nns1400 said:No, the analysis by HRW was regarding political prisoners.
The source material for trying to determine numbers of executions, etc,( which is so simple to do, really, in a country with no freedom) was not HRW, but a website that for some reason devotes itself to these sorts of statistics in the world. The link is users.erols.comwarstat6.htmOpen ↗
It cites lots of sources that they explain in further detail on the site. So you can read the list of all the sources they cite. This guy wrote the ANALYSIS line, which you quoted. His view is that between 5,000 and 12,000 people have been executed or died because of the govt in the worker's paradise of Cuba.
Most of the figures seem to agree that over 2,000 people were executed by the regime by 1970; at least 12,000 by the late 90's. Numbers are higher if you include people who have disappeared. Fidel won't say of course. But surely you will agree now with the fact that Fidel Castro executes "a lot" of people. Yes or no?
HRW material was very clearly addressing the issue of dissidents. "[font=Times New Roman]In March 2003,police detained scores of political dissidents and others viewed as "counter-revolutionary" in their thinking. By early April, the Cuban courts had sentenced 75 defendants to prison terms ranging from 6 to 28 years." You [/font]seemed to be of the opinion that there weren't any dissidents, or that they don't get treated very badly, like they do in the US. (The US doesn't even have any dissidents. People here are allowed to say or think anything they want.) Does Cuba have any political prisoners? Yes or no?
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P.S. It is late here in America and I am going to bed. So I will look forward to your reply tomorrow.[/font]
"5 000-12 000" over 47 years is hardly a lot.
That's 106-255 deaths per year.Not a lot considering that for all of that time Cuba has been under covert attack by extreme right-wingers sponsored by the US. Take a look at Haiti where the notorious Papa "Doc" Duvalier is estimated to have killed 30 000 over a similar period.Take a look at Nicaragua,Guatemala,El Salvador,Dominican Republic,Panama,Chile,Brazil,Bolivia,Paraguay,Argentina,Colombia...all of which have murdered dissidents and all of whom have had right-wing governments whose Death Squads were armed,trained and financed by the US.And that's just Central and South America.
You conveniently chose to ignore all of that,and the reason is obvious...Cuba has a left-wing government,and that's your real bone of contention...isn't it?
Actually,I never mentioned Cuban dissidents.As for your statement that people are allowed to say or think what they want...what would be the likely result if I were to say any of the above in a state with the history of violence that Florida has?
Stating that the US has no dissidents is nonsense.Kent State,Waco,The Black Panthers,the Civil Rights Movement,the Anti Vietnam War Movement? The US has a long record when it comes to dissidents...what do you think the millions of people who died in US wars of aggression over the last 100 years were?
The US Coast Guard enforces US government policy and that policy is to return anyone captured on their way to America.Either the US government does not consider these economic refugees are at risk or they are complicit in the "brutal" repression that you claim.You can't have it both ways.
I stand by my original statement.On balance,Castro has been a good president for Cuba based on his record of improving child mortality and providind the best doctors and medical care possible,in spite of the US government sanctions which make it illegal for you to go and see for yourself...as Lim did.I also could visit Cuba if I so chose...in the Land of the Free...you get arrested.
Try reading another perspective about US policy in the region,written by a USMC General,twice decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honour and the most popular soldier in the Usa at the time writing.It was written in 1933,but it remains true today.Nothing's changed.
http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm
Smedley Butler on Interventionism
