What changed

B100049/2024

P10_TA(2024)0010

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on theThe case of José Daniel Ferrer García in Cuba

(2024/2805(RSP))

PE762.606

European Parliament resolution of 19 September 2024 on the case of José Daniel Ferrer García in Cuba (2024/2805(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Cuba,

– having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas José Daniel Ferrer García, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, was arrested on July 11, 2021, when he tried to join the protests in Santiago de Cuba;

A. whereas human rights defender and opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer García was detained on 11 July 2021 in the context of widespread protests in Cuba, and has been held in isolation since 14 August 2021; whereas the Cuban regime has imprisoned, harassed and intimidated him for over a decade for his peaceful political activism; whereas since March 2023, he has been held incommunicado and his family have received no information about his health and have been denied the right to visit him;

whereas since 14 August 2021, he has been held in solitary confinement under inhumane conditions in the maximum-security Mar Verde prison without access to treatment and extended periods of over 4 months in which he was held incommunicado;

B. whereas the Cuban regime holds political prisoners in the most appalling conditions; whereas reports indicate that José Daniel Ferrer is in a critical condition and has been held without access to medical treatment, with inadequate food and in unsanitary conditions, which constitute forms of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment;

whereas Ferrer was earlier arrested during the Black Spring of 2003 and sentenced to 25 years for his role in the Varela Project Campaign; whereas, he was again arrested in 2019 and trialled behind closed doors;

C. whereas the human rights situation in Cuba is alarming, particularly for dissidents, who are subjected to worrying levels of surveillance and arbitrary detention; whereas the number of political prisoners is unknown but reliable sources state that the regime holds over a thousand prisoners, including minors; whereas among the many political prisoners are Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Lizandra Gongora, whose health condition is critical;

whereas, amid a bloody economic and humanitarian crisis, Cubans had taken to the streets on March 17 in Santiago de Cuba following days without water and electricity; whereas the protests quickly spread to other cities despite the regime’s effort to cut off internet access and prevent reporting on violence and oppression;

1. Urges the Cuban regime to immediately and unconditionally release José Daniel Ferrer and all persons politically and arbitrarily detained for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;

whereas arbitrary detentions and harassment of dissenting voices in Cuba have dangerously increased since 2022, reaching over 830 cases by August 2024, compared to 800 in 2023;

2. Condemns the systematic human rights violations and abuses perpetrated by the Cuban regime against protesters, political dissidents, religious leaders and human rights activists, among others; urges the Cuban authorities to immediately end the repression;

whereas the European Union has sought access and information over growing concerns over the crisis but was denied once again, despite constructive collaboration efforts;

3. Condemns the torture and inhuman, degrading and ill-treatment perpetrated by the Cuban authorities against José Daniel Ferrer and the other political prisoners; calls for the families of victims of the regime’s persecution to be granted immediate access to them, pending their release, and for the victims to be given medical care;

Calls on the Cuban government to immediately release José Daniel Ferrer;

4. Reiterates its unconditional support for the Cuban people and for all human rights defenders in Cuba for their dedication to freedoms and rights which the regime has denied for decades; calls on the regime to listen to its citizens and to engage in an inclusive national dialogue aimed at modernisation and democratisation;

Condemns5. inReiterates theits strongestcall termson the systematic human rights violations and abusesCouncil perpetratedto byapply the Cuban regimeEU againstGlobal protesters,Human politicalRights dissidents,Sanctions religiousRegime leaders,(the humanEU rightsMagnitsky activistsAct) and independentadopt artists,sanctions amongagainst others;those condemnsresponsible for the lackpersistent ofhuman religiousrights freedomviolations in Cuba;

Is concerned at the alarming increase in the number of political prisoners, making Cuba the biggest prison for political activists and dissidents in Latin America; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of individuals detained solely for exercising their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and religion; further calls for the dismissal of unjust criminal charges and supports the facilitation of the return of those in exile;

6. Reiterates its previous positions regarding the possibility of activating the PDCA’s suspension clause, given that the core human rights clauses of the agreement have been continuously breached by the Cuban regime;

Call for the elimination of all forms of European Union financing and concessions of a political, economic, or financial nature directed or managed through Cuban regime institutions; insists that before re-establishing any economic relations with official Cuban institutions, the EU must demand and verify compliance with the following three prerequisites:

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Cuban regime, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission, the Member States, the United Nations and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Unconditional and charge-free release of all political prisoners, an end to repression, and the suspension of all laws contrary to basic rights.

Full guarantees of the Cuban people's right to exercise freedom of expression and peaceful association.

The implementation of a binding plebiscite with electoral guarantees on the transition to a democratic, multi-party system, to initiate a political transition that allows for free, fair, and multi-party elections.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Government and National Assembly of Cuba.