Human rights abuser? It's not Cuba
By
Teresa Gutierrez
Published Apr 27, 2005 4:06 PM
By now the entire world knows of the extreme
abuse and torture carried out by the U.S. in prisons at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
and in Abu-Ghraib, Iraq.
Nevertheless, the United Nations Human Rights
Commission at its 61st meeting once again bowed down to imperialist pressure. It
proceeded to put on trial not the U.S.—rightly called “the greatest
purveyor of violence” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—but instead the
righteous Cuban Revolution.
The UN Human Rights Commission on April 21
rejected Cuba’s call for a probe into the U.S. mistreatment and abuse of
prisoners in Guantanamo Bay by a vote of 22 against, 8 for and 23 abstentions.
China, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Guate mala, Malaysia, Sudan and Mexico supported
Cuba’s call.
In response, the head of the U.S. delegation, former
Sen. Rudy Boschwitz, said that he welcomed the vote and claimed that the U.S. is
a “leader in human rights.”
The U.S. government prevents
human-rights officials from getting free access to the naval base in Guantanamo
and many other sites where it is holding unnamed political detainees as
“enemy combatants.”
Abusers defame the abused
On
April 15, the UNHRC in Geneva passed a U.S.-sponsored resolution mandating that
a UN representative investigate alleged human rights abuses in Cuba.
The
European Union members all voted against Cuba in a solid imperialist bloc with
Washington. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque described as
“disgraceful” the votes of Ukraine and Mexico in favor of the U.S.
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Rela tions detailed in a statement the
anti-Cuba climate in the commission, calling it a result of U.S. bullying.
Cuban ambassadors had been instruc ted to call on European foreign
ministries prior to the vote to ask for co-sponsorship of the resolution to
investigate abuses at Guantanamo.
Several countries refused to even
receive the Cuban ambassadors. Others intentionally scheduled the meetings for
after the date of the vote on the resolution. In no case, states the ministry,
did Cuba receive a positive response. “What our diplomats received were
only evasive answers—at times courteous, at times disdainful and even,
many times with shame.”
Cuba doubles minimum wage!
It
is a crime that the only country ever to have dropped an atomic bomb on another
can bully so many nations to line up against Cuba on the spurious issue of human
rights.
U.S. imperialism occupies Iraq, tortures people at Guantanamo,
lays off workers in the U.S. and provides no health care for millions. Cuba
invades no one and is building a much more equitable society that provides jobs,
free health care and education for everyone.
Despite the longest blockade
in U.S. history and countless hostile U.S. actions, the Cuban Revolution
continues to carry out programs in support of the people.
Around the same
time as the criminal vote at the UNHRC, President Fidel Castro announced that
the government planned to double the minimum wage in Cuba.
On May 1,
workers earning about 100 Cuban pesos a month will see their wages rise to 225
pesos. With health care and education free, food subsidized and housing costing
no more than 5 percent of a worker’s income, this means an improvement in
the quality of life.
Earlier in the month, Castro announced that single
mothers, disabled people and others receiving state support would also get a
raise in pay. To conserve energy and protect the environment, every household
will now receive an electric rice cooker, a devel opment that was
enthusiastically wel comed by the Federation of Cuban Women.
Part of the
reason why the economy is currently in a stronger position and can raise wages
is because of a recent increase in trade relations with Venezuela on a fair
basis.
These positive measures are carried out despite an increase in U.S.
threats. But as the tenacity and courage of the Cuban 5 political prisoners in
the U.S. demonstrates, the strength of the Cuban Revolution is so deep and so
firm it can stand the test of time.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email:
[email protected]
Subscribe
[email protected]
Support independent news
DONATE