It comes at a time when Hungary prepares for the arrival of almost 30 Cuban refugees, including dissidents fleeing persecution, BosNewsLife learned from several officials.
Dr. Garcia Paneque, 41, was "threatened and physically attacked by a common prisoner," dissidents said. His mother, Moralinda Paneque Martinez, said the "criminal" threatened her son during an afternoon count of prisoners, August 28. "Hey you! Get up….!," he allegedly shouted.
When Dr. Garcia Paneque said he "did not take orders from other prisoners" the inmate apparently left and returned at night during an evening count, confronting him again. "I’ve come back so you can tell me again what you said this afternoon," the prisoner allegedly said.
Before Dr. Garcia Paneque could answer, the inmate attacked punching "him so hard that the doctor fell to the floor with a wound above the left eyebrow," his mother and Cubans involved in distributing her remarks said.
CLOSING WOUND
Dr. Garcia Paneque was reportedly taken to the ‘Prisoners’ Ward of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Hospital’ in Bayamo, the capital of Cuba’s Granma Province. It took four stitches to close the wound, Cubans with close knowledge about the situation said.
The incident came amid growing international concern about the doctor’s health. "Last June, in this same hospital, Dr. Garcia Paneque was admitted and diagnosed with a kidney tumor and pneumonia," said the US-based Coalition of Cuban-American Women.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), another human rights group supporting Dr. Garcia Paneque and his family, said his health has deteriorated "dramatically in prison" as the doctor has "suffered from chronic diarrhea leading to malnutrition."
He lost about 80 pounds (30 kilograms) while in prison and inmates have reported that he has been given psychotropic drugs, CSW said. "During one period last autumn, [he] spent a lot of time crying and banging his head against the wall." Other sources said he currently weights just about 48 kilograms (105.6 pounds).
KIDNEY TROUBLES
Recently his family was reportedly told that government doctors found a cyst on his kidneys and recommended emergency surgery. "The family is concerned however, that given his bad state of health, he will not survive surgery," CSW said.
Dr. Garcia Paneque, from Las Tunas province, was sentenced to 24 years in prison in April 2003 on charges of "acts against the independence or territorial integrity of the state," accusations supporters say are linked to his work in support of human rights and democracy in the Communist-run island.
Altough a plastic surgeon by training, he has been active in an independent association of journalists and was also the administrator of an independent library. His arrest and imprisonment was part of a larger government crackdown on human rights and democracy activists in what become known as the Black Spring of 2003.
Some 75 activists, including many Christians, were arrested and imprisoned during the crackdown. Dr. Paneque’s wife and their four young children fled the country earlier this year after what supporters described as "intense harassment and attacks on their home." They were granted asylum in the US but have continued to monitor Dr. Garcia Paneque’s situation closely, CSW said.
WIFE’S STATEMENT
His wife, Yamile, said in a recent statement distributed by CSW that it was "a very difficult and painful decision to leave the country…" Yamile said however she knows her husband "takes great comfort from his Bible which he has been allowed to keep with him in prison and which he reads every day."
For some time, prison authorities refused to allow him to meet with a priest, CSW said. But they "have now changed the policy and are allowing a meeting once every two months." Although his physical health has deteriorated, his "spiritual health" is strong, family members said.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro has consistently denied human rights abuses and the existence of dissidents in his country. He has described jailed activists as "mercenaries of the United States" who threaten his revolution.
In Budapest, Hungary’s Foreign Ministry confirmed reports to BosNewsLife that Hungary granted political asylum to 29 Cuban citizens, including dissidents, from a total of 44 earlier intercepted at sea by United States naval forces while attempting to flee the country. They have been detained at the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba. Of the remaining 15 Cubans, some were granted American visas while others are awaiting acceptance from third countries.
Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused Hungary of acting as an accomplice to US attempts to encourage illegal emigration from Cuba, charges Hungarian officials have strongly denied. (With BosNewsLife sources and reporting from Cuba, Hungary and the United States).
