Justice Cuba commission denounces treatment of Havana’s San Isidro Movement

MIAMI – René Bolio, a Mexican attorney, has long been a critic of the Cuban government. He is the chairman of Justice Cuba’s international commission. He co-founded the organization about three years ago to focus on human rights violations.

Bolio announced on Thursday that he is seeking legal action against the Cuban officials who are responsible for the human rights violations and crimes against humanity on the island. He and other activists who are members of the commission want Cuba back on the terror list.

Young artists protest in front of the doors of the Ministry of Culture, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. Dozens of Cuban artists demonstrated against the police evicting a group who participated in a hunger strike. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Bolio also wants the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to be applied to Cuban leaders. They want those responsible for targeting Havana’s San Isidro Movement to face U.S. sanctions.

Members of the San Isidro Movement, which includes rappers, artists and writers, have challenged the Cuban government to expand freedom of expression. Most recently, they have reported arbitrary arrests, imprisonment and harassment.

Dozens of Cuban artists met to protest on Nov. 27 in Havana, Cuba. (AP Foto/Ismael Francisco) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Denis Solis’s case has attracted attention from human rights activists around the world. The defiant rapper remains in prison.

A few of his supporters were on a hunger strike at home. Cuban officers rushed into the home and evicted the protesters saying they were violating coronavirus safety regulations.

Orlando Gutierrez, of the Cuban Democratic Directorate, said a recent protest in front of a government building shows the government can’t prevent people from demonstrating in the streets to demand change.

“It shows how deep into the population the desire for change runs, and it shows how the world stands in solidarity with Cubans in their demand for freedom,” Gutierrez said.

Cuban officials say Bolio and the members of the San Isidro Movement are part of machinations by the United States to intervene in Cuban affairs.


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