JPRS ID: 8725 LATIN AMERICA REPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: JPRS
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00850R000100100034-2
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• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 18
• Document Creation Date: November 1, 2016
• Sequence Number: 34
• Content Type: REPORTS

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NoR oFF~cin~, usF: nNi.v
JPRS L/8725 -
22 October 1979 -
Lati n A~erica Re ort ~
p
(FOUO 11 /79) -
FBIS FOR~IGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVIC~ :
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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JPRS L/8725
22 October 1979
LATIN AMERICA REPORT
(FOUO 11/79 )
CONTENTS PAGE
IPdTER-AMERICAN AFFAIRS
Puerto Rican Independence Issue Reported by 'PRELA'
(PRELA, various dates) 1
Mari Bras Press Conference, by Francisco Ramirez
Mari Bras on Prisoners
Mari Bras Release Demanded
PSP Leader Solidarity Call
Nicaraguan Education Group Begins Talks With Authorities
(PRELA, 24 Sep 79) 6
AKGCNTINA
- 'YOMIURI` Reporter Interviews Argentina President Videla
(Otaka; YOMIURI SHIMBUN, 13 Sep 79) 7
Current I.eftist Trends Forcing Nation To Stand Al~ne
(Mariano Grondona; CARTA POLITICA, 23 Aug 79) 8
CUBA
-
Carlos Franqui Discusses Political Prisoners
(L'EUROPEO, 6 Sep 79) 12
PERU
Briefs
Romanian Buses Yurchased 14
Aid to Dominican Republic 14
- a - [III - LA - 144 FOUO~
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INTER-AMERIC~'~N AFFAIRS
~
PUERTd RICAN INDEPENDENCE ISSUE REPORTED BY 'PRELA' ,
Mari F~ras Press Conference
-
~ Havana PRELA in Spanish 1527 GMT 6 Sep 79 PA
~ [Article by Francisco RamiY�ez]
[Text] Havana, 6 Sep (PL)--U.S. President ~ames Carter will be met with
ehe biggest protest demonstration of his life during his announced trip
to Puerto Rico, if he does not release the four imprisoned Puerto Rican
nationalists first.
Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP) Secretary General Juan Mari Bras made
this warning at a press conference here today.
Carter is planning to visit Puerto Rico in March 198U to start off the
Democratic Party primary election campaign.
Mari Bra is currently in H~vana heading the PSP delegation to the sixth
nonal.ined summit which opened 3 September. His organization has been an
obscrver since .1975.
He accused Carter of showing little diligence in implementing his much-
publicized human rights campaign in the case of Lolita Lebron, Rafael
Cancel Miranda, Irving Flores and Oscar Collazo, all of whom have been
imprisoneel in the United States for more than 25 years. -
According to Mari Bras, after a few slight amendments dealing with style, ~
the Latin American group approved the proposal suggesting that the
conference adopt the paragraphs on solidarity with Puerto Ric~, included
in the draft final declaration prepared by Cuba, the host country.
In accordance with that basic docunent, the ch~.efs of state or of government
must reiterate their solidarity with Puerto Rico's struggle and with its _
inalienable right to self-determination, independence and territorial
integrity.
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A resolut~Ion tc this effect was approved on 15 August, for the second i
consecutive year, by the UN Decolonization Committee. ~
,
The sixth nonalined summit's draft final declaration also demands that
Washington cease all political or repressive maneuvers aimed at perpetuat- -
ing Puerto Rico's colonial status. The United States has cccu}~ied the
island since 1898. ~
According to Mari Bras, this is the first time the Latin American group
has agreed to include a demand that the four Puerto Rican nationalists
be released.
. He announced that his delegation has proposed the inclusion of a paragraph
on the occupation of Vieques Island, whi~h the U.S. Navy uses a7atarget range.
At the press conference he announced that Pedro Baiges, a memb~_r of. the
PSP Central Committee and the Puerto Rican delegation to the ncmalined ~
summit, will be faced with a warrant of arrest upon returning to San Juan =
_ for his participation in recent popular protests on Vieques Island.
