Blind Christian Lawyer given four years for his stand for human
rights in Cuba...
Juan Carlos
Gonzalez Leiva, a blind Christian human rights lawyer, was given
a four year sentence yesterday for his stand for human rights
in Cuba.
He was tried in his home town of Ciego
de Avila and no international observers were allowed at the
trial, only relatives of the defendants. He was convicted of
'disrespect against the Head of State' along with other charges
of 'public disorder, disobedience, and resisting authority'.
The authorities have not yet specified whether the two years
he has already spent in prison will count towards the four
year sentence. Juan Carlos acted as his own lawyer and he was
tried along with nine others, one of which, according to family
members at the trial, was revealed as a state agent. He is
currently being held under house arrest.
Juan Carlos was arrested in March 2002
with nine others who had gathered at a local hospital in an
attempt to draw attention to the plight of a journalist who
had been admitted there after being attacked by Cuban police.
The group entered the hospital where they prayed for the hospitalised
reporter and shouted slogans like "Up with human rights" and "Christ the King lives". They then sat down in a side hallway in silent protest. An hour later the group
was surrounded by the rapid response unit of the local security
forces who beat them before taking them into custody. Juan
Carlos was severely beaten by government security agents and
suffered a blow to the head, which required four stitches.
Juan Carlos has carried out a number of
lengthy hunger strikes to protest his arrest and his health
has suffered greatly as a result. He has reported ongoing mistreatment
at the hands of the prison authorities.
Juan Carlos has been active in the Cuban
democracy movement and the Varela Project (a petition of those
calling for a national referendum on whether people favour
civil liberties such as freedom of speech and the right to
free assembly).
CSW met with him three weeks before his
arrest. At the time he spoke of his hope for the future of
human rights and democracy in Cuba.
Tina Lambert, CSW's Advocacy Director,
said: "Once again the Cuban authorities have mistreated and sentenced a man simply for
standing up for human rights. Cuba has been recently condemned
by the UN and the European Parliament for its treatment of
human rights dissidents. Yesterday's decision is further proof
of the authorities' disregard for justice and resistance to
international pressure. Our thoughts and prayers are with Juan
Carlos and his wife Maritza at this time."
For more information or a photo of Juan
Carlos, please contact Richard Chilvers, Communications Manager,
CSW at richard.chilvers@csw.org.uk or ring 020 8329 0045 or
visit www.csw.org.uk
CSW is a human rights charity working
on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs.
We also promote religious liberty for all.
