Tuesday, December 16, 2008


artwork by Katie Pierce

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Cuban Bloggers Threatened by Police

From Alexis Romay at Belascoaín y Neptuno:

Hello, friends:

Please feel free to forward and circulate the following note regarding the escalation of police harassment and governmental intimidation that Yoani Sánchez and Claudia Cadelo (two bloggers residing in Cuba) are subjected to. I believe in the proverbial six degrees of separation. You have friends in the media, in Congress, in the Senate. Or you have friends who have friends on these high places. Please help us spread the word. Only by bringing wide international awareness of this issue we can assure a minimum of protection for these brave women whose sole crime is to write about their daily lives. Their safety is in your hands.

Best,

Alexis Romay

Subject: Cuban bloggers threatened by police

Dear Sirs,

We wish to inform you about recent facts that we have not seen
reflected in the international media that should be considered:

* Yesterday, the well-known Cuban Blogger, Yoani Sanchez
(Generacion Y) was summoned by the Cuban Department of Interior and
explicitly threatened by them in an effort to prevent a planned
independent Bloggers event scheduled for December 6.

* Today, Cuban independent blogger Claudia Cadelo (Octavo cerco),
has been summoned by the Cuban police.

* The Gaceta Oficial of the Republic of Cuba published a the
following as a warning to internet providers. "The regulations for
the suppliers of services of public access to the Internet," from
Resolution No. 179/2008 of the Ministry of Computer Science and
Communications. The resolution states, that providers have the
obligation to "adopt the measures necessary to prevent the access to
sites whose contents are opposite to the nations social interest, good
morals or customs."

This resolution, signed by minister Ramiro Valdés also establishes the
exigency to prevent "the use of applications that affect the integrity
or the security of the State". This is a outrageous attempt to censor
the rights of the incipient movement of independent Cuban bloggers.

We hope that in your next reflections on Cuba's "process of
transition" you will take into consideration some of the limitations
to basic liberties imposed on all citizens of the island.

Regards,

Ernesto Hernandez Busto
http://www.penultimosdias.com/