Mari Bras added that the recent UN resolution constitutes a confrontation
between the international community and the U.S. Congress, which a few days
ago approved a resolution on Puerto Rico's self-determination.
The pro-independence leader revealed that his party will participate in
the 1980 elections in Puerto Rico, even though like those of 1976 when his
son was assassinated, they will most probably be characterized by repres- -
sion of pro-independence and anti-annexationist forces.
The representatives of some 100 countries, who will be in attendance at -
the Second International Confere~ce of Solidarity with Puerto Rico,
scheduled for November in Mexico, must argani2e a permanent conrdinating
mAchanism for that solidarity, he went on to say.
Mari Bras on Prisoners ~
Havana PRELA in English 2305 GMT 7 Sep 79 PA
[Text] Havana, Sep 7(PL)-,The first tangible victory of this sixth summit
has been the unconditional release of four Puerto Rican patriots imprisoned
for over a quarter of a century in the United States, declared Juan Mari
- Bras, secretary general of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party.
"It has been precisely the knowledge on the part of the United States
" Goverrunent that the unity of this sixth summit would come out for the
release of ourfour compatriots that has led to the U.S. presid~:ntial
move in releasing them," he said.
The first sneaker at today's morning session, called attention to the
escalation of persecutions and repressions in Puerto Rico and asked for
solidarity with 21 arrested persons whom he called the "next political
prisoners to fall victim to U.S. imperialism in Puerto Rico." ,
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He said that amon~ these 21 persons arrested when they protested U.S. Navy ~
maneuvers on Vieques, Puerto Rican Island Municipality, arz nona].ined
delegation member Pedro Baiges Chaple and Bishop Monsignor Entulio
Parrilla.
He asked for solidarity with those persons and the efforts of F'uerto Rico
to attain sovereignty and independence.
riari Bras asserted that the independence struggle deserves the solidarity
of those who struggle all aver the world since Puerto Rico is the most
important imperialist colony in our era and the power of the er,ipire is
concentrated there.
"Fighting for the independence of Puerto Rico is fighting moder.n imperialism
at its level," he said.
Mari IIras recalled that U.S. investments in Puerto Rico are foiir and a}~alf
- times greater than in the rest of the Caribbean.
"While they invest four billions in the Caribbean, in Puerto Rico the~~ have
18'billion dollars invested, around half their total investment in Latin
America," he said.
Puerto Rico, he continued, is a military bastion for aggressions on sister
nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and other regions."
The PSP leader reiterated that t.he basic formulation for independence is
~ grounded on the principles of resolution 1514 (XV) of the United Nations
on the unconditional transfer of powers to th2 people of Puerto Rico,
Mari Bras said that "the time has come for the world to refuse to be de-
_ ceived by the mechanism created by the already--discredited apparatus of
empirc."
' Tliey are instruments for the perpetuation of colonial rule, he declared,
_ In addition it must be said that in the case of Puerto Rico the United
States does not have to consult.with anyone, he said.
Only when the people of Puerto Rico have all their due powers will they
be able to enjoy full sovereignty, he added.
Mari Bras spoke of the struggle in process for the independence of Puerto
Rico both in the island and in the United States, to which around two-fifths
of the Puerto Rican people have been forced to emigrate.
"Wliile there exists in the world a colony like Puerto Rico, i.mperialism
will have a hope and it will still be a threat, which is why we call for
solidarity aid for a people who want to be free of the most powerful
imperialism in the world" declared the head of the Puerto Rican delegatiun
to the sixth nonalined summit. ~
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He reiterated support to the peoples fighting for their frePdom., stressed -
what he called th~ "dawn of Grenada" and underscored Cuban support for the
Puerto Rican cause.
Mari Bras Release I)rm;indc~cl
Havana PRELA in Spanish 1210 GMT 25 Sep 79 PA
[Text] Havana, 25 Sep (PL)--The Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP) has -
urged all progressive forces of the �world to demand the release of
PSP Secretary General J.uan Mari Bras, who has been arrested in San Juan.
