Agreden al opositor cubano Ramón Alejandro Muñoz esposo de Sonia Garro

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El regimen cubano retira los cargos contra Sonia Garro

Martí Noticias

Sonia Garro y su esposo denuncian maltratos recibidos en prisión

Martí Noticias

Excarcelan a la Dama de Blanco Sonia Garro

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Sonia Garro (tercera de izq. a der.) se reúne con su familia tras ser liberada. Foto María Cristina Labrada para Reporta Cuba.

Las autoridades cubanas excarcelaron el martes 9 de diciembre a los opositores Sonia Garro, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz y Eugenio Hernández, quienes se encuentran en sus casas para esperar la celebración del juicio.

"Estoy en prisión domiciliaria", dijo Sonia Garro en declaraciones a Radio Martí. "El cambio de medida cautelar fue cambiarme de prisión provisional a prisión domiciliar".

Aunque verbalmente le comunicaron la libertad de movimiento, la Dama de Blanco confirmó que en el documento no consta que sea prisión domiciliaria pues se trata de "una carta de libertad", aseguró.

Los tres opositores estaban presos desde el 18 de marzo de 2012 bajo la acusación de atentado, desorden público y tentativa de asesinato, por lo que la Fiscalía pide para ellos condenas de 10, 14 y 11 años, respectivamente.

La celebración del juicio ha sido suspendida en cuatro ocasiones sin que hasta hoy se haya dado alguna explicación al respecto. 

Entrevista a Sonia Garro desde Cuba con Radio Martí

Are Cuba's Political Prisoners Not Newsworthy?

capitolhillcubans

Last week, a young Cuban rapper, Angel Yunier Remon "El Critico", was handed a 6-year prison sentence for his opposition to Castro's regime.

Angel Yunier had been imprisoned since March 21st, 2013, without "trial" or charges.

He is now on a hunger strike protesting his unjust sentence.

Also handed sentences were democracy activists:

Alexander Otero Rodriguez, to a five-year prison term;

Rudisnei Villavicencio Figueredo, to a four-year prison term; and

Yohannes Arce Sarmiento, to a three-year prison term.

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This week, Sonia Garro, a member of Cuba's Ladies in White, who has been imprisoned since March 18th, 2012, without "trial" or charges, had her "trial" indefinitely postponed again.

Obviously, you won't hear about these political prisoners from The New York Times' Editorial Board.

But more egregiously -- why haven't any foreign journalists in Cuba covered this tragic story?

Perhaps they're too caught up in Castro's Ebola propaganda.

Maybe.

Yet, the AP took time this week to run two fascinating stories on "glossy cars" and "children wrestling" in Cuba.

Are cars and wrestling more newsworthy than the harrowing repression and sacrifice of Cuba's courageous democracy activists?

Sonia Garro será juzgada el 21 de octubre luego de dos anos y medio detenida

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El juicio contra los disidentes Sonia Garro, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz y Eugenio Hernández Hernández se celebrará el día 21 de octubre en La Habana, informó la Comisión Cubana de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional (CCDHRN) al sitio Diario de Cuba.

La vista, que ya ha sido suspendida anteriormente en dos ocasiones, está prevista en el Tribunal Municipal de Diez de Octubre.

Elizardo Sánchez, presidente de la CCDHRN, explicó que solo dispone de la información suministrada por el abogado de la defensa de manera verbal.

"Puede volverse a suspender el juicio", explicó Sánchez quien asegura estar en contacto con los familiares de los acusados.

La primera fecha del juicio contra Garro Alfonso, Muñoz González y Hernández Hernández fue el 1 de noviembre de 2013. El pasado 30 de junio también se canceló.

Los opositores fueron detenidos de manera espectacular, utilizando balas de goma en marzo de 2012.

La Fiscalía los acusa de tentativa de asesinato y desorden público en la Causa 418 de 2013 y pide 10 años de cárcel para la Dama de Blanco, 14 para su esposo y 11 para Hernández Hernández.

