Demand Medical Attention for Critically Ill Cuban Prisoners

January 16, 2008

Jailed Cuban activists Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque and Tony Diaz are dangerously ill and are not receiving vital medical treatment, according to their family members.

Dr. Garcia Paneque was healthy when arrested in 2003 but now suffers from malabsorption syndrome and has lost nearly half of his body weight. His health has deteriorated rapidly over the past several weeks. Tony Diaz has been diagnosed with a tumor in his prostate and ulcerative colitis in his colon. Despite repeated requests for medical attention, both men continue to be held untreated in prison.

Join us in urging Cuban authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque and Tony Diaz and to provide them with the necessary medical treatment as long as they remain in detention.

Background

For more information on Tony Diaz's case, please click here.

For more information on Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque's case, please click here. Please also see our previous alert on his serious health conditions here.

Sample Letter

Raul Castro Ruz
Presidente Interino de Cuba
c/o Cuban Interests Section
2639 16th St NW
Washington, DC 20009

Your Excellency:

I am writing to express my deep concern about the continued detentions of Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque and Tony Diaz, peaceful activists who have been in prison since April 2003 and who are critically ill. Dr. Garcia Paneque has been held in "Las Mangas" prison in Bayamo since November 2005, and Mr. Diaz is currently held in the Canaleta provincial prison in Ciego de Avila.

Dr. Garcia Paneque has suffered from intestinal problems that have caused him to lose almost half of his body weight. He is malnourished and has developed intolerances for lactose and gluten that have not been addressed by the prison diet. His wife's request for his release on medical parole in November 2005 has not been answered, and his health has since further declined. In recent weeks, he has reported repeated incidents of dizziness and diarrhea and severe rectal bleeding.

Mr. Diaz exhibited signs of several serious health conditions, including a tumor in the prostate, ulcerative colitis in his colon, a kidney stone, and accelerated loss of vision, in an April 2007 medical checkup requested by his wife. Mr. Diaz has a family history of colon cancer, and these diagnoses were a cause for serious concern for his family members. A second checkup last week revealed that his prostate and colon problems have not improved, but the prison doctor was unable to provide any remedy because he did not have the resources.

Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque is a peaceful human rights activist and independent journalist who oversaw an independent library and medical association, activities which are protected by international law. Tony Diaz was one of the principal organizers of the Varela Project, a peaceful organization dedicated to political reform. The detention and excessive sentences of these two men are violations of their fundamental human rights. They are two of many non-violent prisoners held despite severe illnesses that are caused or exacerbated by harsh prison conditions.

The 1998 U.N. Declaration on Human Rights Defenders provides that governments should protect the rights of all individuals to freely share information about human rights and advance fundamental freedoms. Dr. Garcia Paneque and Mr. Diaz have been imprisoned for exercising these basic rights.

I urge the Cuban government to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque and Tony Diaz, as well as all others held for their nonviolent promotion of human rights and democracy and the peaceful expression of their beliefs.

While Dr. Garcia Paneque, Tony Diaz and others remain in detention, I ask the Cuban government to guarantee that the conditions of their detention conform to basic international standards as defined under the U.N. Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the U.N. Body of Principles for the Protection of all Persons Under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment. These documents elaborate the basic standards needed to protect the rights of detainees, including the provision that sick prisoners receive adequate medical treatment. A second opinion from a medical professional is provided for under these guidelines. Finally, these standards detail the rights of prisoners to regular correspondence and family visits.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.