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In a message dated 8/11/04 7:52:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: > The most serious denial of freedom of expression on the island of Cuba is > taking place in Guantanamo Bay... From the text of the letter to IFLA by Vaclav Havel, Elena Bonner et al: "Every government is responsible for its own actions and should be praised or condemned accordingly. As definitively proven by the recently published court documents available online (www.ruleoflawandcuba.fsu.edu), the facts of this matter are no longer in dispute. Despite the Cuban government's lengthy and skillful campaign to deny, cover up and mislead the international community with regard to systematic censorship and repression on the island, the regime must be held accountable for its own actions. Only one government - under the leadership of President Fidel Castro - is harassing, threatening and assaulting Cuba's independent librarians. Only one government is raiding Cuban libraries and seizing or burning thousands of books, entire library collections, and library patron records. Only one government is arresting Cuban citizens for the historically unprecedented 'crime' of opening uncensored libraries and sentencing them to 20-year prison terms after unfair one-day trials. "We warmly support Cuba's independent librarians, their historic challenge to censorship, and their brave defense of the democratic values embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which FAIFE/IFLA is also dedicated to upholding...." For the full text of this letter, please refer to our website: (www.friendsofcubanlibraries.org) Thank you, The Friends of Cuban Libraries (WWW.FRIENDSOFCUBANLIBRARIES.ORG)