Tony's request is denied

There is much I can reflect upon regarding recent events in Cuba and elsewhere. In the States, the bid for the Democratic Party's Presidential Nomination rages on and Cuba policy has become some sort of foreign affairs policy lithmus test. In Spain, the Socialists retain power (albeit with a very slim margin). In Cuba, the reins have been handed over to another Castro. As a gesture to Zapatero, the Cuban authorities released four dissidents and exiled them to Spain (giving them no choice in the matter). I share with you a clip of their arrival in Spain and joyous reception by fellow dissidents. I praise God for delivering them from their recent ordeal.

Meanwhile, the situation in Cuba hasn't changed much. Power has been transferred peacefully from one Castro brother to the other, but no acts of clemency are forthcoming from the government. In fact, my family was informed recently that Tony's formal request for transfer to adequate medical facilities has been denied. The only good news is that Tony has suspended his food and medicine strikes. He has asked me to share this news with all interested parties.

Tony is not in hunger strike after all (it seems)

I have to admit that I am bit confused with all the conflicting messages I am getting, so I will simply stick to the facts as they have been reported to me. Not wishing to contradict anyone in particular, I will report everything.

There are reports out there claiming that Tony is on the hunger strike (see my last post). Aside from the MCL newsletter, Osvaldo Payá's blog is reporting it as well.

• Radio Martí interview with Payá on the subject
• Detailed alert in English
• Brief alert in both English and Spanish

On the other hand, my aunt Gisela tells me that Tony is not on a hunger strike. He threatens to stop taking his medication to protest his lack of adequate medical attention, but, according to Gisela, he is not on a hunger strike (and she spoke to him last night). His condition hasn't improved in the slightest because the medication he has been prescribed is not intended to cure his intestinal disease. In fact, his ulcers have gotten so bad that Tony now experiences a great deal of discomfort when sitting down.

Confinement with the common criminal population is nothing new. While this practice opens a new chapter in the long and sad history of political prisoners in Castro's Cuba, it is not a new development in Tony's case. He has always been mingled with common criminals and, to date, has not suffered any physical abuse as a consequence. While he is very much concerned that some of his cell mates are in the pay of the security services (and are probably reporting his every move), he has not been physically harmed by them in any way. Of course, this is all subject to change at a moment's notice, but there is no immediate reason for concern.

As time elapses, Tony has grown more irritable and both Gisela and my mother fear that his confinement is beginning to impair his judgment and blunt his jovial personality. I will attempt to speak with him on Monday to lift his deflated spirits. Not being in his shoes, I have no idea what is going through this mind, but I can imagine that the feeling of despair can be overwhelming.

On the advocacy front, Gisela continues to petition the Cuban government. She wrote a letter to the Minister of the Interior to plea for conditional release and/or transfer to adequate medical facilities. It has been over 60 days since she delivered the letter and has received no reply. Gisela has also reached out to the Spanish Consulate. While the Spanish seem to be willing to help, they require documentation to back up their discussions with the Cuban government. Unfortunately, Tony's lawyer is basically unreachable. Every time Gisela contacts him, he claims to be in court (through his secretary). In light of his courageous performance during Tony's trial, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and must assume that he is being coerced by the authorities to misrepresent Tony (which is basically what unresponsiveness amounts to in this case). As I have stated earlier, this type of behavior would get him reprimanded in the States (if not disbarred). The Consulate is aware of Gisela's difficulties with the paperwork and is still willing to work with her.

That's all I have for now.

Tony's health takes a turn for the worse

A few moments ago, I had a chance to chat with Gisela about Tony's health. The latest news is quite discouraging. Following a doctor's visit on the 14th of November, which included an endoscopic examination, Gisela was informed that a) Tony's condition is worsening (no details provided on what "worsening" means and b) he is in dire need of an operation. However, the doctor is not willing to take responsibility for his recovery as long as he is confined in his current environment, which, as I have described them on this blog before, is substandard. Not only is Tony's diet inadequate, but his cell is unsanitary. The only recourse available to the doctor is to increase the dosage on Tony's medication to the maximum safe level. To make matters worse, Tony's guards seem to be ignoring the doctor's instructions. The medication has been withheld from him regularly and is only made available after Tony protests. On the legal front, Gisela has been unable to get the attention of Tony's lawyer for the past month, so his conditional release (or transfer to medical facilities) is still pending. She plans to write to the Cuban Government to complain about Tony's mistreatment.

