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.

Spanish government interested in ill prisoners

I couldn't find any more recent pictures of my uncle, so I decided to post one of the old ones. I am the kid with the pacifier and the beach ball. The other kids are uncles and second cousins. Tony is the geeky-looking kid with the glasses.

I just had a quick chat with Gisela and she is in very low spirits today. She has an appointment at the Spanish Consulate today, at which she is expected to present evidence of the regime's violations of its own laws and regulations in the handling and treatment of prisoners. Her lawyer was expected to come along, but he changed his mind at the last second for fear of reprisal. I believe that is the type of behavior that can get someone disbarred in the States (or at least sued for malpractice).

While I can appreciate that his reaction is typical of the average Cuban living in the island today, I find it hard to believe that this was the same person that defended Tony so ably at his trial. Harassment by the security services and the local Committees for the Defense of the Revolution is a very powerful weapon often deployed by the regime to silent the opposition. These had no effect on my uncle and, unfortunately, he is paying the consequences today. As much as I wish he would have gotten on a plane the day he got his exit visa back in the 90's, I applaud his courage and consider him and his imprisoned colleagues to be the only real Cuban patriots. Anyone else that wishes to lay claim to that title is merely a cheap impostor.

Of course, it seems that not even Tony's own defense lawyer is willing to draw the slightest inspiration from this example and make a stand for the sake of the rule of law or due process. Should my uncle die in prison, I can already see him canonized by future generations of Cubans--perhaps even some of the same individuals that are sitting by the sidelines (sunshine patriots, as Tom Paine would have called them). I don't want Tony to become a martyr. I don't want eulogies, songs, poems, posters, or any of the other media reserved for the thousands of martyrs that have put their lives on the line for their little island paradise.

In any case, I digress. Having no other alternative, Gisela will meet with the Spanish Consulate today. I tried to give her the courage to go through with it. I hope she does. The Spanish Government seems to have taken a humanitarian interest in the dissidents that have fallen ill and they are gathering facts. Let's hope this is all being done in preparation for a follow-up discussion with the Cuban Government.

European parliamentarians meet with dissidents

Yesterday morning, I managed to get through Gisela via chat. For starters, it was a miracle that the session wasn't mysteriously interrupted. This had happened before while chatting with Gisela's daughter, my cousin Jenny. She did complain that her e-mail didn't seem to be getting through. While I have no conclusive evidence, it is very possible that all outbound Internet traffic from the location she visits is being monitored.

My family had managed to speak with Tony on Saturday evening, so I had already gotten the latest on his state of health, which remains more or less the same. According to my mother, he seems to be in very good spirits. In any case, he sounded upbeat and, according to my mother, it would have been hard to believe that the person on the other end of the line was incarcerated under less than adequate conditions.

Regarding other events in this drama, Gisela continues to work through the system to get Tony a conditional release. Based on Tony's own estimate (which is hard to corroborate) his chances of a release stand at slim to none. In my mind, this assessment reveals his real sense of despair. He is certainly putting up a good front.

In the last few days, three members of the European Parliament visited Cuba and insisted on meeting with dissident groups. Damas de Blanco is one of these organizations and Gisela was in attendance, but the language barrier prevented her from conveying Tony's ordeal to the parliamentarians. For more information on this visit, read this article.

As you can see, I have uploaded more pictures of Gisela and Masiel.