Spiritual leaders of the Cuban exile
community call for non-cooperation with repression

Cuban Democratic Directorate
Infosearch:
Celso Sarduy Agüero
Bureau Chief
Cono Sur/Sudamérica
Research Dept.
La Nueva Cuba
February 15, 2006

Cuban Democratic Directorate – In a press conference today at the Varela Ballroom of the Ermita de la Caridad, the representatives of the Spiritual Leaders Working Group, Monsignor Agustín Román, Rev. Martín Añorga and Rev. Onell Soto united to ask the Cuban people to not cooperate with government-organized mobs that harass human rights activists on the island, incidents which have increased in frequency and brutality in the past months.

Dozens of religious leaders of the exile community joined to draft the document titled, “Contra el terror, el civismo” (Against terror, civility). In the document, they manifest their support for those neighbors in Cuba who have shown their solidarity with activists who have been attacked by government-organized mobs.

In the press conference, the testimony of political prisoner Jorge Luis García Perez “Antúnez” was also heard through a recording from Prison Kilo 7 in Camagüey.

Attached is the document written by the spiritual leaders of the Cuban exile community:

Against Terror, Civility

The brutal increase of government repression in Cuba has erupted not only against political prisoners and the non-violent opposition who try to change the deplorable situation in Cuba through reasonable means, but also against the family members of the above mentioned and against the population in general. This constitutes a reproachable abuse of power and another demonstration of the government’s contempt and disregard for fundamental human rights on the island.

The so-called “acts of repudiation” in which pro-government mobs physically and verbally arbitrarily attack citizens, labeled “counter-revolutionaries”, have been increasing both in brutality and frequency without any consideration whatsoever toward the victims, usually entire families, including women, children, and seniors.

As spiritual leaders of the Cuban community in exile, we must comply with our prophetic mission that is an essential part of our ministry, and express our most ardent condemnation before this demented exercise that equally defies the Christian concept of conviviality, and democratic standards of the proper relation between governors and the governed.

We also warn that these actions constitute a dangerous instigation toward collective violence. The consequences of which will be responsibility of those who promote it from an arrogant impunity which should not last forever. The Lord Jesus Christ, as benign and humble of Heart as he was, left written that “With the measure which ye give, it shall be measured to you:” (Mark: 4,24) and it is not possible to conceal the intrinsic evil of this situation, which calls out to heaven, nor the right to a just defense of their lives that assists those attacked.

The world is witness; in addition, to how fruitless all appeals to the Cuban government calling for a change on its part have been. Far from it, it seems that those appeals provoke more cruelty and audacity in the proceedings of those that rule in Cuba, as the European Union recently experienced.

Nevertheless, this should not lead anyone to frustration or indifference toward the despair of Cubans in the face of the oppression imposed on them. We exhort the governments of the democratic world, international organizations and all men and women of good will, to manifest the utmost solidarity with those who suffer in Cuba and to support them in their aspirations for liberty and justice in a firm and urgent manner

Additionally, it is a relief to know that the terror is provoking, in response, a resurgence of civic decorum. This is manifesting itself in the refusal of neighbors of human rights activists to participate in acts of repudiation, actions that have been occurring in different parts of the country, according to information received from there. We congratulate those compatriots who are recuperating their personal dignity by refusing to be accomplice to bad action, because all collaboration with something that is bad for all concerned both for the victims of the attacks, and for those who due to degradation or fear, lend themselves to act as victimizers is immoral and lacks an ethical base.

It pleases us to see that the ranks of those who are overcoming fear to take refuge, still without knowing it in the description given us by Holy Scripture of those who please God: “He who proceeds honorably and practices justice, he who has loyal intentions and does not slander with his tongue, he who does no wrong to his neighbor or defames his neighbor…”(Psalm 14 to 15). We pray for them, for those who suffer repression and for those who lower their human condition to participate in repressing.

We also pray that all violence stop and in the end that all Cubans may reach real and complete liberty from political impositions, that deny both rights and possibilities but instead submits hearts to the dictates of evil. That He who came to us to “bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” materialize over Cuba His spiritual charge.

Group of spiritual leaders of the Cuban exile community

Miami, February 15th, 2006.