Plummeting US-Cuba Relations

By Wendy Hawthorne

In July Colin Powell used his platform at the annual meeting of the Organization of American States to appeal to other nations to “hasten the inevitable democratic transition in Cuba”. Meanwhile, the Cuban government has been accusing the US of aiding terrorism and hypocrisy by not arresting US-based Cuban exiles who have conducted hundreds of attacks on the island since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Destabilization Efforts Within Cuba
In August of 2002, James Cason became head of the US Interests Section in Havana. Within days, Cason began organizing meetings with Cuban political dissidents to discuss “creative and active and vigorous” ways to foment regime change in Cuba. Cason started distributing money and equipment to Cuban citizens specifically designed to build internal dissent. He also distributed short-wave radios to allow Cubans to listen to Radio Marti, the anti-Castro station financed by the US government, and allowed anti-government reporters to use the computers at the US interests section to access the internet. These actions are in clear violation of laws governing diplomatic conduct. Imagine how the US government would react if an ambassador from China or Russia spent his or her days in the US trying to destabilize our government.

In March of 2003, the Cuban Government accused James Cason of “subversive” activities. The government arrested several dozen Cubans with evidence that they were receiving money and working for the US Interests Section to undermine the Cuban government.

Prisoner Executions
During the same time period as Cason’s destabilization efforts were taking place several violent hijackings also took place in Cuba. Many people believe that the hijackings were part of a coordinated effort by Washington to destabilize the country. In March of 2003, a group of men were convicted in Cuba of an armed hijacking of a passenger ferry loaded with dozens of men, women, and children. These men were convicted of terrorism under Cuban law and three of them were executed. The close timing of these two events – the arrest of political dissidents and the execution of three hijackers – provided the opportunity for the Administration and other anti-Castro reporters to blur the crimes and the punishments. Many people are now under the impression that Cuba has been executing the political dissidents arrested in the Cason affair. The Bush Administration has used these events to further excoriate Castro and call for a regime change. I’m opposed to the death penalty in any case, but the hypocrisy of Bush, who signed 152 death warrants as Governor of Texas, is astounding.

New Restrictions on Travel to Cuba
In March of this year the Bush Administration arbitrarily stopped granting the “people-to people” educational licenses that allowed thousands of US citizens to visit Cuba each year. Organizations such as Global Exchange, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation all used this exemption from the travel ban to organize educational trips for US citizens to visit and explore Cuba. The new regulation virtually ends legal travel to Cuba by ordinary citizens. The Administration claimed that these licenses were being abused to pursue “beaches and nightlife” instead of learning. In May the National Lawyers Guild submitted comments in sharp opposition to the new regulations to the Treasury Department, saying that they “violate our constitutional First Amendment rights to expression, association, and independent information gathering.” They also objected to the fact that the regulations were labeled “interim final rules” so they took effect before public notice or comment – just another example of the administrations efforts to subvert democracy.

Combined with the new restrictions, the Administration is cracking down on “unlicensed” travel to Cuba. Since Bush took office, more than 1,200 people have received letters from the Treasury Department threatening fines of up to $55,000 for violating the travel ban to Cuba. Fortunately, the 1992 travel ban law has a provision for the “right to a hearing” in these cases and currently there is not one administrative law judge to hear the cases. Basically, those people threatened with the fine just request a hearing and go into semi-permanent limbo. The Treasury Department claims they plan to hire two judges to start hearing the cases by the end of the year. Hopefully these hearings will allow some discourse on the unconstitutionality of the travel ban.

Positive Signs
In January 2003 a bipartisan advisory group, which included voices from prominent Cuban Americans, issues a report calling for the Bush Administration, Congress, and the Cuban government to begin a process of normalization. The report called for elimination of restrictions on travel by US citizens to Cuba and the loosening of Cubans wishing to travel on short-term visas to the US. The report also urged Cuba to lift certain restrictions it places on its citizens’ ability to travel freely. The Bush Administration has essentially ignored this report.

What’s the Purpose?
So, why the attacks on Cuba? It could be just part of the bully tactics of the administration under the “if you’re not with us you’re against us” philosophy. The tightening travel ban is also probably in response to the fact that hundreds of thousands of US citizens have been going to Cuba and loving it. They come back praising the country and the people, which makes it more difficult for the Administration to gather support for their lies.

Many people also believe that is has to do with the 2004 election. To win the election, Bush needs Florida. Since the world may be watching Republican attempts at stealing the election through the ruses of the 2000 election, they are trying to court the right-wing Cuban-American vote. Whatever the reason, it is important that we continue to support the Cuban people by telling the truth about Cuba and pointing out the hypocrisy in our own Administration. Democracy, freedom, human rights, and regime change must begin at home.

THE CUBAN FIVE

Since 1959, terrorist groups from Miami have been carrying out violent actions against the people of Cuba. Groups like Alpha 66, Omega 7, and Brothers to the Rescue have conducted bombings, assassinations, and other sabotage, killing hundreds of Cubans. Five Cubans were living in Miami monitoring these groups. The Cuban government gave a report to the FBI detailing the terrorist activities of these Cuban-American exiles. Since the CIA has played the principal role in funding, training, and arming these terrorist groups, the FBI arrested the five Cubans who had monitored the activities instead of the terrorists. The five received sentences ranging from 15 years to life in a seven month trial in Miami.

Before the trial, the Five were kept for 33 months without bail. Seventeen of those months were in solitary confinement typically used to punish prisoners guilty of violent crimes after conviction. They were completely cut off from their families. The defense had petitioned to move the trial to a more neutral location, but it proceeded in Miami, where it was impossible to get a fair trial. Currently the Five are serving at maximum security federal prisons across the country, with two still being denied visits by family members. One is serving in Florence, Colorado.

Several groups, including the National Lawyers Guild, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, and the National Jury Project have argued for a new trial in a fair venue. Amnesty International has addressed the case protesting the denial of family visits to the Five.

For more information go to www.freethefive.org.