Cuba: EU urged dictatorship to “avoid violence” and promote “dialogue to solve problems” on the island

The European Union claimed this Thursday dialogue in Cuba before the wave of protests who settled with at least 150 people arrested, between them activists Yes journalists as Camila Acosta, according to the report proposed by the Director for the Americas of the European External Action Service of the European Union, Javier Niño Pérez.

In an appearance before the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, he focused on the situation he is going through Cuba, the Spanish diplomat defended the need for the Havana authorities respond to demands for protests and address economic and civic reforms to deal with social unrest on the island.

According to community diplomacy, The mobilizations are the most important since the chevron crisis in 1994, having taken place between 12 and 58 demonstrations with the participation of hundreds of Cubans in different parts of the island.. “They are a combination of factors, from the economic difficulties, the blow of the pandemic and the rationale for civil rights“, Assured Niño Pérez, who indicated that in this”storm perfect“Also plays a role American embargo.

In any case, he showed that Cuba must open a dialogue and listen to citizens’ demands. “Violence must be avoided and a dynamic of revolutionaries against the enemies must be entered. There needs to be dialogue and a solution to Cuba’s problems “, evaluated.

As for the actions of the bloc, meetings are planned with the Cuban ambassador in Brussels, as well as with the EU delegation in Havana, during which diplomats will pass on these messages, detailed Niño Pérez, who pleaded to work in a “double sided“With the island passing by promote economic, political and human rights reforms so that, among other things, basic principles such as the right to protest are regulated.

For all this, he defended the political agreement and of Cooperation of the EU with Cuba, considering that it is a valid tool to work in this line and rejecting the path of “confrontation“Which, he said, hasn’t produced any results in the past.

Opponents denounce the lack of defense of detainees

LONG Cuban Human Rights Observatory (OCDH), based in Spain, denounced this Thursday the lack of defense of those detained in Cuba during the demonstrations of recent days, since the courts in that country will be closed for a week.

Therefore, during this time, it will be impossible to lodge appeals in favor of “The victims of the repression in Cuba.” “There is no law, Cuba is under an undeclared state of siege or emergency, while the repressive forces continue with the repression, organizing raids, raids houses to detain protesters with a total discretion Yes violence“Denounces this organization, which has a network of observers on the island.

Thousands of Cubans took to the streets last Sunday to protest the government, shouting “Freedom! ” in one day unheard of for decades and this resulted in hundreds of arrests and clashes, after the president Miguel Díaz-Canel will order his supporters to come out to face the demonstrators.

Since then, the authorities have exercised a strong control to prevent further protests.

Reports received by OCDH indicate that “Police stations do not receive lawyers hired by relatives to represent detainees, prisons are also closed and many detainees have entered prison as a precaution and remain incommunicado.“, the agency said in a statement.

Reports from its network of observers, who constantly monitor, despite Internet shutdowns and movement restrictions, They point out that there are people who took refuge in the mountains, fleeing persecution.

They also denounce the detention of people identified in videos of demonstrations posted on social networks, while mothers and relatives go through detention centers to gather information about them.

The protests, the most important since 1994, come as the country is plunged into a serious crisis economic and health care, with the uncontrollable coronavirus pandemic and a severe shortage of food, medicine and other essentials, in addition to long power cuts.

(With information from EFE and Europa Press)

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