Human rights abuser? It's not Cuba

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.