By Erica Laster                                                                                                                        Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

Havana, Cuba – Amid growing international criticism, Cuba has agreed to free fifty two political prisoners of conscience. This would mark the most political prisoners released since Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1998 which freed 101 among a group of 300 Cuban prisoners. 22 of the prisoners being released were arrested and sentenced in the infamous Black Spring crackdown of 2003.

Despite acting in non-violent protests, 75 were arrested in the crackdown under Cuban legislation that criminalized political dissent.

The release comes at a time when Cuba may be seeking to reset strained relations with the United States and Europe. Both have publicly condemned Cuba’s track record on human rights violations over more than a decade. President Fidel Castro agreed to release the prisoners after discussions with Cubans Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, the Roman Catholic Archbishop, Cardinal Jaime Ortega and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

The political prisoners are set to be exiled in Spain, an agreement reached with Foreign Minister Moratinos to ensure their acceptance of the exiles. The release comes with deep reservations in the international community as many view the exile of the prisoners to Spain as conditional freedom and a continued restriction of their rights. “Forcing them to leave the country would be yet another attempt to suppress freedom of expression and movement in Cuba,” says Susan Lee, Americas Programme Director at Amnesty International. She further indicated that “These men have been imprisoned since 2003 simply for peacefully expressing their political beliefs and should be released unconditionally now.”

The deal follows protests by a number of the prisoners currently being held in Havana. One, Orlando Zapata recently died on February 22, 2010 after an 11 week hunger strike in which he attempted to gain the freedom of himself and his colleagues. Another, Guillermo Farinas went on a hunger strike after Mr. Zapata’s death, refusing to accept an offer of asylum from the Spanish government. Mr. Farinas strike has lasted a total of 134 days and doctors this week indicated that he was near death. His hunger strike in an attempt to force the release of 25 ill political prisoners will end he indicated, only with their release.

Cuban authorities continue to deny the existence of the repressionist regime, saying “nobody has ever been punished for merely expressing a difference of opinion or point of view, even when these have been contrary to those of the authorities.” While authorities consistently attempt to deflect pressure in the international spotlight, Amnesty International authorities have called for the prompt and fair trials of all remaining political prisoners. The 52 are scheduled to be released over the next 3 to 4 months.

Photo Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal

For More Information Please See:

Amnesty International Cuba urged to immediately release all prisoners of conscience   8 July 2010

English Pen Cuba: 52 prisoners to be freed  8 July 2010

Wall Street Journal Cuba to Free 52 Political Prisoners 8 July 2010

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Honduras continues to suffer from political unrest and polarization in the wake of the military coup this past January. The country continues to receive threats to citizens’ freedom of expression.  In the past three months, seven journalists have been killed. The government forced censorship on a variety of journalists, closing several media outlets inside of the country.  Judges, opposition leaders and human rights activists have also suffered intimidation and threats from unknown sources. 

Judges opposed to the coup were subject to disciplinary proceedings and charges as well as arbitrary transfers.  Many who were members of Judges for Democracy, an organization promoting fairness and transparency, were among those targeted.  Four more were fired on June 1, 2010 for criticizing the coup d’état, demonstrating the serious threat to the justice system.

Amnesty International recently blasted the Honduran government for failing to address human rights abuses resulting from the coup.  Amnesty International reports that their Americas deputy director, Guadalupe Marengo said that President Lobo “needs to show he is serious about ending the climate of repression and insecurity in Honduras – otherwise the future of the stability of the country will remain in jeopardy.”

Photo Courtesy Of Opednews.com

For More Information Please See:

Amnesty International Charges Honduras Failing to Tackle Coup Rights Abuses – 29 June 2010

Honduras: One Hundred Days’ Lobbying For International Recognition – 7 May 2010

Honduras Charges Military – 7 January 2010

By Ali Sprott-Roen
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

NEW YORK, United States – Maparo Ramadhan, a refugee from Burundi, escaped persecution, torture and murderous officers in his home country, only to be victimized by guards at the Onondaga County Justice Center in Syracuse, NY.

Ramadhan was arrested on Dec. 27, 2008, but was not provided an interpreter that spoke his language, Kirundi.  So Ramadhan had no idea what the charges were or why deputies came to take other inmates out of his cell one by one – to take them to their court appearances . Remembering African authorities who often took inmates away to their death, Ramadhan sat down when deputies came for him. In response, 8-10 deputies were called to his cell to place in him in restraints, and in the process of doing so a guard broke the humerus bone in his upper arm so severely that it protruded from the skin, as evidenced by video of the incident.