The appeal was ~ade by Felipe Circino, PSP de].egate to the ceremony to
close the activities in Cuba in solidarity with the independence struggle
in Puerto Rico.
After noting that for 81 years of colonial domination the Puerto Rican
~ pec~ple have been the victims of brutal repressiott by the U.S. occupation
authorities, Cirino demanded a worldwide campaign to obtain Mari Bras'
- release.
The independence leader was sent to the Rio Piedras peni.tentiary when he -
refused to recognize the authority of a U.S. court which imposed a fine of
$5,000 on him.
Cirino said that over 8 decades of conquest and political, cultural,
economic and social domination have not abolished his people's right to
freedom.
The PSP leader paid tribute to the men who 111 years ago rose up in arms
for the Fr.eedom of Puerto Rico and in whose memory the new generation
is fighting today to achieve final independence.
The withdrawal of the U.S. Marines from the Island Municipality of Vieques
- has become a decisive goal of the Puerto Rican fighters, he said.
He added that s~veral Puerto P.i.cans have been arrested on charges of having
stepped an the soil of their fat;~erland in Vieques to protest the abuses to
_ which their compatriots are sub3ected in that ar~a.
Jorge Lopez Pimentel, chairman uf the Cuban committee fc~r the rF�lease of -
Puerto Rican political prisoners, hailed the release of Loi~ca Lebron,
Oscar Collazo, Rafael Cancel Miranda and Irving Flores as the result of
_ worldwide solidarity.
Lopez Pimentel added that the solidarity of all mankind and the direct
, result of a Puerto Rico in arms led to the overwhelming success of that
worthy cause.
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"Tlie mc~st st~ameEul imprisonment that can be attributed to any ~overnment
ha;~ ended and the vigorous firmness, the resolute intelligence which has
ch;iracterized the Puerto Rican nationalist prisoners, as well as their
unc~uestionable daring, remain as banners of the struggle," Lopez Pimentel
added.
- Referr.ing to the second conference of solidarity to be held in Mexico in
late November, Lopez Pimentel said the occasion will be an eloquent
testimonial of the extent to which progressive men of the world support
the just cause of Puerto Rican independence.
PSP Leader Solidarity Call
Havana PRELA in Spanish 0230 GMT 39 Sep 79 PA
[Text) Panama City, 29 Sep (PL)--Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP)
Secretary General Juan Mari Bras today asked the WPC to redouble its
sol.idarity with that Caribbean country and denounced a new escalation of
repression on the part of the United States,
In a message sent from a maximum-security prison in Puerto Rico, where he
is currently imprisoned, the independentist leader indicated that his
incarceration and that of 17 other patriots is the direct result of the
intensification of U.S. repression against those fighting to br_ing to an
end U.S. bombings and naval maneuvers in the island-municipality of Vieques.
"The struggle to expel the navy from Vieques," he noted, "cons*_itutes a
specific and dramatic manifestation of Puerto Rico's increasin}; national
_ awareness and of the will t.o obtain full sovereignty and independence
f.or Puerto Rico."
After acknowledging that for the WPC, solidarity with Puerto R:ico has been
a consistent principle, Mari Bras requested "the utmost solidai-ity in
order to help overcome imperialist maneuvers."
Accc~rding to the PSP secretary general, he was imprisoned because he refused
to turn in his passport or to promise to remain in the country in exchange -
for his release on bail.
In his message Mari Bras also salutes the WPC's decision to meet in Panama,
"a place in Latin America, which to a large extent synthetizes our aspira-
tions foi� peace, respect for the sovereignty of all peop.les and liberation.
The use of Latin American soil by the United States and its armed forces,
against the will of the peoples, constitutes a flagrant violation of the
mosr_ elemental human rights of those peoples and a constant,threat to
world peace, he added.