Cuba: Empeora salud de presa política Sonia Garro

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La presa política Sonia Garro, quien está recluida arbitrariamente desde hace más de dos años en la prisión de mujeres El Guatao, al oeste de la capital, refirió la crítica situación de salud que presenta.en una nota que envió a la reportera independiente Dania Virgen García,

Según reporta Garcia en Primavera Digital, la Dama de Blanco sufre varias patologías que le fueron detectadas en la prisión y que se han agravado, entre ellas un estafilococo en la sangre. En noviembre Garro estuvo ingresada, y el tratamiento indicado para eliminarlo no se le realizó.

También hace unas semanas se le diagnosticó abundancia de tejido graso en las mamas, lo que le comprime las glándulas mamarias, y grasa en el hígado.

El médico que atiende el destacamento 8 de El Guatao, el doctor Elkin, no se está presentando a trabajar. Mientras tanto, los cuatro médicos que permanecen en la prisión dicen que no están autorizados a atender a otras reclusas que no sean las de sus destacamentos.

Cuando Garro se dirige a ellos, le dicen que ella no forma parte de su "contenido de trabajo". Entre los médicos que se niegan a atenderla está el doctor Michel Gounier.

Para ambas patologías, la presa política no está recibiendo tratamiento médico y sigue sin ser remitida a un especialista.

Por otra parte, refiere Sonia Garro que la reeducadora del destacamento, y la jefa del área de visitas le dijeron que tenían órdenes del departamento 21 de la Seguridad del Estado (Enfrentamiento a al Contrarrevolución)  de solo permitirle visitas de su hija y su hermana, que son las únicas autorizadas.

Garro fue detenida en marzo del 2012 en medio de un operativo realizado por fuerzas antimotines, en su domicilio ubicado en la Avenida 47 en Marianao, La Habana, en el que resultó también apresado su esposo, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz González.

Se les acusa de Atentado, Desorden Público y Tentativa de Asesinato, El juicio fue programado para el 1ro de noviembre de 2013, pero luego fue suspendido sin explicaciones. SEgún García, su abogado ha pedido que se celebre la vista o se les conceda un cambio de medida cautelar. 

Cuba: Remembering Lady in White Sonia Garro

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During the holidays, let's highlight some of the current political prisoners that the Castro brothers would like the world to forget.

Today, we remember Sonia Garro, who is currently spending her second Christmas in a political prison.

Sonia Garro, a member of The Ladies in White pro-democracy movement, has been imprisoned by the Castro regime -- without trial or charges -- since March 18th, 2012.

In the wave of repression leading up to Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba, Castro's secret police raider her home, shot her with rubber bullets and imprisoned her.

She has been repeatedly abused and beaten in the infamous Manto Negro women's prison.

Garro's husband, Ramón Muñoz González, was also imprisoned on that day.

He is being held -- without trial or charges -- in the Combinado del Este Prison.

Demand their freedom now.

Cuba: Dissident Awareness Campaign: Sonia Garro

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Today, the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC's Young Leaders Group released the fifth installment of its dissident awareness campaign, featuring Sonia Garro:

After injuring and violently raiding her home, Cuban government officials arrested Sonia Garro on March 17, 2012. The arrest was part of a strategically timed crackdown on Cuban dissidents on the eve of Pope Benefit XVI’s visit to the island.

Garro is a courageous member of The Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco), a pro-democracy and human rights grassroots movement in Cuba that passively protests the Castro regime’s repressive tactics and demands the release of political prisoners. After sitting in one of Cuba’s most notorious prisons without charges for over a year, prosecutors have scheduled a show trial for Garro this Friday, November 1st where she faces many more years in prison for daring to speak about human rights. Do not let your voice or Sonia’s be silenced on Friday and demand that the Cuban Government.

Regime Seeks (Imposes) 10-Year Sentence to Sonia Garro a Female Dissident

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The Castro regime revealed today that it will seek (impose) a 10-year prison sentence against Cuban democracy leader, Sonia Garro.

It will seek (impose) a 14-year prison sentence against her husband, Ramon Munoz.

Garro, a member of The Ladies in White pro-democracy movement, has been imprisoned by the Castro regime since March 18th, 2012.

