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CUBA/
INCARCERATED PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE, DR.
OSCAR E. BISCET, CONTINUES IN ISOLATION CELL
June 2003
"I am innocent of the charges which
condemned me; reason why I will continue my
present stance... a real man does not betray
his ideals... I merely appeal to the living
God. Pray to our Lord for He is not
impartial nor does He abandon his servants.
I am in good health, though lonely."
Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet
In a letter of June 1, 2003 (full text of
the letter below), Elsa Morejón Hernandez,
wife of Dr. Oscar E. Biscet, publicly
appealed to the world from Havana, Cuba on
behalf of her husband, serving a 25 year
prison sentence at the Provincial Prison in
Pinar del Rio called "Kilo Cinco y Medio."
Below are excerpts of the letter, depicting
the present critical situation of this
prisoner of conscience, as revealed by his
wife:
- Dr. Biscet is in solitary confinement
since April 23, 2000 for refusing to wear
the common prisoner's uniform and all his
rights are suspended. His family hasn't seen
him since then.
- Since April 23 he has been wearing a pair
of shorts and bath slippers.
- He is imprisoned in a cell 3' by 6' with
insufficient light and ventilation, no
running water, a hole for the toilet and
unsanitary conditions
- He is prohibited from receiving visits or
having contacts with the outside world.
- He has no access to fresh air or sunlight.
- He is sleeping on the floor.
- He cannot keep any personal belongings
such as books, including his Bible.
- He cannot have access to any writing
material or receive any mail.
"My husband is a peaceful, God loving,
nonviolent human being and not an animal...
the prison measures against him violate the
international human rights treaties against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or
Degrading Punishments of which Cuba is
signatory. They violate his physical
integrity and...lead to negative
consequences such as serious illnesses.
Regardless of the status, prisoners have
rights in accordance with Article 31 of
prison rules that state: "Corporal
punishment, imprisonment in a dark cell, as
well as any cruel, inhumane or humiliating
punishment is strictly prohibited as
disciplinary actions."
"My husband's health was good before he went
to prison in 1999, but now he is suffering
from high blood pressure and gum disease."
"...His crimes are: honoring the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, opposing the
death penalty and abortion, and organizing
pro democracy movements to demand his fellow
countrymen's human rights through nonviolent
civil disobedience. This man does not
deserve to die in a dungeon. This man and
his family have lost everything except God
for the noble cause of human rights. He
deserves a just treatment. He is not a
danger to society and deserves to be free
with his family and his people. I KNOW THAT
MY HUSBAND'S LIFE IS IN DANGER AND WELCOME
THE URGENT INTERCESSION OF ALL MEN AND WOMEN
OF GOOD WILL IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING CUBAN
AUTHORITIES."
Elsa Morejon Hernandez
Dr. Biscet, afro-Cuban and 41 years old, has
been arbitrarily detained 26 times in the
past and has endured systematic
psychological and physical abuses from Cuban
authorities since 1998. For his peaceful pro
democracy struggle, Dr. Biscet served a
three year sentence in a maximum security
prison in Holguin province, 768 kilometers
away from his home. He was released October
31,2003 only to be arrested again on
December 6 of the same year when he was
about to hold a meeting with fellow
activists on ways to promote human rights.
On April 7, 2003, Dr. Biscet was tried and
sentenced to 25 years for serving as a
mercenary to a foreign state and transferred
to the Provincial Prison in Pinar del Rio
"Kilo Cinco y Medio" on April 22, 2003.
Elsa Morejon Hernandez
Address: Acosta 464 entre 8va y 9na,
Lawton,
Municipio 10 de Octubre,
La Habana, Cuba.
-------------------------------------------------------
Testimony provided via telephone from Cuba.
Recorded and transcribed. Full text of the
letter is available in English and Spanish.
Coalition of Cuban-American Women/ LAIDA
CARRO
Email: Joseito76@aol.com
------------------------------------------------------
Havana,
Cuba.
June 1, 2003
I am Elsa Morejon Hernandez, wife of Dr.
Oscar Elías Biscet, president of the Lawton
Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba and
prisoner of conscience. The purpose of this
letter is to denounce to the world the
critical situation of my husband.
Dr. Biscet is kept in a punishment cell in
solitary confinement since April 23, 2003 in
a prison located at km. 5.5 on highway Luis
Lazo in Pinar del Rio province. The prison
cell is 3 ft. by 6 ft., with insufficient
light and ventilation, no shower or running
water and a hole for the toilet. He bathes
using water from a bucket and must sleep on
the floor for there is no bed. He is
prohibited from keeping any books, including
his Bible, nor any other personal belongings
such as: food, vitamins and non prescription
medications. He cannot keep paper, pen or
any writing material since he is forbidden
from sending or receiving mail, even with
his family. He has no access to fresh air or
sunlight. The only items allowed in the cell
are: a bed sheet, a towel, toothpaste,
dental floss, soap, and deodorant. His
civilian clothes, together with his shoes
and underwear, were confiscated on April
23rd and given to me in accordance with
prison rules. Since April 23rd he only wears
a pair of shorts and bath slippers.
