Directorio Democrático Cubano Urges IACHR to Address Systematic Human Rights Violations in Cuba

By Caitlin Shay

Janisset Rivero, Deputy National Secretary of Directorio Democrático Cubano, appeared before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on November 6, 2009 to report ongoing systematic torturing and extrajudicial executions in Cuba and to urge the Commission to provide justice for victims.

The hearing followed up on July 25, 2007 hearing that focused on prison conditions in Cuba. Rivero narrowed the scope of this hearing to the Cuban government’s institutionalized method of systematically torturing political and other prisoners over the past fifty years. She complained that the Commission has allowed the Cuban government, without repercussion, to violate international obligations to refrain from torture and cruel and degrading punishment.

Rivero then played a short video for the Commissioners with direct testimony from former prisoners, including a 16-year-old boy who was buried alive and another person who received electric shocks. Former prisoners also testified about the use of sodium pentathol (a.k.a. truth serum) injections and widespread psychological, physical, and chemical torture.

Following the video, Rivero noted the attention that the Guantanamo Bay military camp has received in the news; yet, 27 kilometers away, the provincial prison in Guantanamo regularly subjects its prisoners to inhumane treatment without international attention. She introduced testimony from many former prisoners regarding the different torture methods used at this provincial prison, including forcing prisoners to lay with their stomachs on the ground with their hands and feet handcuffed, and a chain connecting the two handcuffs. One former prisoner reported that another prisoner was kept in this position for three months and that that prisoner is still being detained. The UN Special Rapporteur on torture also reported 50 prison deaths in Cuba just between the months of January and February 2009.

Extrajudicial executions are also systematically conducted but are very difficult to document, according to Rivero. There are many reported instances of journalists and human rights activists who have gone missing. The government officially reports that these individual were trying to clandestinely leave Cuba and that their boats sunk. However, the Directorio Democrático Cubano’s interviews with family members and other investigations often contradict official reports. Rivero also cited a case where a journalist’s wife found her husband dead under a tree after he had received numerous death threats. When she tried to get more information from the government, she was told that he had had a heart attack. The family of another prisoner who died was told that he had committed suicide in prison; however, other prisoners had seen the man severely beaten by police hours before he supposedly killed himself.

After her report, the Commissioners questioned Rivero about her findings. They seemed especially interested in the possibility of bringing an individual who had been tortured in a Cuban prison to the IACHR. Rivero agreed that it would be very helpful for an individual to bring his case directly before the court. She reported that the Directorio Democrático Cubano was exploring that possibility by talking to victims’ families to find someone who was willing to appear. She said that many victims of Cuba’s repressive regime were eager to bring their cases, but were also worried that their families or relatives in Cuba would be harassed.

At the end of the hearing, Rivero promised to give the IACHR copies of individual testimonies from 2008 and 2009 for the Commission’s annual report on the situation in Cuba. The Commissioners also requested copies of reports by the UN Special Rappoteur for Human Rights on torture.