Alexandria, Virginia – The U.S. Department of State announced this weekend that the U.S. government had imposed economic sanctions and visa restrictions on a high-ranking Cuban intelligence official and his family for gross violations of fundamental rights in Cuba and Venezuela. “This is a good development and builds upon President Trump’s reorientation of U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere. For decades the Communist Party, as well as senior Cuban government officials, have been given free pass by U.S. policymakers and allies in the region,” said Jason Poblete of the Global Liberty Alliance. “Access to the U.S. market is a privilege, not a right. Anyone who engages or facilitates gross violations of fundamental rights should be held to account. This designation is part of that process,” added Poblete. The State Department November 16 notice states Mr. Julio Cesar Gandarilla Bermejo, Cuba’s Minister of Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior (MININT), had been publicly designated under Section 7031(c) of the FY 2019 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, due to his involvement, by command responsibility, in gross violations of human rights. The designation can be done publicly or privately. In this case, it was done publicly, likely to send a message to senior Cuban regime officials. Pursuant to U.S. laws, the Secretary of State can make these designations where the Secretary has credible information that foreign government officials have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights (GVHR). When these individuals and their immediate family members are designated, they are deemed ineligible for entry into the United States. In addition to the public designation of Julio Cesar Gandarilla Bermejo, Secretary of State Pompeo publicly designated his children, Julio Cesar Gandarilla Sarmiento, and Alejandro Gandarilla Sarmiento. The Global Liberty Alliance, in conjunction with several other human rights advocacy groups, urged the Trump administration earlier this year to publicly designate and impose economic sanctions on Cuba’s Office of Religious Affairs. You can read more about it here. In addition, for several years the Global Liberty Alliance has also recommended other designations of senior officials of the Communist Party and the Cuban government. “Other governments in the Americas and beyond should support the Trump administration’s efforts to hold gross violators of fundamental rights to account. Spain, Canada, the European Union, indeed, any nation with close relations with Cuba should impose economic sanctions and deny visas to senior regime officials and their family members,” added Poblete.
Alexandria, Virginia – For several weeks, the Communist government of Cuba and the party apparatus have ruthlessly targeted Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (“UNPACU”). Unlawfully detained on October 1, 2019, Mr. Ferrer has since been subjected to all forms of torture.
With the support of Mr. Ferrer’s family and a coalition that represents a large cross-section of Cuba’s opposition movement, the Global Liberty Alliance (“GLA”) requested that the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights of the Organization of American States press the Cuban government to adopt precautionary measures to protect the lives of Mr. Ferrer and his other UNPACU colleagues who have been unlawfully detained in Cuba for weeks. Attached is the complete press release with supporting documentation. U.S. POLICY MAKERS URGE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO IMPOSE ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS ON NICARAGUAN OFFICIALS11/9/2019
In a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin this week, House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairman Albio Sires (D- New Jersey) urged the Trump administration to hold Nicaraguan officials accountable for acts of corruption and serious violations of human rights.
“The repression carried out against peaceful protestors in 2018 by security forces and affiliated groups under the direction of President Daniel Ortega resulted in over 300 deaths and 800 arbitrary detentions,” Chairman Sires said. Sires added that “[w]hile I appreciate the actions that your department has already taken, including designations of three officials that were announced today, I urge you to fully utilize the tools available under U.S. law,” and impose additional sanctions on other Nicaraguan officials. For several years the Global Liberty Alliance has been tracking gross violations of fundamental rights in Nicaragua. The GLA has also met or talked with civil society leaders from Nicaragua, including family members and representatives of American citizens who have been targeted by the Ortega-Murillo regime. The GLA has also been urging U.S. policymakers to impose tougher sanctions, visa restrictions, and otherwise hold violators of fundamental rights to account for what they have done, and continue to do, to undermine regional security and U.S. national interests. Since 2008 several Americans have been killed and/or tortured by agents of the Cuba-backed Ortega-Murillo regime. Embedded in this post is a copy of Chairman Sires’s letter to Secretary Mnunuchin. Nic Letter 11-7-19 on Scribd: Nic Letter 11-7-19 by Jason I. Poblete on Scribd
Por ADN Cuba el 02 Sep 2019 – 7:20pm
Philanthropists, evangelists and lawyers concerned about individual liberty in Cuba recently urged U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to issue new sanctions against regime officials whose job it is to suppress religious freedom on the Communist island. The August 19 letter, signed by NGO officials Anna Lee B. Stangl of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Dr. Teo Babun, of “Scope of Aid to the Americas” and Jason Poblete of the Global Liberty Alliance formally asked Sec. Pompeo “to impose economic sanctions and restrict U.S. visas to persons who work for the ORA [Office of Religious Affairs] and the 1 2 Cuban Ministry of Justice.” The authors also asked to “extend such economic sanctions to any individual or organization, no matter where they are located, who supports the ORA and the Cuban Ministry of Justice”.
