CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Cuba for United Nations Five Rights Probe

GENEVA, March 27, 2007.- Cuba requested on Tuesday that the UN Human Rights Council probe injustices committed against five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters imprisoned in US for gathering information to neutralize terrorist activities against the island.

Addressing today´s plenary session, Cuba delegate Rodolfo Reyes made the request to Martin Scheinin, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the denominated struggle against terrorism.

Reyes said Scheinin´s questioning of ethnical, national and religious origin as a criterion of discrimination and repression against terrorism was important.

Referring to the five Cubans imprisoned in US territory for trying to thwart terrorist actions against the Caribbean island, he recalled that their ethical profile is not Arabic or Asian, but western.

"If you do visit the United States," he said, "Cuba requests you check into activities by anti-Cuban terrorist organizations working in Miami and violations of rights against the five Cubans unfairly imprisoned in US territory."

"That detention was termed arbitrary by the Council´s Working Group on these affairs," stressed Reyes.

The Cuban delegate said the US also has a naval base illegally occupying part of the Cuban territory of Guantanamo, secret detention centers in Europe and illegal CIA flights all over the world.

The island asked Manfred Nowak, special rapporteur on torture, for his opinion on the so-called Military Commissions Act approved in October 2006 by United States.

He also enquired about US authorities denial of visits to arbitrary and torture prison centers in the naval base in Guantanamo.

(Cubaminrex-PL)