Cuba activist dies of hunger strike

[demoleft]

Source: al jazeera

A leading Cuban political activist jailed since 2003 has died after a lengthy hunger strike, officials in a Havana hospital have said.

Orlando Zapata Tamayo, 42, died on Tuesday afternoon after refusing to eat for 85 days, said a spokesman for the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital.
...
Deemed a prisoner of conscience by human rights group Amnesty International, Zapata Tamayo had gone on a hunger strike to protest jail conditions he blamed for his deteriorating health.
...
"We can consider it a judicial assassination," Elizardo Sanchez, head of the Havana-based independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation, was quoted as saying in UNFree Media Americas, a blog by local journalists.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/02/201022431914670486.html

---

no, not an assassination. he was suicided.

"Zapata was convicted in 2003 for political activities anathema to the only one-party communist regime in the Americas. While jailed, his sentence was boosted to 25 years in subsequent trials.

The Cuban government denies holding any political prisoners, calling instead those imprisoned "mercenaries" in the pay of US opponents of the regime. Dissident sources however put the number of political prisoners at 200 in a country of more than 11 million."

afp, http://www.france24.com/en/20100224-leading-cuban-dissident-zapata-dies-hunger-strike

[ro1942]

1. Don't know what to make of this

Do know it take a lot of courage to starve yourself to death.

[joshcryer]

2. They train the CIA operatives well. They're quite loyal.

:sarcasm:

[proteus_lives]

3. Now waiting for the Cuba-defenders to chime in.

"Castro is a great man!"

"There's nothing wrong with a dictatorship as long as there is great healthcare!"

"This man was obviously a RW/CIA operative/Fascist/Corporatist/Religious/Homophobic operative!"

"Well, duh! It's a mistranslation. He refused to eat out of love for Fidel."

[AlphaCentauri]

11. RIP: Joe Stack and Orlando Zapata Tamayo

they did die for the same ideals.

[proteus_lives]

15. And there you are!

Tell me, why do you love one-party states?

[AlphaCentauri]

23. Would it make any difference if they have a Democratic communist party and the Republican communist

party?

[proteus_lives]

24. So you're saying it doesn't make that Cuba is a dictatorship?

[AlphaCentauri]

58. Do they have elections?

[Green_Lantern]

25. if you join an opposing party here you...

Aren't arrested.

[AlphaCentauri]

26. Unless you get money from a foreign government

So the member of the Varela movement in cuba have not been arrested, why?

[Judi Lynn]

27. Nor have any of the members of Eloy Gutierrez' Menoyo's group, Cambio Cubano.

You may remember he lived in Miami for years, was a member in good standing of the crappy Cuban "exile" reactionary right-wing mafia, then returned to Cuba to start his own opposition group several years ago. _{George W. Bush's} adminstration started sending him threatening messages that he would be in BIG trouble, and fined $250,000.00, or put in prison for 10 years if he didn't leave Cuba immediately and return to the United States!

He's mentioned in this article:

Vaya con Dios, Fidel

DEFINING A DECADE 2000-2009
Sunday, January 31, 2010

~snip~
Moderate opposition leader Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo, a former commander who fought alongside Castro in the revolution, expressed hopes that whoever followed Fidel "will have freedom to launch economic and political changes as well".

More:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Castro-resigns





Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo, opposition group Cambio Cubano, which he founded in 1993.

[AlphaCentauri]

50. What about Las Damas de Blanco

They are free to protest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_vg9L-u72I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNloVoGm4oE&feature=related

[Green_Lantern]

53. yes they have...

Antonio Ramon Diaz, sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2003, one of the promoters of the Varela Project, which sought a referendum favoring an opening to democracy and spaces for social participation in Cuba.

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=351563&CategoryId=14510

[No Elephants]

31. That assumes the existence of an opposing party here. Well, one that has any

realistic chance of ever having any actual power on the federal level, given how hard the Republicrats and Demlicans have made it for a third party to get anywhere.

[pnorman]

18. One died for his ideals,

while the other caused the death of another, and for all he knew or cared, a lot more. I'll HONOR the first one, until shown clear evidence that he was a CIA "plant". But the other???

[No Elephants]

30. Please don't put those two in the same bin.

[No Elephants]

29. Can you link to one post here that says a dictatorship is fine, as long as there is health care?

There's a big difference between saying that and saying Cuba is not as bad for its citizens as some would have you believe.

