EU Commissioner Questioned on Cuba Policy

It's time for some results.

That's the message Swedish EU parliamentary Cecilia Malmstrom sent recently to EU Commissioner Louis Michel. Michel visited Cuba in March and met with Cuban authorities. He is in favor of the current EU policy of engagament with the castro regime.

Read the entire thing, published in Net For Cuba and translated by yours truly. For those of you who understand Spanish, the original article can be found here.

European Commissioner Questioned on Arrest of Innocent Cuban Youths

By Alexis Gainza Solenzal
Misceláneas de Cuba
www.presslingua.com
Stockholm, Sweden.

Swedish EU parliament member Cecilia Malmström, of the Alliance of a Liberal and Democratic Europe (ALDE), formally questioned EU Commissioner Louis Michel, in charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid, regarding the arrests the part of the regime of Fidel Castro of 400 innocent Cuban youths.

In a written question sent to the European Commissioner, Malmstrom explained the background behind this deplorable event with the following words: "the regime of Fidel Catro continues violating the fundamental human rights of the Cuban people. Currently, hundreds of political prisoners are locked up in Cuban jails. Between the end of 2004 and April 2005, the Cuban government arrested 400 innocent young people in what they called "Operation Containment". The Cuban government suspects that those people could commit crimes (emphasis mine). When the arrests were made, the Cuban government used the so-called racial profiling: 95 percent of the arrested are black. The average age of the prisoners is 18, and are being held in high security prisons in spite of not committed any crimes. They have been given prison sentences that range between one and four years."

Having detailed the context of the facts, Mrs. Malmström asked Mr. Michel "what measures does the Commission intend on taking to improve the situation of those Cuban youths and of all the other political prisoners in Cuba"?

This past September 1st, Louis Michel, representing the European Commission, sent an answer to Malmstrom, in which he starts by commending the Swedish parliament member for her interest in the state of human rights in Cuba. In the following paragraph, the European commissioner describes the general position of the EU in its relation with the Caribbean island: "On June 13th, 2005, the Council repeated its urgent order to Cuba on an unconditional liberation of all the people who still remain jailed for political reasons in the country. The Council once again confirmed the aims that define EU relations with Cuba, among others, the fundamental respect of human rights and liberties of the Cuban people."

Without giving concrete results of his measures, Mr. Michel then relates on the first steps in the reestablishment of relations between the EU and Cuba: "As part of the efforts of the EU to obtain concrete results in this scope, representatives of the EU, including members of the Commission, after January 31st, 2005, have resumed high level visits (with Cuban government officials), and in relation to this, discussed the question of human rights and the situation of the dissidents with Cuban authorities and civil representatives. This occurred when Mr. Michel visited Cuba on March 25th and 26th, 2005."

After assuring that the EU continues strengthening their ties with peaceful dissidents and family members of political prisoners, Mr. Michel assertively lauds that the new European strategy of "constructive commitment" is the best one for obtaining the liberation of those unjustly jailed in Cuba: "The Commission considers that the policy based on a constructive commitment in collaboration with the Cuban authorities gives the best premise for liberation of the political prisoners and those unjustly jailed, which is the case of the 400 young people imprisoned for reasons of suspicion that they might commit crimes."

Karin Bernztzon, Cecilia Malmstrom's assistant in the European Parliament, who informed us of the above questioning, has also let us know that the reaction of the parliamentarian was due to a letter sent by Daniel Pedreira, President of the Young ONG for a Free Cuba, in which the massive arrests in Havana were related.

The preparations and visit by European Commissioner Louis Michel to Cuba at the end of March 2005 provoked several reactions in the international community, including those by Amnesty International and Reporters Without Frontiers.