Cuban denied request for French trial....in Quebec

I read this week that a Cuban seeking refugee status in Canada had his lawyer's request for a trial to be heard in French denied by the Commission on Immigration and Refugee Status board.

The whole story is that his first lawyer was anglophone and he had not made an official request for an interpreter to be present. The Cuban refugee subsequently hired a new lawyer who has made the request for the audience to be heard in French. Canadian and Quebec law both state that anyone seeking refugee status can have his/her trial heard in either official language with an interpreter present (but the request must be made).

The trial has yet to begin but all the previous court papers had been filed in English. So the court judged it unfair to change the language of the audience at this point in the status request.

The Bloc and the PQ are all over this, for obvious political reasons. I think it's despicable to use a man seeking refugee status to further their segregationist agenda. But if it gets this man a trial in the language that he thinks will best suit his purpose then I hope it works (for once)...

I'll keep you all posted as this develops.

Muchacho Enfermo

Castroite provocation or the work of a gutter snitch?

"Charlie's opinion"

Castroite provocation or the work of a gutter snitch?
Many of my friends have written to me very happily because Ciro wasn't
thrown in a cage with his band mates from Porno Para Ricardo.
I still have to answer to each of of these friends. I would like
everybody to know that even though Ciro was not taken to the dungeons
because he was not with the rest of the band, a guard barked his name
towards the rest of the prisoners in the holding pen. The Keystone Cops
of Castro were sure that they have also bagged him together with the
rest of the group. Ciro is not out of danger, and he is not that lucky
either.

We should take into account that the members of Porno Para Ricardo were
looking around at the Maxim facilities, according to what eyewitnesses
have referred to us and according to how the photographer Claudio
Fuentes tells the story. That's why Maxyuri, the "commander in chief" of
"la agencia del rock" (she's knows as "el Agente Yuro") and her
thug-of-the-day, the singer of Hipnosis (a.k.a. Zeppelin) reacted so
violently against the members of Porno Para Ricardo. The government is
using one of the oldest traits of rock'n'roll as a tool to do their
dirty work: the rivalry between bands has been used for the first time
to intimidate, to beat, to repress. As y'all know, singer of Hinosis
"Zeppelin" was not arrested in spite of having hit Gorki he and his
friend Maxyuri were just the hand chosen tool of repression and the
ones who called the police..

Besides what happened at the Maxim, one could think that the police and
the state security were framing up the members of Porno Para Ricardo,
with the only objective to be able to prosecute them as common
delinquents and truants, as is their style in Cuba. Not even in the
furthest corner of the civilized world the police would able to jail
some participants in a fight and let the others walk free, and much less
they would be even legally able to bag somebody due to his choice of
clothing or its decoration. It's just another right for those of us who
enjoy freedom of expression, action, and thought.

That the repressive forced squealed Ciro's name in front of the other
prisoners, with the objective to fine him for something in which he was
not remotely involved, only tells us that they were following a script
written with the collaboration of paid agents and volunteer snitches.
As we have denounced in other occasions, there's a conspiracy to silence
Porno Para Ricardo; there are forces who are trying to seed discord,
trying to break them up, and specially they are trying to isolate them
and to silence them. This has not been possible, because the fans fo the
band -in and out of Cuba- know all the details of their work. Then the
authorities are tying to put to work one of their oldest and more
cherished methods: to transform the ideological transgression into a
common crime.

The harassment will be based on the lowest feeling of envy and hate, and
the tyranny already counts on an apparatus of snitches very well
established, full of nosy neighbors and fake friends, even. It's evident
to us that the conspiracy is rough and crude, and that their methods
would make an amateur blush.

Nevertheless, not for this the conspiracy is less dangerous.


Written by Charlie Bravo

Porno Para Ricardo musicians arrested! (UPDATE)

This just in!

To all:
Our friends Gorki, Hebert, and Renay from Porno Para Ricardo were
arbitrarily arrested last night in Havana.
They need all of our solidarity, they need all our help to denounce the
harassment of the communist goverment of Cuba on these outspoken musicians.
Please do contact your local newspaper and let them know that Gorki, his
bass player Hebert, and his drummer Renay were arrested without a
warrant in Havana, Cuba. That's state sponsored kidnapping, but a
communist regime knows no bounds for terror.
Please join us in denouncing this violation of their human rights.
Thanks
Charlie Bravo
CubaUnderground, virtual bandmate of the lads of Porno Para Ricardo.

UPDATE:
Our friends of Porno Para Ricardo were finally liberated a short while ago. They were loaded in a police lorry because their shirts and t-shirs had what the Cuban "authorities" considered pornographic images, c'est a dire, related with Porno Para Ricardo, and they were just given a warning and a fine.

Petition to help jailed bloggers

As written on Ashin Mettacara's blog Reporters without Borders has launched an online petition to help free two bloggers that have been imprisoned by Burma's evil and violent military government.

