By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
PROTESTERS in the US have called for media access to see Cuban detainees being held at Her Majesty’s Prison, Fox Hill.
Ramon Sanchez, president of the Miami-based Cuban exile group Democracy Movement, said his organisation will immediately suspend protests if independent investigators or the media are allowed access to detainees whom they allege have been victims of abuse.
Mr Sanchez said the group is planning another protest for Monday to agitate for the release of the six Cuban detainees from Fox Hill.
Activists in Florida allege that Cubans detained on suspicion of illegal immigration have been beaten by guards, denied access to adequate food, water and medical care, and deprived of the ability to file asylum claims while held in Carmichael Detention Centre.
Protests have taken place since June at the Bahamian consulate in Miami and near the piers where cruise ships embark to the Bahamas, drawing support from members of the US Congress.
This week dozens of vehicles drove through downtown Miami with signs protesting about the alleged mistreatment.
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell said last week: “Bahamians are quite fed up with this attack on our country, which in our view is unfair. We spend $1 billion in the Florida economy every year. What’s the point in trying to damage our economy?”
Mr Mitchell said the government had
not received any specific, credible claims of abuse and no investigation was being conducted.
He said officials had looked into a video released by supporters of the detained Cubans allegedly showing men being struck by guards in the detention centre and determined it was “clearly a staged event.”
Six Cubans were moved from the detention centre to Fox Hill for “hostile behaviour,” which included sewing their mouths shut in protest of conditions.
Mr Mitchell said two of the men had legal US residence status and are believed to have been attempting to smuggle other Cubans when they were detained.
Mr Sanchez told The Tribune yesterday: “We have decided to downplay the protest because of signs that things are advancing in a positive way by the Bahamas.
“The video is factual, it’s real. We’re not going to stage something like that, even if we did not have any way to prove it happened, we would not do something like that.
“The next protest is also guided towards them releasing persons in high security in prison, they are hiding them from the press. Keeping them from sight because they’re bruised and injured and they will testify that what we say is true.”
Comments
GQ 10 years, 8 months ago
The best idea is to ship ALL ILLEGAL ALIENS including Haitians, Jamaicans and any others along with their offspring back to the countries from whence they came, this would immediately open jobs and reduce costs of feeding housing and medical expenses for the country.
sweetypie_242 10 years, 7 months ago
This was what was suggested to Dr. Perry Gomez, when the IMF told him to ship all illegals back, to avoid overburdening cost of healthcare, education to the public purse, but no let's keep them, now you see the result of bad decisions by an out of touch cabinet.
I wonder which world PGC Livin' in, you know going to school in London in the 1960's does not mean that you are qualified to do the job in 2013.
My advice to Fred, the $50 million you were planning to build a new parliament with, you could have thought about the men/women in Foxhill and their conditions.
To put it mildly, we are dealing with men who are use to governing in the 1960's, and watch everything from here on in will reflect just that, i.e. the future of our beloved Bahamas.
Stapedius 10 years, 8 months ago
Please let us not bend to these people. Why don't they go and harass Castro. Don't allow any access to our prison by media with these bully tactics. These people are out of order. They want to threaten us. If we bend now it will never end. Do not bend Bahamians. Do not bend. These people are illegally in the Bahamas and have been duly arrested for their attempt to escape ans insight violence against our brothers and sisters who serve the RBDF. I will the RBDF and I maintain that these Miami Cubans need get a life. They have issues. Their own country tortures via waterboarding etc and they have the nerve. Please go find the deepest part of the Atlantic and jump in.
Tarzan 10 years, 8 months ago
You are right about "their own country", but Commizar Fred, never misses a chance to reference Cuba as a worker's paradise, a friend of the Bahamas, and to assault the U.S. as the land of the reactionary right. Your sentiments regarding these protests are right on, but this stuff is happening, only because the Foreign Minister of this country is publishing internationally his personal, distorted, world political view, as the view of the people of the Bahamas and he is playing right into the hands of the Cuban dispora, who know the truth about the Castro's and are just looking for someplace to vent their righteous rage.
SP 10 years, 8 months ago
They just want their friends to be sent to America....Send them back to Cuba instead.
These dumb Cubans need to protest treatment in Cuba Jails. Who the hell cares about what the Cubans think anyway?
We cannot allow these people to tell us what to do just as we cannot tell Castro what to do with Bahamians in Cuban prisons.
Let them hunger strike and until death.
Ignore the stupid Cubans...It worked for Castro for 50 years!
banker 10 years, 8 months ago
The problem is Fred Mitchell. This mess should have and could have been resolved long ago, but as Tarzan pointed out above, Fweddie's problems with the truth has exacerbated this issue until it got out of control.
leslie 10 years, 8 months ago
The only thing bigger than Fred's ego is his stupidity. His whole attitude to this problem is Deny Deny Deny Decry Decry and Decry. He is an ostrich, he thinks that if he buries his head in the sand that the problem will go away. This shows that he has never been a problem solver or a diplomat. He should have apologized for any possible wrongdoing and extended condolences to any possible victims and promised to launch an investigation and followed up with the results of such
proudloudandfnm 10 years, 8 months ago
Hell no he should not have apologized! What kind of stupid thing is that to say? Apologize because these friggin criminals made a fake video? I say put em on a plane to Havana, send them back to Cuba. They are Cuban citizens, Cuba cannot deny them. Who cares what happens after Cuba gets them? Cubans need to stop being cowards and go home and fight for their freedom. Apologize to no one over this fabricated scandal.
Let Cubans go home and fight for their country. They run around with so much pride and so much arrogance. Why? They are cowards. Let one man run their lives and instead of fight him they run away?
We should start turning these boats around when we find them. get ya hip back to Cuba.
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