However, despite Ramadhan sobbing in pain and concerns voiced from the guards, the jail house nurse looked at his arm and simply said that it was bruised and swollen and nothing else. Moreover, her report indicated three times that the injury was to the lower arm, rather than to the upper arm.

As a result of the incident and lack of medical attention, Ramadhan now has a metal plate and screws in his arm holding the bone in place and a foot long scar along his tricep from the surgery. He can no longer raise his arm above his head, lift anything heavier than five pounds, and is prevented from obtaining a job to support his family.

The New York Civil Liberties Union is looking into Ramadhan’s case and also investigating the death of a pregnant inmate last year.

After spending hours in agony begging for care, 21 year old Chuneice Patterson died from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy on November 11, 2009 at the Onondaga County Justice Center.

Because Patterson was vomiting and complaining that she didn’t feel well, a nurse was called twice but declined to check Patterson’s vital signs or follow proper protocol for examining a pregnant inmate on both occasions. Patterson then suffered through the night, during which time she pressed the emergency button saying she couldn’t breathe but an officer said it sounded like a fake asthma attack. In the morning, a deputy heard her moaning, but only responded by telling her to knock it off and to come get her breakfast tray. Shortly thereafter Patterson was found unresponsive in her cell and taken to University Hospital where she was pronounced dead after fourteen hours of agony.

The state commission representative reviewing the case said the nurse “provided grossly and flagrantly negligent and incompetent nursing care to inmate Patterson in that she completely misinterpreted and minimized the significance of pain and vomiting at this juncture.” Typically most nurses in the same situation would err on the side of caution and get a physician to do an examination. An ectopic pregnancy can be diagnosed in as little as five to ten minutes, allowing the patient to receive emergency surgery in time to save her life.

Patterson is the second inmate to die from an ectopic pregnancy in the last 14 years. Like Patterson’s death, the previous death of Lucinda Batts was the result of the failure of nurses and doctors at the jail to provide proper medical care.

The New York Civil Liberties Union has been investigating the cases of Ramadhan and Patterson, as well as others, for more than a year. The director of the Syracuse chapter of the NYCLU claims that “The information we’ve been gathering indicates the possibility of a pattern that’s very disturbing.”

For more information, please see:

Syracuse.com – Refugee who fled war in Africa finds injury in a Syracuse jail – 7 June 2010

9wsyr.com – Inmate died without proper medical care – 25 June 2010

Syracuse.com – Pregnant inmate died after hours of agony in Syracuse jail –  16 May 2010

By Ali Sprott-Roen
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

ARIZONA, United States – Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, who was the force behind the passage of Senate Bill 1070, now intends to propose a law that will deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants.

Such children are often called “anchor babies” which is a derogatory term referencing the role of a naturalized child in facilitating the legal immigration of the child’s parents. Pearce has stated his belief that “anchor babies are an unconstitutional declaration of citizenship to those born of non-Americans. It’s wrong, and it’s immoral.”

However, contrary to Pearce’s belief, the 14^th amendment to the constitution states that “all persons, born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”

Despite this fact, Pearce and his fellow Arizona republican representatives will likely introduce legislation this fall that will deny birth certificates to children born in Arizona, and therefore American citizens under the Constitution, to parents who are not legal U.S. citizens.

In addition to violating the 14^th Amendment, those who oppose the proposed legislation also say it would increase discrimination and create deeper divides in the community.

The bill is expected to end up in front of the U.S. Supreme court before enactment. In light of the decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which confirmed that individuals born in the U.S. are citizens regardless of their parents’ nationality, constitutional law experts anticipate that federal judges will strike it down as facially unconstitutional.

For more information, please see:

Time – Arizona’s Next Immigration Target: Children of Illegals – 11 June 2010

azcentral.com – Arizona immigration law sponsor Russell Pearce thrusts state into political storm – 6 June 2010

LA Progressive –  Arizona Anti-Immigration Senator Going After ‘Anchor Babies’ Next – 25 May 2010

the raw story –  Author of Arizona law plans to target immigrants’ children – 12 June 2010

Mediaite – Report: Arizona State Senator to Target ‘Anchor Babies’ Next? – 21 May 2010