In response to a request from Cuban civil society and religious leaders a few weeks ago, the Global Liberty Alliance sent a letter of information to ICT industry leaders and U.S. policymakers to raise awareness about alleged weaponization of ICT tools in Cuba. The matter was brought to the Global Liberty Alliance’s attention by a human rights defender and former political prisoner, Mr. Jorge Luis García Pérez (known as “Antúnez”).
In his letter to the Global Liberty Alliance, Antúnez said “social networks, a supposedly independent means that protects the identity and dignity of the people,” are being used by the Cuban government to target them. “Thank you for your interest in the liberty of my country and the defense of the fundamental rights of my people,” Antúnez added. In the letter to ICT executives and U.S. policymakers Global Liberty Alliance Chief Counsel Jason Poblete said as their and other ICT companies “work to provide ICT goods and services to Cuba, it is important to factor in your compliance programs that Cuba remains a totalitarian police state. In spite of U.S. efforts to normalize relations with Cuba in 2014, Cuba is an island gulag, not a Caribbean paradise.” You can read Antúnez’s letter here: 2019-04-10 Cuba ICT Letter by Global Liberty Alliance on Scribd
ABOUT ANTÚNEZ
Mr. Pérez (a.k.a., “Antúnez”) has been an active member of the Cuban opposition movement for decades. In March 1990, he was sentenced to five years in prison for publicly denouncing the Castro regime, a sentence that was later extended because of his opposition and refusal to submit to the will of his captors. In 2007, after 17 years in the Cuban prison system, Antúnez was finally released and now leads the Orlando Zapata Tamayo National Resistance Front.
Interviews : Jorge Luis Garcia Perez AntúnezFor more information on Antúnez’s story see more of his interviews published as a part of The Freedom Collection, productions by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, here.
Statement on the Continued Unlawful Detention of Internet Freedom Advocate Nizar Zakka
Earlier today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee convened to markup H.R. 4744 – Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, which was passed by the Committee and now goes to the House Floor for a vote. The measure, if passed by the House, would impose additional sanctions with respect to serious human rights abuses of the Government of Iran, and on Iranian officials involved in hostage-taking of U.S. citizens and U.S. Legal Permanent Residents.
On behalf of Mr. Nizar Zakka and his family, Mr. Zakka’s lawyer in the United States, Mr. Jason Poblete, issued the following statement:
“Nizar and his family thank members of the Congress, especially Congressmen McCaul, Deutch, Royce, and Engel, the original cosponsors of the bill, for sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that hostage-taking of U.S. citizens and U.S. Legal Permanent Residents will not go unanswered. Mr. Zakka hopes this action, and the many other efforts by President Trump and his national security team will lead to Nizar’s unconditional release as well as the unconditional release of all unlawfully detained persons in Iran.”
Mr. Zakka traveled to Iran in September 2015, at the invitation of Iran’s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi, to speak at a conference on the use of technology and the Internet to promote social, economic, and educational development in the region. After the meeting, en route to the airport, Mr. Zakka was taken by persons believed to be associated with the IRGC’s Basij or the intelligence services. Nizar was unlawfully detained on September 18, 2015, the day before the U.S. Congress voted on the JCPOA political agreement between the United States and Iran.
