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TWO PATHS?
September 19, 2003
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.
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
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