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Viewing cable 07HAVANA894, POLICE ORGANIZE MOB TO THREATEN HUMAN RIGHTS MARCH

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07HAVANA894 2007-09-11 11:37 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED US Interests Section Havana
VZCZCXRO4218
OO RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHGR RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG
RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHUB #0894 2541137
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111137Z SEP 07
FM USINT HAVANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2261
INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS IMMEDIATE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCE/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE
RUCOGCA/COMNAVBASE GUANTANAMO BAY CU IMMEDIATE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUCOWCV/CCGDSEVEN MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2262
UNCLAS HAVANA 000894 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT PASS AFSPC COMMAND CENTER; 
DEPT FOR WHA/CCA; 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CU PGOV PHUM PINR PREL
SUBJECT: POLICE ORGANIZE MOB TO THREATEN HUMAN RIGHTS MARCH 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary:  Leading human rights activist Marta 
Beatriz Roque Cabello told Poloff that on Wednesday a group 
of ten dissidents participated in a march in the town of 
Santa Clara.  The police organized a group of civilians who 
threatened the marchers with sticks. However; no one was 
actually struck.  The next day one of the civilians recruited 
by the police confronted one of the marchers, Jorge Luiz 
Artiles Montiel, and beat him causing serious injuries to the 
face and head.   Police dismissed Aritles' complaint as 
resulting from a personal quarrel.   Marta Roque also states 
that police are investigating another participant in the 
march, Noelia Pedraza, for distributing literature.  End 
Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU)  Long standing human rights activist Marta Beatriz 
Roque Cabello stated that she heard directly from 
participants of a protest held on 5 September in the town of 
Santa Clara, located in the center of the island.  MBR 
reports that for many months dissidents have held a meeting 
every Wednesday in remembrance of political prisoners.   They 
light a candle for those in Cuban jails.  The group is 
affiliated with Plantados, an organization of ex-Cuban 
prisoners in Florida, who hold similar ceremonies.  Prior to 
this week all these meetings were held indoors.  The police 
and government officials had never before attempted to 
disrupt these activities. 
 
3.  (SBU)  The dissidents on 5 September held for the first 
time an outdoor march.  They walked 1 kilometer to a cemetery 
where they lit a candle and unfurled a Cuban flag.  MBR 
believes that the march attracted police attention because 
youths questioned the protesters what they were doing.  When 
the marchers replied that they were working for human rights, 
some of the youths started shouting "Long live human rights" 
and "Down with Fidel".  The protesters did not join in these 
chants.  On the way back a rapid response brigade confronted 
them.  (Rapid response brigades are groups of civilians that 
the police mobilize supposedly to handle emergencies. 
Reliable dissidents have reported in the past cases where the 
police could not find a local person willing to serve on such 
a brigade and so the police went to a neighboring town where 
they enlisted factory workers with the threat of losing their 
jobs).  The rapid response brigade threatened the marchers 
with sticks but did not actually strike anyone.  The 
protesters returned to their homes peacefully. 
 
4.  (C)   On Thursday 6 September, a member of the previous 
evening's rapid response brigade confronted a participant of 
the march, Jorge Luiz Artiles, outside Artiles' home. 
MBR only knew that this person is called "Pepe" and that he 
is allegedly married to an American citizen. (POL officer is 
seeking more identifying information).  Artiles stated that 
after Pepe started insulting him with well known terms the 
government uses against members of the opposition such as 
"traitor" and "worm", Pepe began beating him. Artiles went to 
a clinic where he was treated for what was reported as 
serious injuries to the face and back of the head. He brought 
a medical certificate to the police to file a complaint but 
the police dismissed this as a personal quarrel between the 
two individuals.  Marta Roque believes firmly that state 
security agents provoked the attack.  Artiles is an 
ex-political prisoner out on a conditional release. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Also on Thursday the police searched Noelia 
Pedraza.  She had been distributing literature on the streets 
of Santa Clara but by the time the police stopped her she'd 
given away all of the books in her possession.  MBR stated 
that the police sought out people who had received books from 
Pedraza and asked them to identify her.  Apparently everyone 
asked replied that they could not identify Pedraza. 
 
6.  (C)  Comment.  The regime may have felt that a crackdown 
in Santa Clara- a town four hours east of the capital- would 
go unnoticed. 
 
PARMLY