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Cubans retained in Bahamas sent an urgent call in the last few hours to the International Community.

Cuban Exiles, respond.

(MIAMI/FLORIDA/November 25, 2004/netforcuba.org ) -
In a telephone conversation from the Carmichael Detention Center in Nassau, Bahamas, David Martínez Pérez, member of the Democratic Party November 30 "Frank País", denounced to Net for Cuba International, their critical situation at the above mentioned detention center:

"There are tremendous problems here, yesterday at 6 in evening (November 23) officials sent us inside the barrack and locked us inside and barred the door from the outside. At midnight they began hitting the door with chains to make us come outside but none of us could go outside. They cleared the obstacles from the door and officers entered the barracks carrying large buckets filled with water and threw the water at us, in their hands they has billy clubs to beat us up, incident that lead to verbal protest on the part of the Cubans. This action was taken arbitrarily only on the barracks occupied by the Cubans."

"On today's date (November 24) they threatened us with beatings, we don't provoke anyone, they have a permanent grudge against the Cubans. If they beat us up with the aid of the Marine as they promised, we will set the barrack on fire with all of us inside."

"We need you to request that this denouncement be heard over the radio, and be published by the press because you are our hope our hope, for you are the only ones that can help us as the large and strong community that you are. What is happening with all of us Cubans inside this detention center, that we are constantly victimized, and abused in such manner by the authorities of this Country? Could the Bahamas be a totalitarian regime and as a consequence is not accountable for these actions in the eyes of the World?"

"Today, it is 11:30 in the morning and they have not given us anything for breakfast. They gave the women bute with worms for breakfast. No one ate it, the women protested, all men, the Haitians, everybody protested and so far they have not given us anything else to eat. This provoked uneasiness in the center. The Official that ordered the assault on us with pails of water is named Watson; I don't know the name of the rest of the officers involved in the incident for they take all kinds of precautions to hide their name tags to prevent us from identifying them. But I need you to denounce this and that a call is made to the population. To all the Cubans, the American people, and every human being, to please support us and intercede on our behalf."

"I am speaking to you now for a Cuban at the center bribed a guard, otherwise, I would not have had access to the telephone. The water, we saved a water sample, it is dark, I wish you could see it. "Here, the children are crying because they don't have food to eat or water to drink, you understand me? We are pacific people but we are not going to allow them to attacks us either."

"If in this detention center they have sent back to Cuba invalids in wheelchairs, they will be sending us back in caskets for we cannot allow them to do this".

"How much longer do we have to bear these unjustified abuses, if we hardy ever talk here because we don't even speak their language? What is the reason for the abuses? What gives them the right to mistreat us? Why?"

"I need that you make an effort to have this played on the radio to see if someone out there has mercy on us".

"We have made participated in hunger strikes up to 15 days when we were political prisoners in Quemado de Güines. But the children here are crying because they are are dying of hunger and thirst, so are the women."

Faced with this facts, the Exile community has taken immediate action. The Cuban Movement for a Unified Democracy , with headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, presided by the Engineer César Alarcón , who has worked very closely with our organization for many years, initiated a series of petitions at the highest level with the government of the United States, to stop this unjustified wave of repression and a avoid the possible deportations of our brothers to Cuba.

Mothers Against Repression/M.A.R. For Cuba this effort of the Cuban Diaspora, requesting solidarity through their weekly radio programs and have offered to send an economic contribution to benefit the needs of our brothers in Bahamas, among others.

The Committee to Aid Human Rights Activists (CAHRA) and the Movement November 30, with headquarters in North Bergen, New Jersey, achieved the opening of a new investigation by Amnesty International about the recent allegations of tortures, beatings and other abuses committed against Cubans and Haitians in the Carmichael Detention Center in Nassau, Bahamas, and they sent copies of the violation's report to the Minister of the Exterior of the Bahamas, Fred Mitchell, forcing him to make a public statement in this regard.

Doctor Ondina Menocal, a former political prisoner and human rights activist, has offered to call on all brother in the Faith, for solidarity with this difficult situation in the Bahamas.

The newspaper: "The Opponent" that our fellow countryman Jay Martínez edits in San Juan, Puerto Rico, reproduced in the recent article published in the "Nuevo Herald", with the statements given by Mayra Enriquez, member of Agenda Cuba and Daisy Gil Ortiz, director of Net For Cuba International that The New Herald appeared in the newspaper, on the declarations that gives Mayra Enriquez,to the channels Univision 23 New and 41 America TeVe News, upon their return from their trip to the Bahamas.

Agenda Cuba, has maintained a permanent denouncement through their weekend radio show requesting the community's contributions and make efforts to prevent that these injustices continue to be perpetrated against our brother in the detention center.

Net for Cuba International, reaffirms its commitment of continuing denouncing this delicate situation, and equally exhorts the international community to firmly pronounce itself against such abuses and all efforts to avoid the deportation of this group of Cuban refugees and opponent to the Cuban government.

For further information on how you can help, please contact Daisy Gil Ortiz, Director, of Net For Cuba International at: 305-220-2715 or 786-255-3356.

This declaration was given as an exclusive for immediate distribution to Daisy Gil Ortiz, Director of Net For Cuba International on November 23, 2004.

Source: Netforcuba.org