Juan Mari Bras was slated to begin a tour through several Latin American
countries to organize and promote the second international conference of
solidarity with Puerto Rico's independence to be held shortly in Mexico,
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INTER-AMERICAN ArrAT12S
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NICARAGUAN EDUCATION GROUP BEGINS TALKS WITH AUTHORITIi,S
Havana PRELA in Spanish 2231 GMT 24 Sep 79 PA ~
[TextJ Havana, 24 Sep (,PL)-~The Nicaraguan education delegation visitinq
Cuba today initiated an intense program of discussions wit~i Cuban authorities.
These discussions will culminate with the sig~ning of cooperation agreements '
between the two countries. I
- The Nicaraguan delegation, totaling 18 persons, is headed by Fernando Cardenal, I
national coordinator of the literacy campaign, and by Mariano ~'iallos, rector i
of the National Autonomous University ef Nicaragua (UNAM}. i
Cardenal told PRENSA LATINA that Nicaragua is committed to a literacy ,
_ campaign called "heroes and martyrs of the liberation." Other delegates
have stated that they have come to Cuba for the purpose of seeking advice
- and support in the fields of higher education, literacy and primary school
education. During their stay in Cuba, that began yesterday and will end �
Saturday, the Nicaraguan delegation and the Cub an authorities will put the
final touches on the cooperation agreement talks that were initiated last
month in Managua when Cuban officials visited that capital.
Part of the Nicaraguan delegation is from the university.'s political i
committee and is made up of. two UNAM officials, rwo professors, two studen~ts
and two workers. This group initiated its work sessions today at Cuba's ;
Higher Education Ministry.
Today the representatives of the Nicaraguan literacy campaign were briefed ~
throughout the day on a similar campaign carried out in Cuba in 1961.
Meanwhile a third group, composed of inemb~rs of the National Association
- of Nicaraguan Teachers, will hold meetings with Cuban leaders of the
National Union of EducatiQn and Science and oF various schools of the
University of Havana.
Cuba will give Nicaragua advice in th~ fields of literacy campaigns,
_ educational programs and structures and functioning of higher education,
and approximately 1,000 primary teachers will go to Nicaragua to contribute
to the education of children in rural areas.
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ARGENTINA
- `YOMIURI' REPOATER INTERVIEWS ARGENTINE PRESIDENT VIDELA
Tokyo YOMIURI SHII~UN in Japanese 13 Sep 79 Morning Edition p 2 OW
[Arricle by Correspondent Otaka]
[Excerpts] Buenos Aires, 11 Sep--Argentine President Videla, who is scheduled
to make an official visit to ~apan in early October, granted aii interview to '
= the Japanese Press Corps in Buenos Aires on 11 September. Concerning the
- purpose of his forthcoming visit to J~pan, he stressed: "I intend to hold
direct talks with Jaganese officials in the political, economic, sociai and
cultuzal fields and discuss ways to promote understand~ng and strengthen co-
~perative relations between our t~%o countries." With respect to economic
relations in particular, Videla empna~ized: "On the occasion of my visit,
I want to bring our rautually depend~nt and compl~mentary relations to per-
fection." As a concrete example of such efforts, he said, Argentina wants '
Japan to introduce its technology and capital into the country in order to
develop agriculture and livestock, Argentina's two ma~or industries. As -
regards Japanese cooperation, he enumerated the following three pro~ects
that require Early settlement: 1) expans:ton of the state-run (SOMISA) iron
works; 2) fisheries off Patagonia; and 3) electrification of the (ROCA)
railway.
� Concerning the significance of his visit to Japan, Videla said: "Tradition-
ally, Argentina has leaned toward Europe. But, since interrelationships ~
have deepened among nations in the presen~ world, we want to promote good ~
relations with all nations." ~
Argentina, Videla said, wants Japan to play a complementary r~~le in develop-
ing transportation and communications, which are needed to increase produc-
tivity in agriculture and livestock. He said: "Argentina has abundant
natural resources such as food and energy, and it is obligation to provide
these resources to the whole world. We would like Japan to cooperate in
. the development of our industry so we can discharge this obligation."