For that matter, assuming 200 political prisoners out of 11 million is accurate, it is 200 too many, BUT it is probably a lot fewer political prisoners in Cuba than some would have you believe.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[proteus_lives]

44. I actually pulled it out of other DUer's asses.

For some around HC makes a dictatorship ok.

[bitchkitty]

49. Then you provide the link to said DUers' posts.

Or admit that you are fibbing. To yourself, that is. We already know.

[proteus_lives]

52. You're being dense on purpose.

You know I'm talking about a theme.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dipsydoodle]

4. reportedly the first time in 40 years

to have effectively suicided himself. How does that weigh up against deaths in US hands at Gitmo ? :shrug:

[ro1942]

5. Very true,thanks for posting

[protocol rv]

6. We don't think the Cubans care about your comment

US citizens who are defenders of the Castro regime usually fall back to defending the communists' crimes by pointing out US crimes. I suggest you try to understand this mindset doesn't really work very well with those of us who aren't Americans nor live in the USA. When we see a crime carried out in a country (think of it as country X), we consider it a crime if we have a certain ethical system, honor, and a sense of justice. We KNOW the US commits crimes. This doesn't mean we are willing to look the other way when others commit crimes.

This is a very important most of you left wing American types who post in these blogs miss. You live in a self centered world, in which America is the center of the Universe, and everything else is referential to US values. Many of us, on the other hand, have what you may say is a universal sense of ethics, honor, and justice. And this means we're not going to condone the crimes carried out by ANYBODY, including your beloved communist dictators and other garbage you like to defend when the need arises.

Furthermore, to the Cubans who suffer under the Castro's dictatorship, the comment also means very little. They know they live under a repressive regime, which on top makes all of them poor, workers in state-owned sweat shops, poorly paid, educated - yes, which means it's even more torturing to know the world outside is so much better, and that Cuba's potential isn't realized because of the dogmatic clinging to outdated and irrational marxist ideas. You fail to reach the majority of humanity, and you will always fail, because your flexible morality, willingness to provide cover for "your bad guys" is so evident. T

Think about it, maybe somewhere deep inside of you there's a shred of independent thought, a realization that no exceptions can be made, that justice should be served, and that we can't create a better world on the bones of those we victimize with our ideas.

[Vogon_Glory]

7. Criticizing the Havana Regime--Naughty! Naughty!

I liked your posts!

Your post condemning the knee-jerk Castro brothers-defending mindset is one of the better posts I've seen concerning Cuba of late. I don't think that most DUers really have much of a sense of how the rest of the world operates, and the Castro defenders in particular are utterly unwilling to match Cuba's present reality against the rest of the world or even the ostensible aspirations of the Cuban Revolution from the late 1950's through the mid-1960's.

I find most of the knee-jerk Castro apologists' defenses of Cuba almost as contemptible as the Heritage Foundation's and other right-wing "think tanks" apologetics for the brutal, stupid, murderous right-wing military dictatorships of Central America written in the 1980's and the 1990's.

I believe Latin America deserves something better than an either-or choice between Castro-style centralizing state socialism and right-wing kleptocratic military dictatorships or pseudo-democracies that leave the less-advantaged in grinding poverty.

I hope that a few of the DUers reading some of the stuff in the LAtin American forum will learn to grow beyond the over-simplistic white hats vs black hats Saturday morning mindset, but I doubt it.

--VG

[dipsydoodle]

9. Oh - you think do you ?

Well sunshine if you'd bothered to check you'd have found I'm English, not American , and in the UK. I tend to weigh things against how things were and would probably have remained without Casto. So maybe put your brain in gear before you spout forth with stock replies in the future.

[crim son]

14. Oh, I feel better.

The English can be jerks too. :eyes:

[dipsydoodle]

19. I'm truly pleased you feel better

.

[AlphaCentauri]

10. I'm confused, why is it has to be Castro's fault?

is Joe Stack suicide Obama's fault?

[No Elephants]

38. Other than dying this month, I see little similarity between the two men or situations.

Stack was not in prison, but a free man. He was a lunatic who composed a Unabomber style rant, set his house on fire, leaving his family homeless, then flew a plane into a building 911 style, killing himself and two others, as well as damaging the building and perhaps putting some first responders at risk. Were it not for a hero who happened by with a ladder, more people may have been hurt or killed.

While he claimed his life had been ruined by inability to pay taxes, he owned the private plane and the people he harmed, including his wife and son, had nothing to do with his tax whine.

Orlando Zapata Tamayo was supposedly in prison for opposing the Castro regime for being a dictatorship, not for an individual grievance, and starved himself to death rather than spend more time in prison (and/or as a protest), hurting no one else's person or property.

