BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF JORGE LUIS GARCMA PIREZ
(ANTZNEZ)BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF JORGE LUIS GARCMA PIREZ
(ANTZNEZ)
Jorge Luis Garcma Pirez was born on a historical date, October 10th, 1964, ninety six years after Carlos Manuel de Cispedes made his famous Yara Cry proclaiming the independence of Cuba from Spain. The economic situation of his home and the delicate health of his mother forced him to study at the ESBEC (Basic Secondary Schools in the Fields) and the IPUEC (Preuniversitary School in the Fields), where his first political questioning about the Castro’s regime emerged, when he was able to read some articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. From that moment on he started to reject all the indoctrination that was taught in the school, and for that reason he was admonished in front of the professors and the staff of the school. Because of this situation, and the imperative necessity to earn money to alleviate the terrible economic situation of his family, Jorge Luis understood that his long kept dream of becoming a lawyer was vanished, so he began working in the most diverse and tiring jobs, such as sugar cane cutter, construction worker and farm laborer. He was expelled from many of those jobs, just fir expressing his political points of view against the dictatorship ruling his country.
By that time Jorge Luis started to be watched closely by the Cuban government, and after he spent six months working at the Cuban Atomic Plant at Juragua, Cienfuegos, he was fired as the result of an investigation carried out by the Ministry of Labor, which classified him as "disaffected to the process". In the last days of 1983, while he was chatting with some friends at the XX Anniversary Square in the city of Placetas, he said that the sole responsible for the 23 Cubans died in combat with the US Army at Granada was Fidel Castro, and he was immediately beaten by agents of the so called National Revolutionary Police (PNR). He was taken from there to the Instruction Department of the State Security Police in Santa Clara, where he was released after being issued a "warning act". But none of this intimidation and repressive acts stopped Jorge Luis’ will to express himself accordingly to what his beliefs. On march 15, 1990, while he was again at the same XX Anniversary Square listening to a official radio transmission calling for the IV Congress of the Communist Party, he started to shout that "communism is an error and an utopia" and "we want and we need reforms like the ones performed in Eastern Europe". He was immediately beaten by agents of the PNR and the State Security Police, who took him again to the their headquarters in Santa Clara, where he was charged this time for "oral enemy propaganda".
That is the way that Jorge Luis’ long and courageous history as a political prisoner began. In June of the same year, being already held in the Provincial Prison of Santa Clara, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison, and for that reason he started a hunger strike that lasted 21 days. This was the first of a long series of occasions that Jorge Luis appealed to this action to protest against the innumerable and brutal beatings, locking in punishment dungeons without water or access to sunlight, and the uncountable offenses directed against his person because of the color of his skin. But none of this acts has achieved to broke the unbridled spirit of this young prisoner of conscience. On February 19, 1991 he declared himself as a Preso Plantado ( ), refusing to wear the same uniform as the non-political prisoners and rejecting the so called "Communist Re-education". Among the multiple actions of rebellion and protest made by Antunez, one which outstands above others is his escape from the Las Grimas prison, in Placetas, on October 17, 1992. In 1995, while he was held in the Kilo 8 Major Severity Prison, known by the nickname of "Se me perdis la llave" (I have lost the keys), he founded, among other prisoners of conscience, an organization called Pedro Luis Boitel Political Prisoner’s Movement, dedicated to denounce the terrible situation of the political prisoners inside Castro’s prison and to promote the usage of civic resistance against the brutality of the jailers of the regime.
From birth, the life of Jorge Luis Garcma Pirez (Antznez), has been marked by his commitment to freedom and by the courage with which he has known how to defend it. A young man (actually only 32 years old), a member of the black race and from a humble origin, his sole humanity and the rage and racial antagonism that the dictatorship has directed against him, are a true and more than convincing example that the tyranny of Fidel Castro is, more than an utopia, a pharisaic and criminal nightmare.