In the wave of repression leading up to Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba, Castro's secret police raider her home, shot her with rubber bullets and imprisoned her.

She has been repeatedly abused and beaten in the women's prison of El Guatao.  Her husband is being held in the infamous Combinado del Este prison.

We pray Pope Francis will not abandon Sonia Garro, as his predecessor did.

Concern Over Health and Safety of Cuban Political Prisoners

capitolhillcubans

This week, there's been intensified concern over the health and safety of various Cuban political prisoners:

1. Sonia Garro is an Afro-Cuban member of The Ladies in White, who has been unjustly imprisoned since Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Havana on March 18th, 2012.  Independent journalists have reported that Garro was brutally beaten by guards this week in the Prison of El Guatao, where she is being held without trial or charges.

2. Angel Yunier Remon is a Cuban rapper, from the duo "The Kids Nobody Wanted," imprisoned for his critical lyrics. He has recently contracted cholera at the prison of Las Mangas in Bayamo and is very ill.

3. Angel Santiesteban is a renowned Cuban author, who was arbitrarily sentenced to a 5-year prison term in 2012.  This week, he was secretly transferred to a small military facility, where he is being held in complete isolation.

Cuba: S.O.S. for Sonia Garro

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The health of Sonia Garro, an Afro-Cuban member of the pro-democracy group, The Ladies in White, continues to worsen as the Castro regime has confined her to a punishment cell during the last 10 days.

Garro has been in prison for over one-year and three-months without charges filed or a trial.

On the week leading to Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Cuba, Castro's secret police burst into her home, shot her in the legs with rubber bullets and took her away.

Her husband, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz, was also imprisoned at the time and is being held at the notorious Combinado del Este prison, where earlier this year he was savagely beaten for conducting a hunger strike demanding the release of his wife.

Their 16-year old daughter has been under the care of an aunt, who is also under constant harassment from the authorities.

Yet sadly, foreign news bureaus in Havana find an over-privileged Australian adventure swimmer to be more newsworthy.

Cuba: Esposo de Sonia Garro, en huelga de hambre para exigir una solución a su caso

Diario de Cuba

El preso político Ramón Alejandro Muñoz está en huelga de hambre en la prisión Combinado del Este, en La Habana, para exigir una solución a su caso y el de su esposa, la Dama de Blanco Sonia Garro.

La pareja lleva más de un año en prisión sin juicio. Están acusados de "tentativa de asesinato" y "desorden público".

Sonia Garro sufre actualmente una infección en una pierna, en una herida con bala de goma que recibió en marzo de 2012 durante su arresto, informó el Directorio Democrático Cubano, con sede en Miami, citando a la hermana de la activista, Yamilé Garro.

Ramón Alejandro Muñoz "está haciendo una huelga de hambre y me llegaron noticias de un preso que (…) lo habían sacado inconsciente de donde lo tienen (…)  en 'la incrementada' (zona de mayor seguridad)", dijo Yamilé Garro.

"Lo iban a llevar para el hospital a pasarle suero, pero él se estaba negando; en las mismas condiciones que él estaba se estaba negando (…) Él lo que quiere es que se acabe de determinar qué es lo que van a hacer con ellos", añadió.

Yamilé Garro denunció que las autoridades de la Prisión de Mujeres del Guatao, en La Habana, engañaron a su hermana diciéndole que la llevarían al hospital para tratar la infección de su pierna.

Según relató, lo que hicieron fue sacarla del centro penitenciario para que no estuviera durante la visita que organizó el Gobierno para la prensa internacional la semana pasada.

"Hace unos días le dijeron en la prisión que la iban a llevar para el hospital para hacerle un chequeo general para ver de qué le estaba saliendo, a ver qué parásito tenía y a ver con qué antibiótico se lo podían curar, y todo fue mentira", dijo Yamilé Garro.

"La sacaron de la prisión (…) para que la prensa extranjera viera lo que ellos querían que vieran, no les convenía que ella estuviera ahí", añadió.

"La regresaron de nuevo para allá sin atenderla un médico, sin nada", aseguró.

