Czech politicians promise to help curb human rights violations in Cuba

Eight Cuban dissidents are currently in Prague meeting various politicians and human rights activists to discuss ways of promoting human rights in Cuba, an issue that brings back plenty of painful memories here in the Czech Republic.

Czech politicians promise to help curb human rights violations in Cuba

Reinaldo Aquit, Pedro Fuentes and Vaclav Havel, photo: CTK

"International pressure is going somewhere and let me tell you where. International pressure and solidarity with our cause shows the people who are close to him that the circle is closing. He is losing power, because he is losing an audience in the world. The whole world is beginning to hate him."

Cuban dissident and former political prisoner Pedro Fuentes there, about life on the island under Fidel Castro.

Cuba is one of the few countries left today under totalitarian communist rule, over eleven million Cuban citizens live under huge political restrictions. Pedro Fuentes is one of many Cubans who have spent time in prison for opposing the Castro regime. He is now an attorney in exile in Miami, and heads an organisation of former Cuban political prisoners whose main cause is to help promote democracy in Cuba:

Angel Cuadra, Pedro Fuentes and Reinaldo Aquit with Vaclav Havel, photo: CTK

"Since 1960, Cuba's population had to resort to ration books. The food that you get there is from a ration book. For example, after I got out of prison, after spending almost sixteen years in jail, I decided not to get anything from the black market. I wanted to really see how a Cuban like me will survive with just a ration book, and I lost ten to fifteen pounds. And what did I get? In a month, you used to get some 2.5 pounds of chicken and 1.5 pounds of rice if there was any when you got there because after being in line for one or two hours they would say that they are sorry but don't have any more."

After meeting with Senate Chairman Petr Pithart, opposition Civic Democrat leader Miroslav Topolanek, and Deputy Foreign Minister Petr Vosalik, the group of dissidents and exiles were assured they would get all the support Czechs could offer. Mr Vosalik has also promised financial support, should the group put forward a project to help curb human rights violations in Cuba. But can a country as small as the Czech Republic make any significant contribution? According to Pedro Fuentes, Czechs have more to offer than many may think. After all, Czechs themselves suffered forty years of totalitarian rule and are now a democratic nation:

"The Czech Republic is a small but very powerful country in many respects. In the human rights movement around the world, the way that things happen here - and Vaclav Havel was the architect of that - is very much admired by everyone. Right here in the Czech Republic, in Prague, we met with Vaclav Havel. I admire Vaclav Havel profoundly. I think what he did here in the Czech Republic was a miracle and I told him so and if dictators like Fidel Castro don't admire Mr Havel, they at least respect him."