[bitchkitty]

21. Left wing American types?

What the hell is that? And do you know where you are, cupcake?

[No Elephants]

39. I replied before seeing your post. I like your reply much better than mine.

[No Elephants]

33. FYI, this board is for Democrats, meaning those eligible to vote for Democratic candidates

in U.S. elections, meaning American citizens of the left.

A few people from other countries who are not eligible to vote in American elections do post here and no one stops them. However, if I posted on a board meant for Cubans in Cuba, and no one stopped me, I don't think I would post there in attack mode.

To each his own, I guess.

BTW, who do you mean by "we" and why is your profile disabled?

[warm regards]

22. There is no comparison.

[No Elephants]

32. Unlikely we'll ever really know which deaths were suicides and which were

"assisted suicides" that happened while people were being interrogaed.

[M155Y_A1CH]

8. Kick

The thread killer doesn't win.

[No Elephants]

37. Psssst. Which one is the thread killer?

(So far, I count 3 insulting arses.)

Rhetorical question--not expecting you to answer.

[cali]

12. Jailed activist starves to death in Cuba

Source: UPI


Published: Feb. 24, 2010 at 11:24 AM


CAMAGUEY, Cuba, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A 42-year-old activist starved to death in a prison in Cuba's Camaguey Province after spending 83 days on a hunger strike, his mother says.

Reina Luisa Tamayo said her son, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, began his protest Dec. 3, 2009, in response to alleged abuses taking place at the Cuban prison, El Nuevo Herald reported Tuesday.

"They have assassinated Orlando Zapata Tamayo. My son's death has been a premediated murder,'' Reina Luisa Tamayo said of her son's death Tuesday. "They managed to do what they wanted. They ended the life of a fighter for human rights."

A crackdown on government opposition resulted in Orlando Zapata Tamayo being arrested in 2003 on charges including contempt and public disorder. Tamayo was involved with multiple dissident organizations before being detained.

Amnesty International said in a release a full investigation be conducted regarding the death of Tamayo, whose only reported survivors are his mother and a stepfather.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/02/24/Jailed-activist-starves-to-death-in-Cuba/UPI-14371267028649/

[dipsydoodle]

13. Posted earlier today

dear lady. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4281351

[WriteDown]

16. "...convicted in 2003 for political activities anathema to the only one-party communist regime..."

Sounds like he was convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors.

[Green_Lantern]

17. like talking about democracy..

Castro says Cuba has progressed beyond democracy...

[joshcryer]

20. I support Cuban activists.

[Judi Lynn]

28. More Cuban prisoner suicides:

Guantanamo Bay
Detainees

~snip~
In late May 2007, a detainee at Guantanamo Bay was found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide.

~snip~
On June 16, 2006, the Department of Defense announced that it repatriated remains of three detainees who died of apparent suicides on June 10, 2006, from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

On June 10, 2006, three detainees housed at Camp 1 were found shortly after midnight after having reportedly committed suicide. Two of the detainees in question were Saudi nationals while the third was from Yemen. According to the JTF-GTMO commander, all three detainees had previously participated in a hunger strike at one time with the Yemeni detainee a long-term hunger striker who had begun his strike in 2005 and ended it in May 2006. The other two detainees had participated in one hunger strike in 2005 and another short one in 2006. According to DoD, all three detainees were not charged under military commissions and were not being actively interrogated. All three detainees left suicide notes in Arabic.

~snip~
As of early February 2003, there had been a total of 15 suicide attempts by detainees since Al-Qaeda suspects began being flown to Guantanamo Bay. As of February 6, 2003, five of these 15 attempts had taken place within the span of the previous three weeks. The most serious incident took place on January 16, 2003, during which a detainee was found hanging in his cell and was only prevented from killing himself through the intervention of guards. The prisoner was said to be in stable but serious condition.

As of mid-June 2004, the Associated Press reported that there had been 34 suicide attempts by 21 detainees since January 2002. Of that number, 14 detainees had made attempts on their lives between January and March 2003. In August 2003, a massive "self harm action" also occurred when about 23 detainees tried to hang themselves with bedding or clothing over an eight day period. None of the attempts have been successful, however one detainee was left brain-damaged.