"Reporters Without Borders urges the international community not to forget Nay Phone Latt (http://www.nayphonelatt.net/), a Burmese blogger who was arrested exactly one year ago today and was sentenced on 10 November to 20 years and six months in prison, or Zarganar, one of Burma's best known comedians, who is serving a 59-year jail sentence in appalling conditions for criticising the military government online."

Can any of us even begin to imagine what it's like to be jailed for having opinions or for making fun of our governments? It would be like jailing Rick Mercer (in Canada) or John Stewart (in the US) and jailing me for having this blog...

It's just wrong people!!!
Please join me in signing the petition even just as a show of support for our fellow bloggers.

CLICK HERE FOR THE PETITION!!!

Muchacho Enfermo

"Humane" sentence for Child Molester

I know I should be posting about the federal budget, or Obama, or something relating to politics... But politics seem so trivial and unimportant in relation to the abuse of children and the way our courts abandon the victims.

It apparently seems that preposterous sentences for child molesters is on the rise in this country because today my local paper The Gazette reported the story of 93 year old Philippe Hamelin who was found guilty of abusing his "two daughters, Marcelle and Michèle, both physically and sexually in "the most serious way a father could abuse his children" from the time they were 5 until they were teenagers."

Because of his age and health condition he was sentenced to just over two years to be served in a nursing home. Throughout the trial the child molester showed no remorse according to the judge. The only time he admitted to anything was when he said something along the lines of if he was guilty of anything it was fathering his two daughters.

I think that this again just goes to show that we have some serious issues with the courts in this country. Were he younger he'd have been sentenced to 7 years, which I still find way too lenient, for having abused his two daughters "in the most serious way a father could abuse his children".

The moral if this story? If you were abused, touched or assaulted don't wait before reporting it. Report it now. Here's some resources to help you out:

PDF document with a list of phone numbers and address in Montreal.

Muchacho Enfermo

5 years in prison for sex with 10 year old

An ex-Montreal pastor named Daniel Cormier was sentenced to 5 years in prison for having molested and abused a 10 year old girl. His only defence was that he was married to her... The pair were married in his small and obscure little basement church with the parent's consent. Cormier is also on trial in another case involving a minor.

I forgot to mention he also ran for mayor of Montreal here's his electoral platform and a picture... click here please!


As is the case with ALL sentences that get handed through the criminal justice system in the province, this one is much too light. He's really getting 49 months+time served for having raped a ten year old. And you know he's not going to be in the prison's general population where he should be, no of course not, the courts are too worried of what other inmates might to him so at the expense of the tax payer he gets special care. My tax dollars, your tax dollars, the victim's (who is now 19 and works) tax dollars; will pay to protect this pedophile from the big bad inmates. Screw that.

Someone in this country really needs to step up and say enough of this crap... Sex crimes of any kind, crimes against children... we've had enough. Someone needs to petition parliament to say listen: WTF is up with this justice system? the dude who raped my 10 year old daughter got 5 years (maximum) that's not justice, that's a slap in the victim's face. And really people, that's exactly what 5 years is: 5 years is what the crown thinks her being robbed of her childhood is worth.

This makes me sick.

Muchacho Enfermo

Evil never rests...

While the rest of us are enjoying our Turkeys and exchanging gifts with loved ones on the other side of the side of the world injustice and government crackdowns still rules supreme. The Associated Press reported today that 59 Tibetans have been arrested on charges of spreading "rumors" about the Chinese occupation of Tibet and "rumors" against the communist party. Of these 59 it was reported that 5 of them are being held on charges of selling "reactionary music"... whatever that was the authorities just aren't saying.

In addition, China has accused Tibet's leader in exile the Dalai Lama of inciting these people to spread rumors and they also maintain that he was responsible for the March uprisings in Tibet, the largest anti-China protest in almost 50 years. The Buddhist monk, currently residing in India, has denied these accusation and stated that he wants what he has always wanted: a greater autonomy for his people.

I wish I had better news for everyone on Christmas day. Please keep Tibet and all oppressed peoples of the world in your hearts and minds today and think of how lucky we are here in are homes far from the fears of government reprisals.

Muchacho Enfermo

New book on Castro... again?

Propoganda author extraordinaire Luis Baez has done it again... He's collected even more useless quotes of people around the world praising Fidel Castro in his latest book Asi Es Fidel.

My loathing for this author began last time I was in a Cuban airport waiting for my flight home. I had nothing to read and had 12cucs (convertible pesos) left. So I bought a TuCola and I bought a book from a little stand. The only 10cuc book they had was a little book called Absolved by History by Luis Baez.

As the plane took off into the sunset and I was once again leaving my adopted home I opened the book and decided to start reading. The first thing I read was an introduction about Fidel Castro called: Maestro of Generosity. It talks about Fidel's giving nature and his deep love and commitment to his people. Despite my instant surge of anger I read on. Each quote more ludicrous and out of context then the next. None of the quotes are dated, none of them properly documented, but they're mostly by great political minds such as Kevin Costner and Naomi Campbell.

