Téllez Castro, head of the Avila Free News Agency, in custody since March 4, 2002 at the State Security Operations Center in Ciego de Avila, central Cuba, “has been on hunger strike since January 12,” the Cuba Press correspondent in Ciego de Avila, Jesús Alvarez Castillo, told the IAPA in a telephone call.
The chairman of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Rafael Molina, declared that “with total impunity for its actions, Cuba continues violating international human rights principles unconcerned about the consequences. We strongly condemn this attitude of indifference and lack of respect by the government.”
According to information received from Cuba, Téllez Castro, 28, told his mother, Ildelisa Castro Campo, that he would remain on hunger strike until he is released from jail or put on trial. He is being held on charges of public commotion, disobeying the law, resistance and showing contempt for the Cuban president.
Others among the 32 imprisoned independent journalists as well as political dissidents have also gone on hunger strike in recent months to draw the attention of the international community and the Cuban authorities to the deplorable hygiene conditions in prison, beatings by fellow inmates and poor health care for those in custody, some of whom are suffering from chronic illnesses.
Molina said that “we note not only how the authorities are attempting to make the journalists jailed for exercising their right to free speech give in, but are sullying the rights of the citizenry in general by imposing such measures as the recent restrictions on the already limited access to the Internet.”
FUENTE: nota.texto7
