Wednesday, July 11, 2007

For Immediate Release

BLOGGERS UNITED FOR CUBAN LIBERTY APPEAL TO STING
TO ADVOCATE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN CUBA
Banner flies over concert reminding singer of his past activism for prisoners of conscience

Miami, FL (7/11/2007) – Sting, the front man of the legendary rock band The Police, was reminded by Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty of his previous humanitarianism with a banner hired to fly over Dolphin Stadium during the opening act of the group’s July 10th Miami concert. The banner read “S.O.S. THEY DANCE ALONE IN CUBA TOO”, a reference to Sting’s song about human rights abuses in Pinochet’s Chile.



Click image to enlarge

Sting, who worked with Amnesty International in the 1980s and that group’s efforts in denouncing human rights abuses in South Africa and Chile, is reported to have accepted an invitation from the Castro regime for The Police to play a concert in Havana, Cuba in December.

“We want the people of Cuba to enjoy The Police,” said BUCL campaign sponsor Ziva Sahl, “but we’d also like for Sting to use his prestige and influence to help raise awareness of Cuba’s political prisoners, like the Afro-Cuban Doctor Oscar Elias Biscet.”

Cuba’s foreign minister recently denied to international media that Cuba has political prisoners, yet Amnesty International currently recognizes at least 69 Cuban prisoners of conscience while other organizations put the number of political prisoners in Cuba at over 300.

“Sting’s poignant song ‘They dance alone’ could have been written about the Cuban ‘Ladies in White’,” said Claudia Fanelli, also a BUCL campaign sponsor. “Each Sunday these winners of the Sakharov Prize for Human Rights proudly walk the streets of Havana displaying pictures of their husbands, sons and brothers who are political prisoners. We just want Sting to help bring recognition to the prisoners so these ladies won’t have to dance with ‘invisible ones’ anymore.”

Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty is a confederation of blogs, web sites and readers that pool resources and ideas for use in campaigns that raise awareness of the Cuban reality.

Current campaign sponsor sites include: http://blogforcuba.typepad.com; http://www.claudia4libertad.com; albertodelacruz.com; http://marcmasferrer.typepad.com; jluix.com; therealcuba.com; cubanology.com; ninetymilesaway.blogspot.com; cubacompanioni.blogspot.com; lacontrarevolucion.blogspot.com; kensieg.livejournal.com; nelsonguirado.com; abajofidel.blogspot.com; babalublog.com; and CubanAmericanPundits.com.

7 comments:

Jaime R. Brenes Reyes said...

Yeah right. So, you compare Pinochet with Castro? Since you remind Sting to act as in the 80s towards Cuba as he did to Chile, why don't you ask the US government to do the same thing? In fact, did you ever protest against the Pinochet regime? I pretty sure your answer will be a resounding no. Start with your own actions, then you can ask other people to follow suit.

Henry Louis Gomez said...

Sir, I think it would be a tad more hypocritical for a rock star who markets himself as a champion of human rights to close his eyes to the abuse of them in Cuba.

I denounce abuses in Chile, in South Africa, in Russia, in Iraq, in Darfur, wherever they occur. Even int the US.

Happy?

Anonymous said...

Mr. Reyes, what does U.S. policy have to do with a group of anti-Castro bloggers asking Sting to stand up for human rights in Cuba? Why would Sting, or anyone for that matter, not be against human rights abuses no matter where they occur? Are you honestly saying that it's ok that there are no human rights in Cuba because the U.S. government didn't do what you would have wanted 20+ years ago?

Jaime R. Brenes Reyes said...

You said that you're equally critical towards the US. But, were Mr. Bush giving a public speech, would you use the same tactic? I doubt it. I don't even think airplanes are allowed around Bush's ratio. Oh, yeah, US democracy.

All I ask is for you to start at home. You attack Cuba everyday. However, you're based in the most violent country in the world. How ironic, isn't it?

Henry Louis Gomez said...

Sir,

In this country you can literally pitch a tent in front of the president's house to protest him and many have. What's the point?

What does that have to do with Sting and his potential hypocrisy on human rights. If he doesn't agree with Amnesty International's assessment on Cuba then he should publicly say it and give his reasons. He's the one that chose to affiliate himself with them.

Thanks for your continued readership.

Lourod said...

It is hard not to be labeled as a rabid anti-castroite these days...but I will refrain from commenting.

Jaime R. Brenes Reyes said...

"In this country you can literally pitch a tent in front of the president's house to protest him and many have. What's the point?"

If you have the money, that is.