That is all I have for now.

International appeal from Gisela

This is my English-language translation of Gisela's appeal posted to Osvaldo Paya's blog. Gisela sent it to me via e-mail, but I realized later that it's almost the same copy she sent to Osvaldo's site.

International appeal

To all human rights organizations, the International Red Cross, national and international public opinion, and all persons of good faith:

Antonio Ramon Diaz Sanchez, 45 years of age, was arrested as part of the repressive wave of March 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, which he is currently serving at the Canaleta Provincial Prision in Ciego de Avila (more than 500 km from his home). He was imprisoned for his commitment to the defense of his countrymen's human rights as an active member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberacion and participant in the Varela project.

My name is Gisela Sanchez, wife of Antonio. This is the second time I reach out to you through this medium to ask for your support on behalf of my husband and his well-being. In March of this year, Antonio was subjected to a medical examination which resulted in the diagnosis of several ailments. His state of health has declined considerably as a consequence of the stress associated with his confinement. He suffers from ulcerative colitis (although a proper biopsy cannot be performed because the walls of his colon are too fragile and swollen) and amebic colitis. He also has first-degree adenomas in the prostate, as well as an obstruction in a coronary blood vessel, and a 6mm kidney stone. Most of these diseases require a diet which is not being made available under his current prison conditions. The situation is so desperate that my husband has had to assert to the authorities that his inadequate diet is a deliberate attempt to damage his precarious state of health.

On various occasions, I have complained to the relevant authorities about the inadequate medical care provided to my husband because he is not being treated by the appropriate specialist for each ailment and the few times he has been taken to the hospital he has been transported in a degrading and subhuman fashion. He has been exposed to high temperatures in the enclosed cargo space of a small truck (without any sort of ventilation), broiling in the sun for more than an hour, resulting in dangerous drops in his blood pressure and heat exhaustion. It is imperative that I also mention Tony's repeated protests against the irresponsible attitude of the authorities when it comes to the delivery of the medications that are so critical to his treatment and recovery.

Keeping in mind the deteriorating health of my husband in the last four years of confinement, you can imagine his family's anxiety. In accordance with the constitutional guarantees in the penal code, and through an attorney, I appealed to the Supreme Court for a commutation of Tony's sentence to conditional house arrest for health-related reasons. We have been waiting three months for a reply, but no reply has been forthcoming from the Court. In the meantime, Antonio's health worsens in the squalid conditions of a Cuban jail. While we wait, Antonio continues to be denied access to the type of expert medical investigation and treatment that is likely to reverse the course of his decline. It is my sincerest hope that this message will encourage your organization to reach out to the Cuban Government, in whichever manner you deem appropriate, and request the immediate release of my husband so that he can get access to the medical attention he lacks in prison. I thank you for your time.

Gisela Sanchez Verdecias
Calle 122A #2903
% 29 y 31, Reparto Zamora
Marianao, Ciudad de la Habana
Cuba

Transfer to hospital in Havana is imminent

I received a call from my mother about a week ago with very good news. Gisela had contacted her to let her know that Tony's transfer to a medical facility (presumably in Havana) is imminent. I believe the conversation took place on Tuesday evening. My mother added that, this time, Tony's attorney had been notified by the authorities that the transfer would take place; however, the government hadn't been able to arrange the requisite transportation from Ciego de Ávila. It's nearly a week later and we haven't heard any more good news from Cuba. Our family is very glad to hear that Normando Hernández González has been transferred to the Military Hospital in Marianao (my hometown).