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. ARGENTINA
CURRENT LEFTIST TRENDS FORCING NATION TO STAND ALONE
Buenos Aires CARTA POLITICA in Spanish 23 Aug 79 pp 78-79
- /Article by Mariano Grondona, editor of Carta Politica/
/Text/ Here is a list of facts whose joint appearance on the political
scene, dPmands some type of explanation:
1. xn Quito, the Fresidents of E~enezuela, Colombia and Ecuador and the
foreign ministers of Peru and Bolivia have just signed the so-called Quito
Declaration, which is nothing more than a call to crusade for the immediate
implantation of democracy in all Latin America. In this way, the Andean
Pact, which until yesterday was only an economic collection of nations of
diverse political leanings--civilian Venezuela and Colombia, military the
rest of those named and Chile which no longer belongs to it--becomes an
ideologically belligerent political alliance.
2. The Andean Pact had anticipated this new vocation by leading support
for Sandinism in Nicaragua. As is known, Sandinism is an unstable, explosive
mixture of three currents: pro-Soviet Marxism, independent Marxism and
social democracy. The fact is that by bringing about the replacement of
� Somo�r,a by the Sandinist Front in Nicaragua, the Andean Pact nations, Mexico,
Panama, Brazil, the United States--that is, the bulk of the inter-American
_ system--clearly marked their preference for a Marxist risk if it is the
alternative to authoritarianism of the right.
> 3. As a consequence of the events in Nicaragua, the other Central American
anticommunist autocracies--E1 Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala--whi.ch are
still deprived of American military aid by Preside~t Carter's decision, will
have to evolve rapidly and perhaps catastrophicall, toward hurried elections
or face shortly considerable guerrilla challenges with inter-American support.
4. Carter is dying politically and the success of the democrats in the
American presidential elections of November 1980 is no longer probable in
view of the progress of the center right in Western developed countries
that has already been uerified in recent electi.ons in the United Kingdom,
Canada, the European parliament and the Italian parliament. Therefore, i~
is expected that those sectors of the State Department and the American
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- Congre~s which have pushed the strategy of destablizing autocratic and
anticommunist regimes will speed up their actions in the coming months in
order to utilize to the fullest what could very well be their last stretch
of puwer.
- 5. 'Che destabilization campaign which President Carter started in Latin
. America under the protection of human rights has already produced the
Eollowing results:
(1) In Santo ~7emingo, the strong man, President Balaguer, was replaced by
social democrat Guzman;
(ii) In Brazil, the so-called "decompression,"--a gradual procedure of
controlled political opening by the military power--runs the risk of becoming
an "uncorking," in the Spanish style, insofar as it could get out of '.iand as
a result oF the military power's efforts to be included amo:~g the continent's
democratic nations and not become a barget of the destabilizing campaign;
(iii) In Ecuador, Jaime Roldos' populism has succeded over the military
, regime;
(iv) In Peru, the political parties are confronting tl-~e withdrawin; Armed
~ Forces with a constitution the latter do not accPpt, with general elections
being forecast for the coming year;
(v) In Bolivia there has been a succession of president-ial elections,
= without any solution in sight (one last year, anoc:~er one this year, a
third one next year), with possibilitizs of success for Siles Zuazo's
~ leftist Front;
(vi) In Nicaragua the optimists grant some possibiiity to the social
democrats. The pessimists assure that all Carter can exp~ct the,re is that
the communist victory "will not be evident" before the AmE~rican elections;
(vii~ As we said before, the fate of E1 Salvador, Honduras and Guatemd'.a
is uncertain;
(viii) Mexico, like Brazil, manages to be admitted among the block of
democratic nations despite its being in no way a democracy through a
marked turn to the left, especially in the international field;
(ix) Finally, corresponding reports draw attention to Paraguay's future,
stressing the recent declarations of an Argentine subversive in Nicaragua,
who said that the proximity of a"sanctuary country" is essential for the
guerrilla. Costa Rica was the "sanctuary country" for Nicaragua. We11
informed s~urces supvose rhat the Bolivian "chaco" could soon become the
sanctuary country for~Paraguay. Situated in the heart of the last great
anticommunist area of Latin America, Stroessner's Paraguay c~uld be, accord-
ing to these stories, the next objective of the distabilizers. Obviously we
! must point out, in addition, the proximity of the Paraguayan and Argentine
~ "chacos."
