We have been hearing a lot about the dissidents in Cuba who are now being released from jail. But there are two parts of the story that are seldom mentioned. They are portrayed as imprisoned for their beliefs -classified as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International. In fact they were tried and convicted of being paid by the US government. They were unregistered agents of a foreign government, an enemy government to boot. In the US that is also against the law.
But now new light is cast on the 2003 arrest of the 75 dissidents (see story below). It turns out that the US representative in Havana, James Cason, was under instructions from the Bush administration to try to provoke a rupture of relations with Cuba. Upon arriving in Havana he met with the dissidents even before presenting his credentials, a breech of diplomatic protocol. Then he went around the country giving equipment to dissidents. He even gave privileged after hours access to the US Interests Section to them. Fortunately the Cuban government did not fall into the trap. Instead, they arrested those who had been paid in money or in kind, as was proven in trial by testimony of Cubans who had infiltrated dissident organizations. So all that Cason accomplished was getting his dissident friends put in jail. Here's the news article:
Former US Official Confirms Chief Diplomat's
Provocations Against Cuba
HAVANA, Cuba, Jul 12 (acn) Roger Noriega, assistant secretary of
State for Western Hemisphere Affairs during the George W. Bush's
administration, confirmed that James Cason had the mission of
provoking the breaking-up diplomatic relations between Cuba and the
United States.
In statements to Lo que otros no dicen (Lo que otros no dicen), of
Univision Radio, in Washington, Noriega said the U.S. Department of
State instructed James Cason, former chief of the U.S.' Interest
Section in Havana, to incite the Cuban government to expel him from
the country.
Noriega added that in response to that, the United States would
withdraw its representation in Havana and ask the Cuban government to
do the same with its representation in Washington, says an article
published by Granma newspaper.
During the interview, Noriega answered to questions asked by
journalist Roberto Rodríguez Tejera about the Cuba policy followed by
the Bush administration.
