In Cuba, prisoner of
conscience, Dr. Oscar E. Biscet González, sends a message from the Provincial
Prison of Pinar del Río to his fellow countrymen through his wife, Elsa Morejón.
This civic leader is serving a 25-year sentence in inhumane prison conditions
for defending The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
TWO PATHS?
September 19, 2003
To my Cuban compatriots wherever you are, be that inside of our enslaved island
or in exile in whatever part of the world, and also including those of Cuban
ancestry born in other lands. To all of you, I send my warmest and most sincere
greeting.
Our struggle to attain the unconditional freedom of our country is at the point
of becoming a reality. I don't have to go into details in order to convey to you
what is common knowledge among Cubans. We suffer not from a state of division or
fragmentation of our principles but rather in the ways we should carry them out.
We do not lack unity of criteria with respect to our values, but we do differ in
the ways in which we should apply them in order to bring about our freedom.
Unfortunately, these insignificant differences of opinion have made room for
divisions among the leaders of the exile community and dissidents within Cuba.
These differences have added fuel to the fire of the most recent and dangerous
obstacle which we face.
I refer to a movement of complacency, a movement that tries to make Cubans
devoted to freedom, believe that they should applaud and be content with
receiving limited doses of freedom, a movement which suggests that we Cubans do
not deserve total freedom, but only small tokens of it. This movement of low
expectations, speculates that other fragments of freedom and democracy will
automatically follow it. Poorly planned, this movement does not demand basic
internationally recognized human rights for all Cubans; it only suggests it. It
does not demand the democratic rights of the infringed Constitution of 1940 but
rather, it opts the framework of the illegitimate communist Constitution of
1976. This Constitution of 1976 is nothing more than an instrument of
oppression, an evil document whose only purpose has been the justification of a
totalitarian and poorly formulated state. This is an illegal aberration that has
permitted and encouraged the incarceration, torture, and execution of political
opponents, ignoring basic rights of due process and legal defense. This
(Constitution) is an atheistic monstrosity that has served only those who
enslave our people.
To those who feel exhausted by more that four decades of constant oppression and
fruitless efforts, to those who have strayed away from their moral compass
because of frustrations and displeasures, to those who currently conclude that
we should appease the oppressor, I ask them, does accepting complacency honor
the memory of thousands of young Cubans, our best sons and daughters, who were
taken before a firing squad and executed for the simple crime of defending our
right to complete freedom? Do those tens of thousands of patriots who served
decades in prison and are currently still serving their sentences in a prison
system whose horrors can only be imagined deserve only partial freedom?
Do those countless families who were separated from their loved ones, destroyed
in the process, as well as those who perished at sea or died in exile dreaming
of returning to their country deserve that now we accept the crumbs which they
offer us? Will we accept defeat after almost a half century of patriotic
heroism in search of our freedom and democracy, or will we show the world that
the most brutal and longest dictatorship of our time was not able to extinguish
the unbreakable spirit of the Cuban people?
I must express to you that we have arrived at a crossroads in the path of our
history. A half century ago we, as a nation, faced a similar historical
decision. At that time, many people accepted the ominous words once more
circulating among us today: anything would be better that what we already have.
These words were wrong then, and they are wrong today. Tragically, more than
forty years of our national nightmare have passed so that we find ourselves one
more time facing the same choice but with the opportunity of rectifying our
errors and truly become masters of our own destiny.
I make a call of unity to all my countrymen. Only one path exists before us, a
path that unites us and includes all Cubans inside and outside the island of
Cuba, a road that demands the rights of citizens in its totality. A path that
demands complete democracy, the unconditional freedom of the Cuban people under
a system of a multiparty government, elected democratically in free and general
elections. A path, where a state with a rule of law that guarantees equality in
the eyes of the law without distinction of race, sex, or religious beliefs is
established. A path where unconditional and immediate amnesty is granted to all
political prisoners.
My fellow countrymen, let's take a step forward, and let's do it in a clear and
decisive way. The task which awaits us is difficult, but it's not impossible.
Together we can attain for our homeland complete democracy, worthy of its
citizens.
To the leaders of the democratic nations of the world, to the North American
people, and in particular to the President of the United States, Mr. George W.
Bush, we ask only one simple commitment: DO NOT SUPPORT OR PROPOSE A SINGLE
SOLUTION OR SETTLELMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE CUBAN NATION WHICH YOU WOULD NOT
DEEM ACCEPTABLE FOR YOUR OWN COUNTRY.
May God illuminate our way for the freedom of Cuba.
DR. OSCAR ELIAS BISCET GONZALEZ
President of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba
Prisoner of Conscience