For Immediate Release

BUCL.org Joins Dr. Darsi Ferrer to Protest Apartheid-Like Policies in Cuba

Protest marches are scheduled Monday December 10 in Havana and cities around the world

Miami, FL December 7, 2007 -- Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty (BUCL) extends its support and solidarity to the Cuban Dissident Dr. Darsi Ferrer on International Human Rights Day Monday, December 10. To commemorate this day, protest marches are being held to denounce what protestors are calling the immoral and illegal segregationist policies imposed by the Cuban government.

“In Cuba, apartheid is not racial, but political,” says Henry Gómez of BUCL. “The political system keeps foreigners and Cubans separate. For instance, many public accommodations that are open to tourists and high-level Communist bureaucrats are off limits to everyday Cubans.”

Protest marches will be held in Havana at the park on Calzada between D and E (Vedado), in Miami at the Graham Center at Florida International University (FIU), and in Los Angeles at 202 West First Street. The marches will begin at 11:00 am EST (8:00 am PST).

Regarding Cuba’s current system, Dr. Ferrer states, “The current constitution supposedly recognizes the rights and freedoms of the Cuban people. The penal code characterizes apartheid as a felony. In practice, both are systematically violated by the established public policy.” Dr. Ferrer continued, "People around the world were horrified with the ghettos of South Africa. It is time to condemn the apartheid suffered by the Cuban people.”

"The vast majority of Cubans crave change,” says Dr. Ferrer. “We’ve endured more than four decades of stagnation while the tyranny has failed in the political, economic and social arenas. It is time to put an end to so much suffering. We advocate change in order to live in freedom and democracy."

Dr. Darsi Ferrer is the Director of the Juan Bruno Zayas Center for Health and Human Rights in Havana, Cuba, whose mission is to ensure the policies of international agencies that guarantee health-related rights of all persons, are recognized and adhered to in Cuba.

Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty is a confederation of Blogs and websites that pool resources and ideas for use in campaigns to raise awareness of the Cuban reality.

Contact:
Henry Gómez
305-788-4766
hgomez@bucl.org

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