16 April 2003
OAS Commission Condemns Cuban Government's Executions of Three Persons
(Human rights body says executions did not allow for due process)
(480)
Washington -- The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has
condemned the Cuban government's execution of three men charged with
the hijacking of a passenger ferry boat in Havana and taking its
passengers hostage.
In an April 16 statement, the commission said the imposition of the
death penalty by firing squad against the accused hijackers, following
a short trial, did not provide for due process, and as a result,
"their execution is converted into the arbitrary deprivation of life."
The commission is the principal body of the Organization of American
States (OAS) for protecting human rights in the Western Hemisphere.
The three accused hijackers had been tried in the Cuban courts "for
very grave acts of terrorism" and were given death sentences, based on
what the Cuban government said was endangering the lives of innocent
persons and the country's security.
The OAS denunciation of the executions follows remarks by Jeane
Kirkpatrick, head of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Commission on
Human Rights, in which she criticized the Cuban government's recent
imposition of long prison sentences on 75 human rights dissidents.
In her comments April 14, Kirkpatrick said that "a second quality of
Cuban justice" could be seen during the summary trial and execution of
the three Cubans charged with the attempted hijacking of the passenger
ferry.
Kirkpatrick said no one was hurt in the attempted hijacking, except
the three persons executed. "Yes, they committed a crime, but they,
like everyone, deserved due process and a reasonable sentence," she
said.
The hijackers, armed with a handgun and knives, took command of the
boat in Havana Bay April 2 and set a course for Florida, taking a
number of passengers with them. The boat ran out of fuel in
international waters, after which the hijackers agreed to return to
Cuba for refueling. It was there that the Cuban authorities regained
control of the boat.
The OAS commission condemned the imposition of the death penalty on
the grounds that it did not follow a number of legal requirements
allowing for due process, including the fact that a final judgment
should be "rendered by a competent court and in accordance with a law
establishing such punishment, enacted prior to the commission of the
crime."
Also denouncing the executions was the human rights organization
Amnesty International, which said it marked "another blow to respect
for human rights" in Cuba.
"Coming on the heels of mass arrest and summary trials of at least 75
Cuban dissidents -- most of whom received shockingly lengthy prison
terms ranging up to 28 years -- these executions mark a serious
erosion in Cuba's human rights record," said Amnesty International. It
added that the three men were shot and killed less than a week after
their trial began.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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