Czech-based international committee launches support for Cuban dissidents
Exactly six months after seventy-five Cuban dissidents were thrown into prison to serve six to twenty-eight year sentences, a new Czech-based organisation has been launched to support dissidents under the Castro regime. The International Committee for Democracy in Cuba was formed under the initiative of former Czech President Vaclav Havel, and currently has thirteen members, including former Czech foreign ministers, prime ministers and members of parliament, most of whom are already involved in Cuban issues and have been working with representatives of the Cuban opposition. Tomas Pojar is from the Czech People in Need humanitarian organisation, coordinating the committee's activities:
"The committee should coordinate the activities of several organisations and several people who have already been working on Cuba and supporting Cuban dissidents. The goals are basically very clear. They include the direct support of the families of imprisoned dissidents, the support for the whole dissident and pro-democracy movement inside Cuba, commenting on the policies towards Cuba, and stressing the need for the support of those living on the island and through that allow the future transition to democracy be peaceful and smooth."
How significant will its activities be?
"Well, we'll see in one or two years. I hope we'll see very soon that there will be a committee meeting directly inside Cuba when there are changes there. But if you look at what's been going on around the world and especially around Europe in the last two years, then there has been a much deeper involvement from the side of governments, journalists, NGOs, and politicians or representatives supporting the course of the Cuban pro-democracy leaders. I hope that this is going to continue and that this committee is going to help in this direction and that the support of Cuban dissidents is going to be stronger on the island as well as outside but I can't say how successful it's going to be. I also can imagine that not all of the activities of the committee and of the members of the committee are going to be made public."
"It's difficult but it's always possible. Several people from the committee have visited Cuba. We have met there with officials, as well as the people from the opposition as well as with the families of the imprisoned people. It's possible to travel there, to bring support and deliver material as well as moral support because both such types are critical to some changes inside."
What about financial support? How are you going to finance this?
"Well, everyone in the committee is working for free. At this time we can work through e-mails so financing the committee is not going to be such an issue. People in Need has been working on getting various grants from western foundations for several years and that is going to be the work of the secretariat."
