Cuba's Communist government has given another sample of its ruthless dictatorial methods, establishing once more that the repression in Cuba has in fact remained unchanged for 44 years. Those who think that Fidel Castro has any intention of stopping his abuses or letting the Cuban people enjoy the freedoms he suppressed, are deluding themselves. International organizations that promised help in exchange of his respecting human rights do not realize that what they are asking is for him to give up his absolute power, something completely at odds with his dictatorial nature.

A Cuban poet, a dissident, once called him in his book "the greatest hypocrite of history". His actions, in open and constant contradiction with his words are proving the poet is right.

Fidel Castro has used the curtain of the Iraqi conflict to hide his crackdown of dissidents and accused the chief of Washington's diplomatic mission in Havana, James Cason, of trying "to foment the internal counterrevolution" to justify his violations. More than 70 independent journalists, opponents to the regime and human rights activists are now imprisoned after the most repressive wave in many years. In addition, three young people were arbitrarily executed when trying to escape from the island-jail.

The Cuban Canadian Foundation condemns these abuses and joins those who ask for the immediate and unconditional release of these people. In our recent PARTIAL 2002 REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS OF CUBA's REGIME presented in the Annual Human Rights Consultations, Ottawa 2003, we respectfully disagreed with Prime Minister Jean Chretien's approach of "constructive engagement" with Castro. Our advice was that:
   
"As Cuban-Canadians and thousands of Canadians that support our struggle, we ask Canada to  bet on the future of Cuba and not on any dictatorial present. We want to advocate for John Paul II's words in 1986: "It is impossible to reform communism from inside the system". In fact, there are no reasons to improve the relations with the past, because Fidel Castro is the past. We call the Canadian government and some people of this society to change their wrong vision about Cuba and think seriously on the future. Forty-four years of absolute power in Cuba are enough. Enough is enough. The Cuban Canadian Foundation is defending the view of the Cuban community in Canada. Most of 20, 000 Cubans living in Canada want to help for a free and democratic Cuba. At the same time, we are sending a right message to the Cuban people to support their right to have Human Rights and a new and free society."

Canada and the European Union have always negotiated in good faith with Cuba, but Fidel Castro has not kept his part of the deal while receiving undeserved benefits. On the contrary, he has violated so far any agreement with impunity. He has made a mockery out of his commitments and more than deserves the condemnation by the community of free nations.

Sincerely,

CUBAN CANADIAN FOUNDATION
ccf@cubancanadianfoundation.com
Tel/Fax: (416) 696-8679 Toronto, March 24, 2003