures and presented them to the national assembly, Cuba's rubber-stamp parliament. But dictator Fidel Castro apparently never intended for anyone to use this Constitutional provision (big surprise), so the godless communists refused to act on the petition.

Until now. On February 18th, a Cuban court sentenced two members of the Christian Liberation Movement, Jesús Mustafá Felipe and Robert Montero, to 18 months in prison on the trumped-up charge of "disrespecting authorities."

Mustafa and Montero had been frequently harassed for publicly displaying pro-human rights posters. Mustafa had earlier been subjected to a massive "act of repudiation" staged by communist thugs on January 11th. Two hundred people were trucked in to surround his home and shower it with paint and feces.

On the same day that Felipe and Montero were tried, at least 19 other members of the Christian Liberation Movement were arrested, including some who tried to attend the trial.

State Department official Dan Fisk, a deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for the region, condemned the arrests. "The Cuban government arrest of two individuals working on Project Varela and its continued harassment of dozens of others highlight its fear of the project," he said. The government's reaction, he continued, "to a simple call to reform signed by… thousands of Cuban citizens is to increase repression."

Although many have called for lifting of U.S. sanctions against Cuba, Fisk noted that advocates of "constructive engagement" overlook the fact that commerce with Canada and the European Union has not changed Castro's behavior. Fisk added that lifting current restrictions would "benefit the Castro regime at the expense of the Cuban people and the long-term American interests in a free and democratic Cuba."

In a time when almost the entire western hemisphere has become democratic, Cuba stands out as a bastion of repression and dictatorship. But despite Castro's repression, courageous people like Mustafa and Montero continue the struggle for freedom.

President Bush's policy toward Cuba is similar to his policy toward Iraq. "The goal of our policy towards Cuba," Bush said, "is freedom for Cuba's people. Full normalization of relations with Cuba… will only be possible when Cuba has a new government that is fully democratic; when the rule of law is respected; and when the human rights of all Cubans are protected." Maybe that's why Castro is shaking in his boots at the thought of a U.S. invasion of Iraq.