Cuban political refugees find asylum in Syracuse

Cuban independent journalists and human rights activists Liannis Merino Aguilera, and her husband Guillermo Llanos Ricardo, have been granted political asylum in the United States.

Excerpts from The Post-Standard:

“I lived terrible days in Cuba, for this reason, I’m here,” said Aguilera, 23, who was expelled from a university for opposing the government. “In Cuba, you don’t pay, but you’re a slave. No food. No work. University is free, if you agree with the government. If you disagree with the government, you can’t live in Cuba.”

In 2004, Aguilera and Ricardo were threatened and detained for participating in a protest supporting a couple who had a visa to come to the United States, but the Cuban government refused to let them leave.

Supporters posted signs demanding the couple’s right to leave and put up copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on a wall outside the couple’s home. The protest started with 20 people, and grew to 1,000, she said.

The militia attacked the protesters.

They beat Ricardo and cracked his skull. He required 10 stitches.

Later, Ricardo was jailed for two days.

The protest inspired the couple to leave the underground movement and start the news agency Jovenes sin Censura, or Youth Without Censorship.

The agency has a strong following of 500 young adults in five provinces outside Havana, the capital. Members range from ages 18 to 30.

The couple were among the independent journalists the Cuban government refers to as American stooges, enemies of the people. They are subject to “actos de repudio” or acts of repudiation. This is when a mob supported by the government attacks a person’s house or beats and throws stones at them.

The couple said they were threatened with actos de repudio many times. In January, Aguilera was detained for reporting on the firing of two young men from a cigar factory because they are gay, according to a March 19 article in the National Review.

“The agents said, ‘Why do you defend these people?’”

She replied, “We defend the rights of all people no matter who they are.”

When her daughter was born, the government threatened to take the child, claiming Aguilera was an unfit mother because she would raise her daughter to oppose the government.

The government backed off after the story was reported by Reporters Without Borders and Radio Marti.

“Every day persecution was bad for us,” she said. “When I get my baby, it was more terrible. I was afraid to lose my baby. It was very, very hard, but it was exciting to help the people.”

The U.S. granted their request to come to this country on Nov.30, 2005, but the Cuban government refused to let them leave.

The couple continued reporting on conditions in Cuba, facing more threats and harassment.

The government allowed them to leave, the couple said, because they had a strong following of young people, and international pressure was mounting.

“Our principal dream is for Cuba to be free so we can go back without persecution,” Ricardo said. “We have the dream to free Cuba. There are many Cubans who have this dream.”

Now living in Syracuse, N.Y., they are taking classes to improve their English, and hope to find work soon.

Read their story here.

Posted by Ziva at July 13, 2007 06:53 PM

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Posted by: George L. Moneo at July 13, 2007 10:19 PM

Posted by: Ziva at July 13, 2007 10:31 PM

Posted by: George L. Moneo at July 13, 2007 11:36 PM

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