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6. ^,'he by-no-means innocent mention of Argentina among the counrries which i
~ cuu I cl I~~~ve (ncldk~nts wi th the United States in the report inEorming of the ~
, ncrw ~merican ~ggretisiveness :in other countries' territorial waters, as well '
~~ti tlie imminent arrtval of the OAS Commission on Human Ri.ghts would seem to
clirec:t tt~e pressure toward our beaches.
As far as 4~hat is important, essential, the lisC stops her�e. Certainly
there are few countries that do not find themselves driven in one way or ;
another by this "wind toward the left" which in Latin America, as opposed
to the deve~oped West tries to become dominant. Should we enumerate them?
Uruguay, Chile, Argentina...
The situation is similar in more than one way to that of the forties when
western deomcraci.es chose to work with (Soviet) communism rather than
cooperate with the authoritarianism of the righti (nazism, fascism), putting
, nations such as Argentina in a delicate situation. At the beginning of the
forties, Argentina wanted to maintain its neutral position despite the
Amexi.can pressure in favor of a war against the Axis powers. There were
- also ideological undertones: after all, Ramon Castillo's government, being
a civilized western regime, was closer to authoritarianism of the right than -
to communism. Today, Jorge Rafael Videla's government is, in turn, a western
and c:ivilized regime which is very far from the personal, lifetime and
dynastic dictatorships of the ~aribbean or Central America. The~e is no
doubt, however, that for the Argentines of today the main enemy is the left.
Its i.mage is the ERP /Revolutionary People's Arm~/, the Montoneros, and for
this reason it would be very difficult to approve of a policy which would
ct~oose to risk communism in our region as a lesser evil than an authoritar-
ianism of the right. Their option would rather be the opposiCe.
The philosophic basis for the Quito Declaration could be stated in two
sentences: first, "democracy now;" second, "anything rather than autocracy
of the right." Those propositions are vulnerable. Counter to the idea
that democracy is an all or nothing "bet" played in the elections following
a military coup, Argentines of 1979 are developing the thesis that democracy
is a construction, a way, which is followed gradually and carefully. This
is because we come from not one but several experiments of "democracy now."
We do not want to repeat them. We are not for this less democratic. Maybe
we are more: this time we want to be sure. As far as the anti-authoritarian
fobia expressed in Nicaragua by the total support of a front whose major
component is Marxism, Argentina defines its main enemy in the opposite way.
For those signing in Quito, the main enemy is "dictatorship," that is, the
autocracy of the right. For Argentina, it is "totalitarianism." From the
first one, which is also condemnable, one can return, however. The auto-
cracy of the right leaves in private hands culture and production. There is
no irreversible, totalitarian and "total" dictatorship other than Marxism.
The waters are divided and we remain on this side of a developing ideological
frontier. We remain, in addition, in a minority, almost alone. We do not
know for how long, since for the center right which has been succeeding in
the developed West, communism again become the principal enemy.
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� This is not tne time, it seems, to relent. Perhaps it will never be the
time, because a nation such as ours cannot accept lectures in political life
from leaders who are the product of occasional situations or passing crises.
Must we listen in silence to the democratic lecture of those who cannot even
show a tradition in this matter si~nilar to ours? No: to each his own.
Argentine perserverence must becor~e even more entrenched with the suspicion ~
that this sudden flurry of the ~:nter left and the left will spe~d up, like
music, in its finale. In a year, perhaps the picture will have changed
decisively. -
In the forties inter-American pressures led us to two mistaken attitudes.