align="left" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="170" height="233">BIOGRAFMA DE JORGE LUIS GARCMA PIREZ (ANTZNEZ)
Jorge Luis Garcma Pirez nacis en una fecha histsrica, el 10 de Octubre de 1964, noventa y seis aqos despuis que Carlos Manuel de Cispedes diera su famoso Grito de Yara proclamando la independencia de Espaqa. La situacisn econsmica de su hogar y el precario estado de salud de su madre lo obligaron a realizar sus estudios en las ESBEC (Escuelas Secundarias Basicas en el Campo) e IPUEC (Instituto Preuniversitario en el Campo), donde afloraron sus primeras inquietudes polmticas cuando pudo leer algunos artmculos de la Declaracisn Universal de Derechos Humanos. A partir de ese momento comenzs a rechazar el adoctrinamiento que se impartma en las clases, lo que le valis ser conducido y amonestado ante la presencia del claustro de profesores y la direccisn de la escuela. Producto de esa situacion, y la imperiosa necesidad de ganar dinero para paliar la terrible situacisn econsmica de su famila, Jorge Luis comprendis que su viejo anhelo de cursar la carrera universitaria de Derecho estaba tronchado, por lo comenzs a laborar en los trabajos mas dismmiles y fatigosos, tales como machetero, obrero de la construccisn y agricultor. En mas de uno de esos empleos fue expulsado por expresar sus puntos de vista polmticos, siempre en contra de la dictadura imperante en su pams.
Para esa ipoca Jorge Luis comenzs a ser vigilado por el gobierno cubano, y despuis de llevar seis meses laborando en la Central Electronuclear de Juragua, fue despedido a causa de una investigacisn de sus antecedentes que dio como resultado la clasificacisn de "desafecto al proceso". A finales de 1983, mientras se encontraba en la Plaza XX Aniversario de Placetas con unos amigos, opins en voz alta que el responsable de los 23 cubanos muertos en combate con el ejircito norteamericano en Granada era Fidel Castro, por lo que fue inmediatamente golpeado por agentes de la PNR. De ahm fue conducido al departamento de instruccisn de la Seguridad del Estado en Santa Clara, donde fue liberado despuis de recibir un "acta de advertencia". Pero ninguno de estos actos represivos e intimidatorios lograron frenar la voluntad de Antznez de expresarse de acuerdo a sus creencias. El 15 de marzo de 1990, mientras se encontraba en la misma Plaza XX Aniversario escuchando la alocucisn radial al IV Congreso del Partido Comunista, comenzs a gritar que "el comunismo es un error y una utopma" y "queremos y necesitamos reformas como las que se efectzan en Europa Oriental". De inmediato fue nuevamente golpeado por agentes de la policma y la Seguridad del Estado, quienes lo condujeron de nuevo a su sede en Santa Clara, donde esta vez fue instruido de cargos por "propaganda enemiga oral".
Asm comenzs la larga y valiente historia como preso polmtico en la carceles castristas. En junio del mismo aqo, encontrandose ya en la Prisisn Provincial de Villa Clara, recibis una peticisn fiscal de 6 aqos de prisisn, por lo que se declars de inmediato en una huelga de hambre que durs 21 dmas. Esta fue la primera de una larga serie de ocasiones en que Jorge Luis ha recurrido a este recurso como protesta contra los innumerables abusos y maltratos que ha sufrido en las carceles castristas, entre las que se incluyen innumerables y brutales golpizas, encierro en celdas de castigo sin luz ni agua, y mzltiples ofensas proferidas en su contra por el color de su piel. Pero ninguna de estos actos ha logrado quebrantar el espmritu indomable de este joven prisionero de conciencia. El 19 de febrero de 1991 se declara en rebeldma como Preso Plantado, negandose a vestir el uniforme carcelario y rechazando la llamada "reeducacisn" comunista. Entre las mzltiples acciones de protesta y rebeldma protagonizadas por "Antznez" se encuentra su espectacular fuga de la carcel de Las Grimas, en el municipio de Placetas, el 17 de Octubre de 1992. En 1995, mientras se encontraba recluido en la carcel de mayor severidad de Kilo 8, conocida por el sobrenombre de "Se me perdis la llave", funda junto a otros prisioneros de conciencia la organizacisn Presidio Polmtico Pedro Luis Boitel, un movimiento dedicado a denunciar la terrible situacisn de los prisioneros polmticos en las carceles castristas y promover el uso de la resistencia cmvica contra los desmanes de los carceleros del rigimen.
Desde su nacimiento, la vida de Jorge Luis Garcma Pirez (Antznez), ha estado marcada por su dedicacisn a la libertad y el coraje y la entereza conque ha sabido defenderla. Joven (sslo 32 aqos en la actualidad), negro y de extraccisn humilde, su propia figura y el ensaqamiento que ha desatado la dictadura en su contra son un ejemplo mas que convincente de que mas que una utopma fracasada, la tiranma de Fidel Castro es una pesadilla fariseica, y criminal.