Cuba
Cuba is an authoritarian one-party state. In his capacity as chief of state, head of government, commander in chief and First Secretary of the communist party, Fidel Castro personally controls a country that lacks the freedoms of speech, press and peaceful assembly as well as an independent legal system. Since Castro temporarily ceded power to his younger brother Raúl Castro, no liberalisation has taken place in any area of society, and fear holds the Cuban citizens in a firm grip.
In spite of the repression, several well-known initiatives are taking place in Cuba; The Varela project, the Todos Cubanos programme, and the "White Ladies", who were awarded the the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament, for their continous effort to gather every Sunday after mass for a silent protest for their sons and husbands that are inprisoned for having though and spoken against the government openly. Even though the outer world has gained greater knowledge of these movements, the Cuban regime has continued its harassments and arrests of dissidents.
The common international opinion on possibilities to achieve change in Cuba is largely that nothing can happen as long as Castro is alive, and that carrying out liberalisation efforts of the type that he would be against might be hard even afterwards. KIC however holds that the world has been too passive, and that change is indeed possible, first an foremost through the Cuban democratic movement that needs to be strengthened and actively supported. The Cuban democratic movement holds that it is time for the Cubans to realize that they are in fact able to solve their problems themselves. Oswaldo Payá, founder of the Varela project, has said that ”the most important thing, is that in this process we Cubans ourselves design a transition program and start experiencing responsible democratic participation in defining and readying the future of our society”. This does however not mean that such a transition could take place without international support. The largest obstacle to change is fear. Support from the outer world can break down that fear. The knowledge that there is actually an outer world that joins in the struggle for freedom, is extremely valuable to Cubans.
About our partner
MCL was founded in 1988 by individuals within the Catholic Church who wanted to discuss politcal and civic issues, a discussion that was not appreciated by the church. It was however emphasized from the very beginning that this was not a religious movement but a political one. The leader for the movement is Oswaldo Payá. MCL is one of the movements that has been hardest struck by the wave of arrests, as ten individuals from the central board have been imprisoned.
What we have done before
The efforts of KIC in Cuba has been focussing on strengthening our partner. Up until the crack-down in 2003, the cooperation mainly entailed educational seminars on how to move from a communist dictatorship to democracy. Today, KIC mainly works with support to families of prisoners of consience and to democrats that are still free. KIC is also lobbying for increased European pressure on the Cuban regime to release the prisoners, and that the European Union and Sweden continues to condemn the methods of the regime. KIC is also actively working to join efforts with several other actors in Europe. In 2005, KIC, in cooperation with Swedish International Liberal Centre and the Olof Palme International Center, published the book "Cuba from within", which was published in English and Spanish in 2006. Also in 2006, the book "690 - Vivencias de terribles pesadillas", ("690 Experienced nightmares"), was published. It is written by the prisoner of consience Antonio Díaz Sánchez, and it tells the story about the violence and abuse against dissidents in Cuban prisons. Sánchez was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in a summary trial in 2003, for having engaged in the work for democratic reform on Cuba.
Plans for 2007
Cuba is a dictatorship, where many interesting democratic projects are going on. MCL has repeatedly expressed a wish for moral support and cooperation with other Christian Democratic parties and organisations. The Swedish Christian Democrats have over the past few years established and kept a unique and continuous contact with the MCL. In order to increase the safety for those already in prison, KIC wishes to continue strengthening their international profile.
What we want to achieve
In a long-term perspective, we wish to contribute to democratisation on Cuba. In a short-term perspective, we are working for increased safety for the Cuban opposition, to strengthen the cause of the democratic movement on the international arena, to make Cuban individuals take sides for democracy and human rights, and to strengthen the political leadership in a crucial time for a successful democratisation process in Cuba.