62nd
General Assembly
Mexico City, Mexico
September 29 to October 3, 2006
Camino Real Hotel
Reports and Resolutions
|
CUBA
Resolution of the Midyear Meeting
Quito, Ecuador
WHEREAS
In Cuba press freedom has
been supressed for 46 years
WHEREAS
The government continues to keep 25 journalists in jail, including a woman,
reporter Lamasiel Gutiérrez Romero
WHEREAS
18 imprisoned journalists suffer serious health problems, two of them currently
hospitalized, and officials refuse to release them for humanitarian reasons
WHEREAS
Prison conditions are unhealthy and overcrowded, and prisoner suffer from poor
nutrition, lack of medical attention, and are forced to live together with dangerous
prisoners
WHEREAS
Four journalists released in 2004 for health reasons have been denied permits
to emigrate from the country, and two of them have been subpoenaed by the courts
and threatened being thrown back in jail
WHEREAS
journalist Oscar Mario González, 62 years old, has been detained since
July 22 without having charges presented by authorities nor the opportunity
to be released on bail
WHEREAS
Police intimidation, government retaliation, temporary detentions, house arrests,
and harassment from government security forces prevail
WHEREAS
That independent journalists in Cuba work in overwhelmingly poor conditions,
without sufficient resources nor access to information technologies
WHEREAS
The use of the Internet in Cuba is controlled by the government, which prevents
citizens from accessing the Web, which is the reason for a lengthy hunger strike
by reporter Guillermo Fariñas, currently in serious health
WHEREAS
Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “Freedom of expression
and of the press are severely limited by murder, terrorism, kidnapping, intimidation,
the unjust imprisonment of journalists, the destruction of facilities, violence
of any kind and impunity for perpetrators. Such acts must be investigated promptly
and punished harshly.”
THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING
RESOLVES
To demand the unconditional
release of all imprisoned journalists and to put an end to government retaliations
against the independent press
To demand the immediate
release of 18 journalists who are ill and have not been released for humanitarian
reasons
To demand the unconditional
release of Oscar Mario González
To call for the issuing
of the permit to emigrate for four formerly imprisoned journalists for health
reasons and to put an end to government threats against them
To call for free access
to the Internet for independent journalists and all citizens that seek to receive
and share information and opinions without facing government regulations on
the use of the web.
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