The Friends of Cuban Libraries
Date: September 24, 2000
CANADIANS TAKE ACTION ON CUBAN LIBRARIES
Lorraine McQueen, the President of the Canadian Library Association,
has written a letter to President Castro protesting the campaign of
repression being waged against independent librarians in Cuba. The letter,
written in April, was brought to the attention of the Friends of Cuban
Libraries after it was posted on the website of the Canadian Library
Association (CLA), where the full text may be read
(http://209.217.90.93/resources/cuba.htm). The letter from Ms. McQueen,
written on behalf of the CLA and its members, "urge[d] the Cuban government
to respect the basic principles of intellectual freedom and to put an end to
the intimidation of the Independent Libraries in Cuba." In a rebuke to the
Cuban government and the official Cuban library association, which flatly
deny the existence of any persecution, President McQueen also "urge[d] the
Cuban government, Cuban libraries and librarians to adhere to the principles
of freedom of access to information and freedom of expression...."
President Lorraine McQueen's letter was sent in response to a request
from the intellectual freedom committee of the International Federation of
Library Associations (IFLA), which in September, 1999, issued a landmark
report documenting the repression of the independent librarians and "urg[ing]
other concerned parties to send appeals on this matter to President Castro."
IFLA's conclusions, issued after a three-month investigation, have been
confirmed in several reports by Amnesty International; Amnesty named the
co-founder of the independent library movement, Ramon Colas, as a Prisoner of
Conscience after his most recent arrest.
The Cuban government has not responded to the letter from the Canadian
Library Association, nor has a substantive response been received by any of
the other library associations and human rights groups which have called for
a halt to the systematic persecution of Cuba's independent librarians.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** LATEBREAKING NEWS *** LATEBREAKING NEWS ***
TWO LIBRARIANS ARRESTED, ONE CONVICTED: Two more of Cuba's independent
librarians have been arrested. Rolando Bestard, the director of the Pedro
Luis Boitel Library, and Edel Jimenez, the director of the Jose Mayia
Rodriguez Library, were arrested in the city of Santiago on September 7. The
charges against Rolando Bestard are unknown, but on Sept. 14 Mr. Jimenez was
convicted of "disobedience" after a two-hour trial held at Santiago's
Municipal Court. Five agents of the State Security police kept the courtroom
under surveillance during the brief proceedings.
This updated information is contained in a news report by Alida Viso
Bello published in the Sept. 15 edition of the CubaNet website
(www.cubanet.org). According to this report, Edel Jimenez was convicted and
fined 200 pesos for "disobedience" after he refused to comply with a police
order to stop selling fruit drinks without a license. Cuba's independent
librarians are often fired from their official jobs and forbidden to hold any
other type of legal employment. Denied any kind of legal work, he was
arrested for trying to support his family by selling refreshments without a
license. Such arrests are one of the pretexts used by the government to
suppress the independent library movement.
ACTION TO BE TAKEN: The Friends of Cuban Libraries recommend that
readers of this bulletin send courteous e-mail messages to government
officials deploring the mistreatment of Rolando Bestard and Edel Jimenez.
Please protest their arrest, which is part of the Cuban government's ongoing
campaign of persecution being directed against the independent librarians.
In your messages to officials, please refer to the reports and protests
issued by organizations such as IFLA, Amnesty International and the Canadian
Library Association. Your e-mail messages can be addressed to Mr. Eliades
Acosta ([log in to unmask]) and Ms. Marta Terry ([log in to unmask]).
They are leaders of the official, government-sponsored library association of
Cuba, which denies that any of the independent librarians are being arrested
or persecuted. Please notify the Friends of Cuban Libraries if you receive a
response.
BACKGROUND: The Friends of Cuban Libraries, founded in June, 1999, is
an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit support group for the independent
librarians. We are concerned exclusively with intellectual freedom issues,
as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, regardless of
whatever government may be in office in Cuba. We are funded entirely by our
members and do not seek or accept contributions from other sources. For more
information, contact us by e-mail ([log in to unmask]) or telephone (USA)
718-340-8494. Mailing address: Robert Kent, 4-74 48th Avenue, #3-C, Long
Island City, NY 11109 USA.
###
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|