Published Monday 30 nov. in CubaNet
Havana, November 27, 1998 (Cuba Verdad Press Agency)
Mario J. Viera:
Beginning at 8:00 a.m., members of several opposition groups began arriving at the courthouse, and a large group of people gathered there. Several international press agencies, such as Reuters, CNN, France Press and AP were present, and some of the foreign correspondents began interviewing me. I was explaining the charges against me when Dr. Elías Biset of the Lawton Foundation remarked: "Mario is telling the truth." Then an elderly lady…
Lázaro González Valdés:
Biset's remark was due to the fact that a woman there began to voice her objection to what Mario was telling the correspondents, and at that point Biset told them "Mario is telling the truth!". Then the dissidents began to yell "Long live Mario! Mario is telling the truth! Long live our brother Mario!" And then the confrontation began. Seeing this, Attorney Roberto Miranda proceeded to tell the dissidents: "Brothers, don't allow them to provoke you. Let's say a prayer." At that point, the confrontation broke loose with rallying cries, slogans and people coming from the direction of the Capitol. This had all been well organized; they were coming in groups of seven, eight and ten. They were coming from the Capitol and adjacent streets. They even raised a Cuban flag. Patrols began arriving, more than a dozen patrols and members of the Special Patrol known as "Black Wasps."
The whole area was barricaded and the acts of provocation continued. The dissidents remained calm at all times, very dignified. The pro-government crowd sang the national anthem, and our people also sang the anthem; they pulled out a flag, and Armando Rico Pérez, a long-time activist of FUN, an older man with hypertensive heart disease on his way to the hospital who instead decided to be present at Mario's trial, that man raised a small flag he had in his possession and was immediately mobbed. They snatched away his little flag, pushed him around and detained him.
While we remained calm and never attacked anyone, those people attacked us verbally and pushed us around, and then the authorities arrested the victims and not those who were provoking us.
Mario J. Viera:
They first detained Dr. Elías Biset - violently. When they were taking him away, he yelled "Long live human rights!" Curiously, when Biset was being detained, several people in the neighborhood came and gathered there. The group consisted of at least 500 people. People that live in the buildings across from the courthouse applauded the dissidents.
Then the authorities detained Milagros Cruz, a blind woman who is a member of the November 30th Movement. They pushed her around, kicked her and detained her along with Dr. Biset. At that point, Miriam García arrived and she was also detained. Later on we learned that they had all been taken to Villa Marista, where they still remain.
Next, they brutally detained Rolando Yabrel, of the Lawton Foundation. He was attacked by four agents, one of whom was quite big and stocky. They violently pushed him, with his arms twisted, inside a Lada bearing a private tag, a car of the State Security. The entire operation was fully covered by the State Security.
At the beginning of the whole thing, a large number of lieutenant colonels, colonels and sergeant majors emerged from the courthouse. Blows were administered. We presume that Celia Jorge (Celita), an old, sick woman from Corriente Liberal Cubana, who has been missing since 12:00 noon and so far (6:30 p.m.) has not yet arrived home, is the old lady whom we have been told was kicked and carried away by the mob. We don't know where she is and we are really concerned about her. She is in bad health. And we also fear for the safety of Armando Rico Pérez, who suffers from a very delicate heart condition and if he is taken to a dungeon he could die of a heart attack. And these people would be responsible for that. Miriam García went into shock and had to be taken for a shot.
The whole thing was very violent. It was all concocted ahead of time. When we arrived there were no repressive elements present there, and then they began to arrive. The trial was immediately suspended. The civil activity of the dissidents caused the suspension, and the secretary of the court so advised Attorney José Angel Izquierdo. Immediately thereafter, the State Security official confirmed this when he told me: "Go away, this trial has been suspended." To which I replied: "No, this has not been confirmed." He then repeated: "Go away, I'm telling you. Go away!" They ordered us to leave. The State Security has suspended the trial indefinitely.
Members of the international press were also mobbed. Some cameramen were beaten. The whole thing was a violent reaction, which demonstrates the cowardice of the regime - and the fear the regime has. Because such violent measures are not justified just for saying a prayer and supporting an independent journalist who was facing a possible jail term. They are afraid.
Nevertheless, the trial could take place soon. They could take reprisals against me. Because of the presence of a civil response, they might want to unload their hatred on me.
Lázaro González Valdés:
We are very worried that they might want to make it look as if we promoted all of this. It is important to emphasize that that the provocations came from those who are pro-government, and that none of them were detained - none of them were dragged away.
We are afraid that they might want to blame Mario for that situation, or any other independent journalist. Let's be clear on this, this provocation was orchestrated by them. If at the very beginning that lady had something to say, she could have talked to the press there, and her point of view would have been respected because she has the right to defend the revolution, the Communist Party, anything she wants. But she also had to respect the right of the other people who were there peaceably answering the questions of the foreign correspondents, correspondents who are accredited in this country and authorized by the government to, supposedly, practice free journalism.
Mario J. Viera:
I want to emphasize that conditions are not favorable in Cuba to receive His Majesty, the King of Spain. While we were watching this very unpleasant spectacle, there was an official from the Spanish Embassy who was able to witness the treatment afforded the dissidents. There is neither democracy nor freedom in Cuba for the King of Spain to visit the Island, let alone the President of Spain, José Aznar. They did not even care that the Spanish Embassy official was there, watching.
There are those who claim that repression has diminished in Cuba. But repression continues as usual. They want to disguise it - but it's here.
(TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: This testimony refers to the demonstration which took place Friday, November 27th outside the courthouse in Havana prior to the trial that was to have taken place that same day on a charge of defamation against Viera for the article he wrote in June, 1998 regarding José Dionisio Peraza, a Foreign Ministry official)
Translated by Elena Treto