Later when I came home and was finally reunited with my beloved high speed internet I did some research and found out that in his long list of pro-Castro titles was a book called dissidents. A book which talks about the 75 conviction of the 2003 of "dissidents". His book supports the regime and back up their tactics and even attempts to justify the reasons these people are still jailed.

His latest stab at journalism and authorship promises to be equally as great. It was read December 22nd at the opening of the Reading History Festival in Havana along with Che notebooks and the book 50 Songs in Time of Revolution.

Although I am loathe to say this, I can't bash him just because he's a crony and a biased author... Heck I'm a biased author and most of the people I read and support are also biased. The only thing I have going for me that he doesn't is that I do it out of my own free will and not at the behest of a dictatorship.

Muchacho Enfermo

Celebrating the Saffron Revolution

For all of you who wondered what happened to all those monks in Burma we saw on the news last year peacefully protesting against the Junta, sitting peacefully while being beaten and arrested? Here it is... the Saffron Revolution is still going on.

Ashin Mettacara, a Burmese monk, gives us a ton of insight on this on his website, please go read his article on the anniversary of these events that forever changed the face of Burma.

Let these monks and these people know they are not alone! Comment on his site, post about it on yours, worldwide solidarity will change everything!

Muchacho Enfermo

Nobel laureates demand release of Burmese opposition leader

As reported by the AFP, Nobel peace laureates have strongly urged the European Union and the United Nations to increase pressure on Myanmar to begin to move towards democracy and respect human rights. The opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was a Nobel peace prize winner in 1991 and has been imprisoned for the better part of the last 20 years. To read the full story and more on the subject please visit Ashin Mettacara's website.

Muchacho Enfermo

Iranian-Canadian blogger arrested

Hossein Derakhshan a Iranian born Canadian citizen has been arrested while in Tehran over 30 days ago. The arrest has been confirmed by his family as reported in the Globe and Mail. He was one of Iran's first bloggers and has been one of the most vocal critics of the government. He has apparently been charged with spying on behalf of Israel. The Globe also reports that Iran might not recognized his Canadian citizenship and if this is the case they would not be obliged to inform the Canadian embassy of his arrest. Again, this is why I'm happy to live in Canada where I can do and say what I want, anytime.

Muchacho Enfermo

Have you seen this girl?

injustice for all! Another Cuban blogger summoned

I woke up again this morning to find an email in my inbox saying that another Cuban blogger had been summoned to 21 and C. Claudia Cadelo is due to appear this afternoon at 2pm at same police station and probably interrogation room where Generation Y blogger Yoani Sanchez was summoned yesterday.

Stay tuned to Black Sheep of Exile for updates on Claudia's situation.

I'd like everyone who reads it to post about it in their blog, just because she isn't famous doesn't mean she isn't a blogger like the rest of us. Raise awareness people. Give a voice to the voiceless. Thanks

Muchacho Enfermo

The Voices of Fear

I was having trouble deciding where to post this... do I post it in my personal ranting blog that no-one reads or my political commentary blog that 2 people read? Well... I decided to post it both places because I believe that this counts as a political rant.

Before you read on, I’ve been told I should keep my posts short so people read them: I’ll do the best I can.

Most of you have heard of Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez; she was summoned for “questioning” this morning at the infamous 21 and C police station in Vedado. She wasn’t in fact questioned. She was told "We want to advise you that you have transgressed all the limits of tolerance, with your proximity to elements of the counterrevolution".

Referring to a scheduled meeting, that will bring together Cuban bloggers from inside and outside Cuba, they informed her that, "The activity planned in the next few days, can not be realized". (taken from Sunrise in Havana).

Also let's not forget the arrest last summer of Porno Para Ricardo frontman Gorki Aguilar for something crazy like “the intention to commit moral crimes against the state”... It’s no secret Cuba is run by totalitarian assholes.... but sometimes it just goes too far.

Last October I was in the airport in Jardine del Rey waiting for my plane home and I had nothing to read on the flight back. I walked over to a little vending booth thing and said “what book can I buy with 10cuc?” the attendant smile and handed me a book. I gave her the money.

Once on the flight I started reading the book. It’s called “Absolved by History” and it contains a bunch of bullsh!t quotes that say that Fidel is awesome. It’s all lies folks. These quotes are not dated and for the most part the praises are given by dead people, by crazy Hollywood actors and by other dictators. I was mad at this book and today more so then ever. Let me show you a quote as it appears in the book:

“We wish everyone to know that we, Cuban writes, artists, and also dream makers, are with Fidel now and always” Cuban Intellectuals.

Do the events of Gorki and Yoani sound like the writers and artists are with Fidel? I don’t think so. Remember people, there’s hundreds of stories like theirs these are just the ones we’re lucky enough to hear. Also remember that by reading their blogs and listening to their music you're making their voices heard. And that my friend has the Cuban government running for the hills. The voices you give these people scare this government.

Muchacho Enfermo

More on Yoani

As posted on The Black Sheep of Exile we all need to step up and raise awareness with our local press and officials. We have to be ready to rock people, be ready to help in any way we can!
The internet has no borders and no government, together we can do anything.