Denuncias / Reports

The World Movement for Democracy recently interviewed, Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White, about the struggles and triumphs of being an activist in Cuba. The Ladies in White - mothers, wives and relatives protesting on behalf of political prisoners - are frequently targets of state-sponsored violence in Cuba. Cuban authorities often disrupt, arrest, and physically assault the peaceful activists during their weekly Sunday marches. Despite the government's brutality, the Ladies in White have continued to march on, garnering support from the international community, and inspiring Cuban activists to stand up for democracy.

Activists have even resorted to life-threatening hunger strikes to advance their protest against the state's use of violence.

July 28 (DP.net).─ According to a well known catholic bulletin devoted to advocate Catholic views on political and ethical issues, the ACLU is engaged in a propaganda war against Catholic healthcare. "It has filed a lawsuit demanding all documents related to complaints against Catholic hospitals in a fishing expedition designed to show that, by refusing to perform abortions, Catholic hospitals are somehow 'harming' women."

They reject the ACLU's "anti-religion, pro-abortion, radical agenda", including these demands in their anti-Catholic campaigns:

• A federal mandate forcing all Catholic hospitals to provide "emergency reproductive health care";
• A 'systemic investigation' by the federal government of Catholic hospitals and "all necessary corrective action where violations are found" ─ a meassure only targeting Catholic hospitals; and,
• Changes in federal law to force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions on demand.

The Obama administration's Health and Human Services agency recently announced new directives demanding that non-religious hospitals perform abortions and sex changes or they will no longer qualify for Medicare reimbursements. After a legal fight on religious freedom, Catholic hospitals were exempted from this new rule, but the ACLU keeps trying with new lawsuits.

Last January, Presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, declared on this issue that "laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed". In order to justify abortions on demand, she added: "I believe that the potential for life begins at conception. I am a Methodist, as you know. My church has struggled with this issue. In fact, you can look at the Methodist Book of Discipline and see the contradiction (but) individuals must be entrusted to make this profound decision".

The ACLU legal attacks, the HHS directive and candidate Clinton's beliefs are considered by the Church as an all-out offensive against Catholic ethics and religious freedoms. The ACLU is so radical in its defense of abortion that it has held auctions to pay for them. Furthermore, it has championed the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that would have required Catholic hospitals to perform abortions or lose federal funding. This Law did not pass Congress and never made it to President Obama’s desk, though he pledged to sign it.

A recent lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was based on the following arguments: 

El 12 de junio a la 1:35 p. m. de la tarde al bajar de un ómnibus de la ruta 34, en la intersección de las calles Reina e Industria fueron detenidas Marlén Alonso Parada y Moraima Rodríguez Batista por dos oficiales de la seguridad del estado que se hacen llamar Camilo y Kirenia. Ambas fueron conducidas a la unidad de instrucción penal del municipio Playa. Moraima fue liberada pero Marlen sería conducida a otras unidades de la policía al parecer con la finalidad de desorientar a sus familiares y a compañeros del CID. Finalmente fue recluida en el centro de detención del Vivac donde está detenida desde hace casi un mes.

La madre de Marlen informa que su hija está siendo acusada de atentado. Esta es una cobarde acusación que se origina el domingo 22 de mayo cuando varios activistas del CID fueron detenidos por distribuir La Nueva República, entre ellos Juan Manuel Lara Vidal, delegado provincial del CID en La Habana y Yoan Delgado miembro del CID en el municipio 10 de Octubre.

El director de un órgano de prensa independiente fue arrestado el primero de junio en Sancti Spíritus, una ciudad en la región central de la Isla de Cuba.

Osmany Borroto Rodríguez, director de Yayabo Press y del periódico El Espirituano, fue detenido el pasado miércoles a las cinco y media de la tarde, en la ciudad de Sancti Spíritus, capital de la provincia cubana del mismo nombre, por oficiales de la policía política.

Según informó el mismo comunicador alternativo, tras su arresto fue conducido a la sede del Departamento de Seguridad del Estado, donde fue interrogado por varios oficiales de dicho cuerpo represivo. Con ocasión de ser privado de libertad, Osmany fue despojado de cincuenta y dos boletines de prensa escrita, así como de su teléfono móvil personal.