It has been over a month since Dr. Biscet's
family has been unable to see him or allowed
to speak with him over the phone. All
scheduled official family prison visits have
been suspended: May 2 (to deliver personal
toiletries), May 13 (regular visit), and May
18 (conjugal visit) as well as delivery of
any food items. During all three visits we
met with the following prison
administrators: the prison director, the
warden directly in charge of his case, and
the political representative, among other
officers of the State Security Department of
the province of Pinar del Rio. Among the
allegations presented by these officials
were:
- Dr. Biscet was placed in a punishment cell
for refusing to wear the prison uniform.
- In this cell all his prison rights are
suspended.
- If we provide him with his civilian
clothes he will never wear the prison
uniform.
- If we give him his underpants he may take
off his shorts.
- The allowed t-shirt must have a P on its
backside and Dr. Biscet does not accept
that.
- No shoes are allowed in this cell, even
those without laces.
- We provide him with any medicine he
requires. Prisoners are given a daily
vitamin tablet.
- He is eating the food provided but refuses
to accept the special diet such as chicken,
vegetables, and soup because Dr. Biscet
considers it should be given to all
prisoners every day and not once a month.
- A doctor has taken his blood pressure but
he refuses the medical checkup requiring a
blood sample because he believes he will be
inoculated with a disease.
- We spoke with him and he continues to
refuse to wear the prison uniform.
On May 28, 2003, after appealing to the
prison guards, my husband sent his family a
note saying:
"I am innocent of the charges which
condemned me, reason why I will continue my
present attitude... a real man does not
betray his ideals... I merely appeal to the
living God. Pray to our Lord for He is not
impartial nor does He abandon his servants.
I am in good health, though lonely."
Dr. Oscar E. Biscet
We (the family) told prison authorities the
following:
"My husband is a peaceful, God loving,
nonviolent human being and not an animal. We
understand that there is a rule regarding
wearing the prison uniform, but we also know
that most of the 75 prisoners sanctioned for
so-called crimes against state security are
presently wearing civilian clothes due to
the shortage of prison uniforms in Cuba.
Besides, the nature of these punishments
evidences a negative intention in the penal
reeducation system. The prison measures
against him violate the international human
rights treaties against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Punishments of
which Cuba is signatory. They violate his
physical integrity, are not educational in
nature and without a doubt, lead to negative
consequences, inducing diseases such as:
psychological traumas, skin ailments,
serious respiratory and contagious
illnesses, eye problems, and diseases due to
diet deficiency. Regardless of the status,
prisoners have rights in accordance with
Article 31 of prison rules that state:
"Corporal punishment, imprisonment in a dark
cell, as well as any cruel, inhumane or
humiliating punishment is strictly
prohibited as disciplinary actions."
"My husband's health was fine before he went
to prison in 1999, but now he is suffering
from high blood pressure and gum disease."
In 1999 Dr. Biscet was sentenced to three
years in prison for exercising his right to
protest against the death penalty in Cuba
and demanding the liberation of all Cuban
political prisoners. He fully served his
sentence in the prison "Cuba Si" in
Holguin,
768 km. from his family, and was released on
October 31, 2002. He was arrested again
December 6, 2002 as he was trying to meet
with friends to discuss human rights and
initially incarcerated in the Combinado del
Este Prison in Havana, accused of disorderly
conduct. On March 29, 2003, he was
transferred to the Headquarters of State
Security and accused of committing acts that
undermine the integrity and sovereignty of
Cuba. On April 7, 2003 he was sentenced to
25 years in prison in a summary trial. On
June 22, 2003, he was transferred to the
Provincial Prison of Pinar del Rio Kilo 5.5.
Dr. Biscet is 41, black, married and a
father. His crimes are: honoring the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
opposing the death penalty and abortion, and
organizing pro democracy movements to demand
his fellow countrymen's human rights through
nonviolent civil disobedience. This man does
not deserve to die in a dungeon. This man
and his family have lost everything except
God for the noble cause of human rights. He
deserves a just treatment. He is not a
danger to society and deserves to be free
with his family and his people. I KNOW THAT
MY HUSBAND'S LIFE IS IN DANGER AND WELCOME
THE URGENT INTERCESSION OF ALL MEN AND WOMEN
OF GOOD WILL IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING CUBAN
AUTHORITIES." Politics and justice are not
synonymous. We can only improve humankind by
working together.
Sincerely,
Lic. Elsa Morejon Hernández
Avenida de Acosta #464
Entre 8va y 9na,
Lawton
Municipio 10 de Octubre
Ciudad Habana,
Cuba
cp. 10700
Tel: + 53 7 991774
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