Havana slams EU ‘cynicism’

MEPs voted to condemn Cuba for the “avoidable and cruel” death of Orlando Zapata Tamayoa, who died on February 23 after an 83-day hunger strike for the right to have a TV, a telephone and a stove in his cell. Western media groups have described Mr Tamayo as a “dissident” who died fighting for human rights. However, Cuba observed that he was initially jailed for a common crime and stated that he had subsequently been “manipulated by US interests and the internal counter-revolution.” MEPs voted 509-30 with 14 abstentions to call for the “immediate release of all political prisoners” in Cuba. They urged Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign and security affairs chief, to begin a “structured dialogue’’ with Cuban civil society and “provide unconditional support, and encourage without reservations, the start of a peaceful process of political transition toward multi-party democracy.” Cuba’s main legislative body the National Assembly of People’s Power responded that the European Parliament was guilty of “great cynicism.” It noted that “countless lives, especially of children, have been lost in poor countries due to the decision of the rich countries represented at the European Parliament to avoid honouring their commitments to development aid. “Cubans find it offensive, this attempt at teaching us lessons,” the parliamentary declaration continued. Cuban MPs pointed out that those who “were involved in and/or allowed the air smuggling of detainees, the establishment of illegal prisons and their torture lack the morality to pass judgement on a brutally blockaded and harassed people.” They said that the “unfortunate event” of Mr Zapata’s death “cannot be used to condemn Cuba under the allegation that his death could have been prevented,” emphasising that “the man refused to eat — despite all warnings and the intervention of Cuban medical specialists. “If there is an area in which our country does not need to defend itself with words, because reality is undisputable, that is in its struggle for human life and not only for those born in Cuba but elsewhere, too,” it said, referring to Havana’s longstanding practice of sending teams of doctors to underdeveloped countries.