Nizar has been falsely accused of espionage. In a March 2018 statement to the United Nations, Iranian officials, again, falsely accused Nizar of being involved in a “plot for overthrowing the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Despite the pressures, including psychological and physical torture, as well as several hunger strikes, Nizar has maintained his innocence and has refused to sign forced confessions. The Iranian government has sent mixed signals about Nizar’s case including a statement by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on November 7, 2016 that “[w]hat happened with Mr. Zakka is not a problem between Iran and Lebanon, seeing as the problem was the violation of the applicable laws in Iran by a foreigner, and the problem is actually between the United States and Iran.” Last year the US Congress approved two Congressional Resolutions urging, among other things, that President Donald Trump make the “release of United States citizens and legal permanent resident aliens held hostage by the Government of Iran the highest of priorities … and that the United States and its allies whose nationals have been detained consider establishing a multinational task force to secure the release of the detainees.” UPDATE 21-Zakka Family Than... by pobletetamargo on Scribd H.R. 4744 - Iran Human Righ... by pobletetamargo on Scribd
Prior Statements and Releases
AUTHORITIES IGNORE POTENTIAL CANCER DIAGNOSIS FOR US RESIDENT NIZAR ZAKKA, DENY HIM MEDICAL CARE2/8/2018
“Evin Prison officials are using medicine as a weapon”US permanent resident Nizar Zakka is being denied medical attention in Evin Prison despite being told by his doctor that he may be suffering from colon cancer, his US-based lawyer told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).
Zakka’s attorney, Jason Poblete, also told CHRI that Zakka and his American cellmate, Xiyue Wang, believe prison staff members are drugging their food to make them sleepy. “A few weeks ago, Nizar was diagnosed by an Iranian doctor hired by the family with colon cancer,” Poblete told CHRI on February 5, 2018. “He needs a colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis, but the Iranian government will not allow it.” “Before France’s President Macron goes to Iran, indeed any foreign leader goes to Iran, they should demand the release of Nizar Zakka and all unjustly detained persons from all affected nations,” said Poblete. The French president is expected to visit Iran in early March. Political prisoners in Iran, including elderly inmates, are singled out for harsh treatment, which often includes denial of medical care. The threat of withheld medical care has also been used as an intimidation tool against prisoners who have challenged the authorities or filed complaints. In 2016, political prisoner Omid Kokabee was diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer after years of repeatedly being denied treatment for his symptoms. Former political prisoner Alireza Rajaee, a journalist, lost part of his face to sinus cancer that he says was left untreated while he was in Evin Prison. “I just learned today that Nizar was taken to the Evin clinic for oxygen because he may have bronchitis or some other ailment that is impeding his ability to breath easily. However, no doctors or dentists. He was also coughing up blood,” Poblete told CHRI. Zakka, a Lebanese-born information technology expert and internet freedom advocate, was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Intelligence Organization in September 2015 in Iran while visiting as an official guest of the government to attend a conference on women and sustainable development. In September 2016, Zakka was issued a 10-year prison sentence and $4.2 million fine for unspecified espionage charges. An Appeals Court upheld the sentence in August 2016. “We do not know how exactly or how many times the Iranians have placed substances in his food, but he believes it has happened many times before,” Poblete told CHRI. “This most recent incident, both he and Mr. Wang were extremely tired, for several days they slept after eating the same thing.” Poblete added that the authorities are refusing to give Zakka warm clothing sent by his family for the winter months. “The Iranians have refused deliveries of gloves, hats, or other warm clothing that the family wants to deliver to him,” he said. “Nizar has not seen the sun for months.” “In addition to robbing him of his liberty, they are slowly destroying his health,” added Poblete. “Nizar is extremely ill and requires advanced medical care outside of Iran; he should be released immediately. Evin Prison officials are using medicine as a weapon; their cruelty knows no bounds.” Zakka’s cellmate, Xiyue Wang, is a Princeton University PhD student who was conducting research at a state archive in Tehran when he was arrested in August 2016. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in July 2017. An Appeals Court upheld the sentence in August 2017. At least 12 dual and foreign nationals and foreign permanent residents are being held in Iranian prisons. In November 2017, Reuters reported that at least 30 dual nationals had been arrested by the IRGC since the signing of the nuclear deal in July 2015. The original article can be found here. The following editorial was published in The Daily Star on December 13, 2017. Written by the son of U.S. legal permanent resident and internet freedom advocate Nizar Zakka, it appeals to Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil for failing to act.
