MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the case of José Daniel Ferrer García in Cuba

17.9.2024 - (2024/2805(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 150 of the Rules of Procedure

Adam Bielan, Mariusz Kamiński, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Carlo Fidanza, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Alberico Gambino
on behalf of the ECR Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B10-0022/2024

NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

B10‑0049/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution 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,

 

1. 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;
2. 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;
3. 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;
4. 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;
5. 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;
6. whereas the European Union has sought access and information over growing concerns over the crisis but was denied once again, despite constructive collaboration efforts;

 

1. Calls on the Cuban government to immediately release José Daniel Ferrer;
2. Condemns in the strongest terms the systematic human rights violations and abuses perpetrated by the Cuban regime against protesters, political dissidents, religious leaders, human rights activists and independent artists, among others; condemns the lack of religious freedom in Cuba;
3. 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;
4. 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:

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.

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