One, submission. The other, exploitation. Argentina was finally led to .
sign a declaration of war in an act better left forgotten. Right after, -
howe~er, a certain politician turned this pressure into a banner which he
used in domestic battle--"Braden o...." Neither *_he one nor the other,
~ or better, the opposite. This time let us be firm and prudenti. Let no
one dictate to us our own rhythm toward democracy. On the other hand, let
nobody turn into a party or personal banner what will be, like the guerrilla,
the World and the Beagle, another providencial opportunity for domestic
~ cohesion. While she remains with us, let us t~,reat Mrs Loneliness simply
like gentlemen. _
CGPYRIGHT: Carta Politica, 1979
9341
CSO: 3010
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i -
I
~ CUBA �
I -
~
, CARLOS FRANQUI LISCUSSES POLITICAL PRISONERS
_ Milan L'EUROPEO in Italian 6 Sep 79 p 87
[Text] Fidel Castro sen~'~s his political prisoners to Puerto Boniato, the
y same prison to which he w~as sent by Batista in 1953.
~ Puerto Boniato is an old prison, from the colonial period, in Santiago di
Cuba. It has the reputation of being the darkest and most sinister prison
on the island. One hundred political prisoners have been sent there after
- being imprisoned previously in the Combinado del Este, the new socialist
prison in Havana. They were chosen from amon,~ the most important prisoners.
Am~ng them is Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo, the former guerilla commander (of
whose hunger strike we spoke in L'EUROPEO No 27, in this same ~.olumn):
of Spanish nationality, he comes from a family of anti-Fascists, with two
heroic fighters killed in battle; the first one against Franco and the
second against Batista, while he was leading the assault on the presidential -
palace. And now he is in Puerto Boniato, the same prison where, according
to data gathered by Amnesty International, several prisoners have died while
being tortured and where the Catholic poet Armando Valladares also was
transported and mistreaCed, even though he was sick.
It is a prison which gives Cuba a very sad reputation, so numerous are
the people who have been imprisoned there and in some cases who have died
there. In July 1953, the then dictator Batista ordered that the still
young Fidel Castro, who had 1ed the assault on the Moncada barracks, be
imprisoned there. And there he tried to assassinate him. He was saved by -
a lieutenant, Yanez Pelletier, who was later to become his aide de camp
in 1959. This is how Castro recalls his days of prison, in the book "La
Storia Mi Assolvera" [History Will Absolve Me]: "Although absent, I was
able to follow the trial, in all its details, from my cell, through the
~collaboration of the entire community of Boniato prisoners, who, despite
every threat of severe punishment, demonstrated every kind of ingenuity to
deliver to me directly gathered news and information of every type. They
avenged themselves in this way for the abuse and immoralities committed
by the director Toboada."
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The prisoners of Puerto Boniato .are invincible: they do not acknowledge
their guilt, they have not confessecl, for years they have resisted the
"reeducation" imposed by the jailers. Almost all of the~ fought against
Batista, are fighting af;air~st Russification, m~iYitarization 3nd the lack of -
freedom under Russo-Castroism.
On ttie eve of the Conference cf Nonalined Nations, whicr: is being held in
Havana, the regime decreed operation "cleanup," repainting the city, reor- -
ganizing the streets, filling the empty shop windows and, naturally,
cleaning up the city o� protestors, arresting them en masse. Castro him-
self admitted recently that "nothing is working, neither labor nor schools,
neither the hospitals r_or the economy nor the administration."
'It~o years have passed since Castro promised the reZease of poli.~ical pri-
soners. Why now, on the eve of the conference, does he send th~~m f ar away
from Havana? Why does he separate men who have gone through years of
imprisonment together, like Hubert Matos, Valladares and still others?
The regime is afraid of protests. The crime of the revolutionary prisoners
is that of being witnesses to the regime's crimes. And Fidel Castro does
not want them, not on the island nor abroad. The prisoner of Eoniato has
- become the jailer of Boniato. What will history do now? Will it absolve -
him?
COPYRIGHT: 1979, Rizzoli Editore
8956 -
CSO: 3104
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