Castro

During the Batista dictatorship, there were 11 prisons in Cuba. Now, as can be seen on the

above map, there are over 300! The entire island is surrounded by prisons!

The questions are:

Why so many prisons in a country where everyone is supposed to be equal?

Why so many prisons in a country where the people are in charge?

Why so many prisons in a country that for 46 and a half years has been 'educating' the 'new man'

that is supposed to be like Che?

Why so many prisons in a country where 99.9999% of the people 'vote' in favor of the dictator for life?

"LA CABAÑA," THE MILITARY FORTRESS WHERE THE ARGENTINEAN MERCENARY CHE GUEVARA

COMMITTED MOST OF HIS CRIMES

One of the cells where political prisoners were held. More than a dozen of political prisoners were normally held in each one of these cells

Two more views of the inside of the prison

Political prisoners on the outside patio of the prison

The 'toilet' that the prisoners had to use

The infamous 'paredon' (the wall). Hundreds of political prisoners were shot against that wall on orders of Che Guevara



	One of the cells known as 'gavetas' (drawers) where prisoners had to spend most of their time lying down because the roof was too low for them to standup

	Another cell, this one in Manzanillo, that also had a very low ceiling and didn't allow\the prisoners to stand. Between 10 and 15 political prisoners were kept in cells like these for six or more months. The space between the small wall and the back of the cell was used by the prisoners to defecate and urinate since there were no toilet facilities in these cells.

Meet Juan Carlos Leiva, he is a Cuban dissident who is blind and that the Cuban regime

put in jail for demonstrating in support of other political prisoners.

Here is what Amnesty International had to say about his case:

Amnesty International is reiterating its concern for the health of Juan Carlos Leiva, a

blind 37-year old lawyer, held in Holguín prison in Holguín province, Cuba. Juan Carlos

Leiva reportedly weighs approximately 45 kilos following a (partial) fast from 4 September

until 25 December 2002. Amnesty International is also concerned that Juan Carlos Leiva

could be maltreated. On one occasion he reportedly was left in the interrogation chamber

and, despite being blind, had to find his own way back to his cell, bumping into obstacles.

He has also reportedly been denied the use of a cane.

Furthermore, he stated that food and water caused a burning sensation en route in his

digestive system, which should be investigated. Juan Carlos Leiva’s his wife, Maritza

Calderín, and his brother José have also said to have been harassed and threatened with

The incredible thing is that this brutal regime still has supporters here in the US and in

many free countries of the world! Shame on them!!

The infamous mud-wall cells (celdas tapiadas) at Combinado del Este Prison in East Havana,

where hundreds of political prisoners are still being tortured and held in complete isolation.

Here is a report from Human Rights Watch about Castro's Gulag:

"Like Cuba's general prison population, political prisoners frequently suffer dramatic weight loss due to meager food rations, serious and sometimes life-threatening health problems due to insufficient medical attention, and abuses at the hands of guards or other inmates. But political prisoners also encounter problems unique to their status as non-violent activists, for holding anti-government views or for criticizing human rights violations in the prisons. Every political prisoner we spoke to stressed that Cuba's confinement of non-violent prisoners with prisoners convicted for violent crimes, often in maximum-security facilities with Cuba's most hardened criminals, is degrading and dangerous. Prison authorities refuse to acknowledge political prisoners' distinct status and punish them for refusing to participate in political reeducation, not wearing prison uniforms, or denouncing human rights abuses in the prisons. Guards restrict political prisoners' visits with family members and subject relatives to harassment. Prisoners' relatives also face government intimidations outside the prison walls. Before trial, many Cuban political prisoners routinely spend several months to more than a year in pretrial detention, often in isolation cells. Following conviction, they face additional punitive periods in solitary confinement. The government also crushes free expression inside the prison walls with criminal charges and prosecutions of previously-convicted prisoners who speak out about inhumane prison conditions and treatment. Cuban police or prison guards often heighten the punitive nature of solitary confinement with additional sensory deprivation, such as completely blocking all light from entering a cell, blocking ventilation, removing beds or mattresses, seizing prisoners' clothes and belongings, forbidding prisoners from communicating with one another, or restricting food and water beyond the already meager prison rations. Prison and police officials also disorient prisoners by leaving lights on in cells for twenty-four hours a day, incorrectly setting the time on clocks, or incessantly playing loud music. Many prisoners said that their discomfort was aggravated by extreme heat and swarms of mosquitoes biting them in the tightly closed cells. Experts in treating torture survivors recognize these as methods of physical and psychological torture."

Boniato Prison in Eastern Cuba is another prison where political prisoners are still being kept in the most inhuman

conditions.

Please help therealcuba.com reach more people worldwide to let them know what Castro

has done to that once beautiful and happy island.