Tag: arbitrary detention

Voces de Cuba: Ricardo Fernández Izaguirre

Posted on by cswpress in Cuba ES, español, Latin America ES

Ricardo Fernández Izaguirre es un periodista, productor documental y defensor de la libertad religiosa en Cuba.  Él y su esposa tienen una pequeña bebé y un niño en camino.  Fue miembro del movimiento Apostólico, una red independiente de iglesias protestantes a la cual el gobierno no le permite registrarse legalmente. Hoy se congrega en una Iglesia Metodista Independiente.

En julio de 2019 fue detenido y retenido sin cargo durante diez días. Los primeros cuatro, estuvo completamente incomunicado.  Fue detenido de nuevo en noviembre del mismo año, durante más de 24 horas.  Desde entonces ha experimentado constante acoso e intimidaciones por parte de las autoridades cubanas. 

Ricardo ha expresado a CSW su preocupación por que el gobierno cubano intente fabricar un caso penal contra él, como represalia por su activismo a favor de la libertad de religión y creencias en Cuba.

LEE MÁS

Voices from Cuba: Ricardo Fernández Izaguirre

Posted on by cswpress in Cuba, Latin America

Ricardo Fernández Izaguirre is a journalist, documenter and religious freedom defender in Cuba. Mr Fernández Izaguirre is married with an infant daughter and another child on the way. He was a member of the Apostolic Movement, an independent network of charismatic protestant churches which the government has refused to register. He currently attends an independent Methodist church.

In July 2019 he was detained and held without charge for ten days, the first four of which he was completely incommunicado. He was detained once again for over 24 hours in November 2019, and has faced regular harassment and intimidation at the hands of the Cuban authorities since then.

Mr Fernández Izaguirre has expressed fears to CSW that the Cuban government will attempt to fabricate a criminal case against him as an act of reprisal for his work defending religious freedom.

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Voces de Cuba: Yoel Suárez

Posted on by cswpress in Cuba ES, español, Latin America ES

El 5 de febrero de 2020, Yoel Suárez fue citado a la estación de policía de Siboney en La Habana donde fue interrogado durante tres horas por un agente de seguridad del estado que le informó que sería declarado ‘regulado.’ La declaración somete al Sr. Suárez a una prohibición indefinida de viajes internacionales, una táctica común de las autoridades cubanas para perjudicar a personas que consideran “políticamente sensibles”.

Como periodista independiente, el Sr. Suárez ha trabajado con medios de comunicación no estatales en Cuba desde 2014 y ha escrito extensamente sobre temas de derechos humanos y libertad de religión o creencias. Como resultado de su trabajo, él y su familia han sido objeto de hostigamiento regular por parte de las autoridades cubanas.

Hoy, hace más de seis meses, el Sr. Suárez continúa bajo la prohibición de viajar, y él y sus familiares han recibido múltiples visitas de agentes de seguridad del estado de Cuba.

LEE MÁS

Voices from Cuba: Yoel Suárez

Posted on by cswpress in Cuba, Latin America

On 5 February 2020 Yoel Suárez was summoned to Siboney Police Station in Havana where he was interrogated for three hours by a state security agent who informed him that he had been declared ‘regulado.’ The declaration effectively subjects Mr Suárez to an indefinite ban on international travel, and is a common tactic used by the Cuban authorities to target individuals who they deem ‘politically sensitive’.

As an independent journalist, Mr Suárez has worked with non-state media outlets in Cuba since 2014 and has written extensively about human rights and freedom of religion or belief issues. As a result of his work, he and his family have been subjected to regular harassment at the hands of the Cuban authorities.

Today, over six months later, Mr Suárez remains unable to travel, and he and members of his family have received multiple visits from Cuban state security agents.

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“No respect for human dignity”: Remembering China’s 709 Crackdown

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, China

On 9 July 2015 the Chinese authorities began an extensive crackdown on human rights defenders (HRDs) and their friends and family members. Dubbed the ‘709 Crackdown’ after the date on which it began, the campaign saw over 300 lawyers, activists and their associates detained, interrogated or imprisoned.

Some of those detained have since vanished into China’s prison system. Many others have since been released, and with them have emerged reports of physical and psychological torture, including frequent beatings, sleep deprivation, forced medication, violent threats, and prolonged isolation. One of those released is human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was finally reunited with his family in April 2020 after serving nearly five years in prison. During his imprisonment, Wang suffered several health issues, losing approximately 30 pounds and showing signs of memory loss.

Five years since the crackdown began, pressure on HRDs in China continues to increase, with some forced to scale back their work on ‘sensitive’ cases or leave the profession entirely. Today we reflect on the crackdown, and its repercussions which continue to be felt across China, in the words of those who lived through it:

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