Earlier in August, I had the opportunity to speak with Tony. Somehow, Gisela managed to patch me through his incoming call. As my parents had already told me a few days earlier, he appears to be in excellent spirits and still very much in tune with the political realities outside of Cuba. Tony is convinced that his best chance for redress rests with the good offices of those who have been steadfast in supporting the Cuban Revolution. I could hardly keep track of the list of names, but some I managed to jot down included those of Charlie Rangel and José Serrano (both New York Congressmen). Rangel, by the way, visited Cuba back in the late 80s for an exhibition baseball game and refused to meet with local dissident groups. Tony also listed a host of Latin American countries (Brazil, Panama, Uruguay, Mexico, Bolivia, and, of course, Venezuela) that are likely to have Cuba's ear. Finally, he highlighted those organizations supporting the Cuban Five for special attention.

When Tony gets started, it's hard to cut in, but I managed to interject with some questions about his condition. He took the opportunity to tell me about his last trip to the doctor, to which he was transported in the enclosed cargo area of a truck. Tony believes that the temperature must have reached approximately 40 degrees Celsius. When he arrived at the hospital, his guards refused to take off his cuffs during the examination. I can tell you that restraining cooperative prisoners was not standard practice in the time I worked at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison. Regarding Tony's eyesight, I can only guess that a) it is getting worse under his current living conditions and b) is not being corrected by the authorities because he needs two pairs of eyeglasses to see properly.

On the advocacy front, my wife has made some major breakthroughs. Through her channels, she has succeeded in putting me in contact with a key human rights organization and a Spanish legislator with a keen interest in Cuban affairs. I will leave it at that for now.

Conditional release in the works

I received these pictures from Gisela and she gave me permission to post them on this blog. These were taken on Father's Day. Masiel and Gisela are regular attendants at these peaceful demonstrations of the Damas de Blanco.

It's been a while since I last updated this blog, but I am able to share some good news. I spoke with my mother about a week ago and our family in Cuba reports that my uncle's attorney is in the process of petitioning for a conditional release. As a first step, he will be transfered to the medical facilities in El Combinado del Este (a prison in Ciudad Habana). It is expected that, once there, he will be given the treatment he needs and subsequently released and placed under house arrest. Several other members of the group of 75 have been released for health reasons under the same conditions. We see this as a positive development and await anxiously news of Tony's transfer.

Prior to the arrival of these wonderful news (which we received with cautious optimism), Gisela had informed me (via e-mail) about the deplorable conditions in which they transported Tony to a doctor's appointment at the local clinic. Despite his weak physical condition, he was handcuffed and placed in the cargo compartment of a truck with no ventilation. I must confess that I can only assume that the Cuban authorities must have a unique standard for prisoner handling. Based on my very personal experience, I can tell you that sick Iraqi detainees (i.e., those captured by Coalition Forces) were transported in air-conditioned Humvee ambulances. If too weak to walk, our standing operating procedure was to place them in a stretcher and, if dehydrated, to hook up an IV with fluids. Quite a contrast, isn't it?

There isn't much else to report. I did want to share with you, however, how my uncle's plight manages to seep through my daily routine. I have become obsessed recently with Joan Manuel Serrat, a Catalan artist with a huge following in Latin America and adored in Cuba (in fact, my dad introduced me to him). He is what might be classified in the States as a folk singer (although his sound is in no way related to American folk music). At times, he has borrowed others' poetry to craft phenomenal songs that are works of art in their own right. One such poet to be graced by Serrat's muse is Miguel Hernández. My favorite adaptation of Hernández's poetry is Para La Libertad. As you might imagine once you read the lyrics, this song brings me to tears every time I listen to it. Another song I would like to bring to your attention is L'Estaca by Lluis Llach (a song also covered by Serrat). Because of Serrat, I have also developed a fascination with the Catalan language and have sought out other singer-songwriters of his generation. As Franco's dictatorship waned, Llach wrote this song, which is open to a great deal of interpretation. Every time I listen to it, my thoughts fly (to paraphrase Verdi) to the situation in my native land. The lyrics are in both Catalan and Castilian.