The Daily Star (Lebanon) – 13 Dec 2017 – NADIM ZAKKA Nadim Zakka is the son of Lebanese citizen and permanent U.S. resident Nizar Zakka, who has been held in Iran since traveling to a state-sponsored conference in Tehran in 2015. Today my family and I feel betrayed, and my father feels left behind. For two years we have been begging the Lebanese government and its ministries to act appropriately to Nizar Zaakar’s situation, though all we saw from our Foreign Ministry is unprecedented unprofessionalism. Optimistic yet naively I believed in the Lebanese establishment to only realize that our foreign minister has the time to travel the world to gather votes, but could not take the initiative to even secure the well-being of my father. There was a time I felt pride being Lebanese, though as I experienced first hand the neglect and incompetence of our officials I felt nothing but shame in my identity. Gebran Bassil, minister of foreign relations, you knew my father yet you do not speak. You were friends with Nizar yet you did not move. When you were minister of communication, IJMA3, the NGO that my father ran, hired and paid for all your advisers based on your request, yet you are silent. In fact, two months before his kidnapping, IJMA3 donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in provisions, to your NGO “Batrouniyat,” yet your ministry has no shame in avoiding Nizar’s friends and family. Those are just a few of countless ways he has attempted to help the people of Lebanon through IJMA3 and development work. Though when it comes to favors, Gebran, you have no shame in asking my dad for countless courtesies. And in return, he has never asked for anything from you. Gebran, until this day I am not asking you to do me a favor, a courtesy or even an act of kindness, I am telling you that it is about time for you to do your job. You have failed to provide a Lebanese citizen with the basic human rights described in the Vienna Convention and also in the Geneva Convention. You have failed to take the proper measures, to ensure my father’s safety and well-being, just as well you have ignored international protocol. For the most part I am astonished how a so-called Lebanese security agency cannot lift a finger to get a Lebanese hostage home, while on the other hand jumping through hoops trying to secure the release of an Iranian mercenary’s body, who undoubtedly came illegally, without any sort of invitation, and bearing arms. We have reached a point where we do not understand who represents the interests of the Lebanese people. When you are employed by the Lebanese government, when you are getting paid by the Lebanese people, you owe it to the Lebanese people to do your job. Finally, I clarify that I have not shared with you all the suffering that our Foreign Ministry has made us go through, and I will hold my tongue a little longer with the knowledge that it’s time for our ministry and our minister to act. Nadim Zakka is the son of Lebanese citizen and permanent U.S. resident Nizar Zaakar, who has been held in Iran since traveling to a state-sponsored conference in Tehran in 2015. The original article can be found here.
Last week attorneys with the Global Rule of Law and Liberty Legal Defense Fund (Fund) were contacted by Nicaraguan attorneys and civil society leaders about an incident of violence associated with local elections in the municipality of Jalapa of Nueva Segovia. You can read about the matter here.
According to local leaders who contacted the Fund, authorities are using the color of law “as a weapon to intimidate residents and finish consummating fraud in the recent municipal elections.” Mr. Nelson Cortez, attorney for three of the ten civil society leaders being unlawfully detained or pursued by Nicaraguan officials issued a statement after judicial proceedings were allegedly postponed because of a power failure. Fund Attorneys will continue to monitor the situation as well as support. Mr. Cortez and other members of the defense team. Mr. Cortez’s video statement is embedded below: The following is a Thanksgiving Day message to his family, friends, and other supporters from Mr. Nizar Zakka, a hostage being held in Iran’s Evin Prison: Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends and the American people for their support, without their support I would have never been able to survive this mental torture that is being inflicted on me by these terrorists that have kidnapped and took me hostage for almost 800 days now, and has kept me away from my family on this special day. |
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