WSJ on Sonia Garro: Two Easters in Castro's Dungeons

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By Mary Anastasia O'Grady in The Wall Street Journal:

Two Easters in Castro's Dungeons

For speaking about human rights, Sonia Garro has been held in prison without charge since March 18, 2012.

It's hard to believe a year has passed since Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba and met with the Castro brothers. Tempus fugit. That is, unless you're Sonia Garro, a dissident who has been sitting in a Cuban jail since then. For her, time moves painfully slow. Ms. Garro's sister, Yamilet, recently told the independent online newspaper Diario de Cuba that Sonia "feels she has been forgotten."

That's exactly how her jailers want it.

Ms. Garro is a 37-year-old mother and a member of a women's group that supports the Ladies in White. Both groups work for the release of political prisoners. Ms. Garro just spent her second Easter in lock-up even though she has never been charged with a crime. She is now being held at the notorious Manto Negro prison.

Her husband, Ramón Alejandro Muñoz, who tried to defend his wife, was arrested at the same time and also has never been charged. He is being held at Havana's maximum-security Combinado del Este prison. Both jails are run down, rat-infested dungeons where neither international Red Cross observers nor the United Nations special rapporteur on torture are permitted. Government investigators say they are still mulling over their cases. The couple's 16-year-old daughter is in the care of her aunt.

Welcome to the surreal world of Cuban "reform," where the more the regime talks of change, the worse things get for anyone with a conscience. In the latest episode, Cuban propagandists have been flaunting the new travel policy that has allowed a few high-profile government critics out of the country. But a much larger group has been left behind. Their inhumane treatment, rarely covered by the media, underscores how little progress has been made.

Ms. Garro and Mr. Muñoz were taken from their home on March 18, 2012, a week before Benedict was scheduled to arrive on the island for a three-day visit. The Ladies in White and Ms. Garro's group, Ladies in Support, had been refused an audience with the pope but they were still agitating to see him in the hope that the Vatican would relent. Suddenly armed guards from the ministry of the interior descended on the Garro-Muñoz home.

Journalist Iván Garciá recently interviewed a neighbor who was there for a report published in Diario de Cuba on March 19. The guards "were dressed like riot police in American films. They used rubber bullets. They employed exaggerated violence; they detained Sonia and her husband Ramón. They took away almost all their belongings. It was something tremendous. They treated them as if they were terrorists." In a letter written from prison in February, Mr. Muñoz said 60 armed men invaded his house that day and one of the rubber bullets hit Ms. Garro in the left leg.

Ms. Garro is poor, black, generous in spirit and nonconformist—in short everything the regime detests and fears. Born in 1975, 17 years after Fidel Castro seized power, she has lived the racism and impoverishment of the glorious revolution. Mr. García reported that Ms. Garro told him in 2009 that she grew up in "a marginalized and violent neighborhood" but believed that if she studied and worked hard "I could change my luck."

The revolution had other ideas. One example: She studied to be a lab technician and earned highest honors. Because of this her diploma was to be presented in person by the minister of public health at graduation. Just before the ceremony a government official told her that someone else would stand in for her because her dark skin would spoil the photo. She told Mr. García that she never picked up her diploma.

Later she was fired from her job because of her husband's opposition to Fidel. That's when she learned to sew and began working out of her home to earn a living. She noticed the children in the streets in her neighborhood. Girls as young as 13 and 14 were working as prostitutes, and other children were getting hurt because they had no supervision. Ms. Garro opened a community center for them in 2007.

"The first rule was no talking politics," Ms. Garro told Mr. García. The children were encouraged to draw, sew and study music. The center was so successful—with donations from foreign charities—that she opened another center in a different neighborhood. The response from the government was to unleash a mob of citizen thugs to lay siege to her home three times and to twice beat her up. The harassment finally forced the closing of the community centers.

For her determination to try to change Cuba for the better, Ms. Garro has paid a steep price. In one seven-hour detention by state security in 2010 she suffered a broken nose.

Cuban dissidents know her story well, and it is meant as a warning to them. That you have probably never heard of Sonia Garro, put away for daring to speak about human rights ahead of Pope Benedict's visit, is a testament to the power of regime propagandists and the weakness of American journalism.