Book Banning

A group of organizations representing publishers has filed suit charging the US Treasury department for banning books from authors in Cuba, Iran, Sudan and others.

Six publications from Cuba - the most from any embargoed nation - are on the groups' list of in-limbo works. Their topics range from birds to music to short stories.

The suit comes amid a Bush administration crackdown on relations with Cuba. Earlier this year, travel to the island was curbed and the amount of family remittances slashed. Now publishers say they, too, are falling victim to the get-tough policy.

According to OFAC, presses must obtain licenses to publish works from embargoed nations, which also include Iran and Sudan, or risk fines of up to $1 million or prison sentences of up to 10 years.

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Cuba watchers say the issue stems from the Bush administration's hardened stance toward the island.

"They want to limit the amount of money going into Cuba from publishing anything," said John S. Kavulich, president of the U.S. Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "Anytime a document from Cuba is published in the U.S., it validates the revolution."

Others argue that because the Cuban government does not allow documents from the United States to be published in Cuba, the United States should reciprocate.

"Why should we publish theirs?" asked Jaime Suchlicki, director of the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.

I don't know how I feel about this.

Posted by Val Prieto at September 28, 2004 07:38 AM

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Posted by: madtom at September 28, 2004 10:11 AM