According to defense officials, every effort is made to prevent suicide attempts as well as other efforts by prisoners to intentionally injure themselves. Mental health teams are assigned to work with the detainees. With authorities concerned, both medical and security teams were reported to have stepped up their efforts to prevent further suicide attempts, as well as other actions by detainees to harm themselves intentionally. Other actions taken reportedly included having guards enter cells during suicide attempts without waiting for response teams and also swapping standard military blankets for ones designed to rip when either twisted or stretched. Many detainees have been showing signs of depression and about one fifth are on some sort of anti-depressant.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/guantanamo-bay_detainees.htm

[proteus_lives]

35. The usual side-step.

To avoid talking the darkside of the "worker's paradise".

[Mudoria]

36. That's all she has...

[bitchkitty]

42. I understand that some people who "call"

themselves progressive find it easy to dismiss the humanity of the prisoners at Guantanamo. Is it because they are Muslim? Or because it's much more convenient for your agenda to dance on the Cubano's grave?

And what's this worker's paradise shit? Nobody ever uses that term here.

[proteus_lives]

43. I'm not dismissing their suffering.

JL is dismissing the suffering of activists in Cuba by deflecting attention.

Worker's paradise is a sarcastic term I use when talking to DUers who lather the Cuban dictatorship with praise.

[bitchkitty]

48. Ah, I see. Cannot debate without sarcasm. n/t

[proteus_lives]

51. Oh, I can.

But I find it hilarious that DUers would defend a dictatorship.

[bitchkitty]

55. That's your fantasy again. Hilarious -

Try not to laugh out loud and giggle to yourself while you're in public.

[proteus_lives]

57. I'll try.

But you folks are just too much sometimes!

[Dave From Canada]

41. What is your excuse for Cuba's political prisoners pre-2001?

[demoleft]

47. since some died in guantanamo, this one deservedly died in cuba. and so be it. congratulations. n/t

[totodeinhere]

56. What has that got to do with this story?

I would think that if you wish to discuss that, and it is a legitimate thing to discuss, then you should start another thread about it rather than hijacking this one.

[joshcryer]

59. Cold as ice.

Should have just continued ignoring the thread. If you can't see how heartless that post is, then I don't know what to say.

[boppers]

34. What were his supposed crimes?

Best as I can find his original "crime" was attending rallies, does anybody have more detailed info?

[muriel_volestrangler]

45. "contempt, public disorder, and resistance"

Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a bricklayer and plumber, was arrested on 20 March 2003 whilst taking part in a hunger strike at the Fundación Jesús Yánez Pelletier in Havana to demand the release of Oscar Biscet and other political prisoners.

He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment in 2003 on charges of showing “contempt to the figure of Fidel Castro”, “public disorder” and “resistance”. In November 2005 he was sentenced to an additional 15 years for “contempt” and “resistance” in prison. In May 2006, he was again tried on the same charges and sentenced to an additional seven-year term. He is now serving a prison sentence of 25 years and six months.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/003/2007/en/e4deb925-a5fd-4217-85df-1b091cfd5efa/amr250032007en.html

[boppers]

46. Thank You. eom

[Mika]

61. Do you notice that none of those HRW reports were sourced?

HRW's source for their "reports" on Cuba are not created 1st-hand. They are simply reprinting "reports" created by the anti Castro "non-profit" Cubanet, located in Miami. Cubanet uses funding (raised from very dubious/partisan RW sources, like the International Republican Institute, various Richard Mellon Scaife foundations, the Diaz-Balart family, etc) is used to pay "dissidents" for hire in Cuba. They have become very wealthy by Cuban standards producing hearsay in the form of 2nd & 3rd hand stories from "some people say" faux sourcing - called "reports" from "independent journalists" sometimes called "dissident" in the RW media.

HRW has none of their own people actually in Cuba. They use highly partisan sources all who have reason to produce "reports" that create the last underpinnings of the US's stand-off with Cuba. No evildoer Castro = no more funding for "dissident" ops. Normalization and open information exchange = no more funding for Cubanet and their well funded "independent journalists". There is a great financial motive for many in Miami's anti Castro industry - that really needs Castro (and the information blackout) to survive.

The US is the declared enemy of Cuba, and funds many millions of dollars of anti Cuba activities with the goal of the overthrow of Cuba's sovereign government. US paid "dissidents" in Cuba are entirely different from Cuba's home grown opposition parties, that do function openly and legally - and reject the taint of US/Miami funding.



Been there. Seen it.

---

[joshcryer]

60. Google "prisoners of conscience" and "March 2003." Cuba cracked down on simple protestors.

Now, some DUers here will call them CIA informants or even worse, terrorists, but these people simply voiced opposition to the Cuban government.

If there were even a hint of major uprising in Cuba they would be silenced quickly.