=20
http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/justice.html
This is the initiating statement of the international campaign to bring =
justice to the victims of the "13 de Marzo" massacre. Our challenge is =
to go out to the international community and reach people so that many =
more people can speak out on this outrage, and also to deepen our =
campaign so that our goal can be accomplished. Justice for Caridad =
Tacoronte age 4, Marjolis M?ndez age 17 who had their young lives =
violently taken away from them, and the other thirty nine who were =
brutally murdered on July 13, 1994.=20
In the early morning hours of July 13, 1994 the tugboat "13 de Marzo" =
was attacked by agents of the Cuban government. They repeatedly rammed =
the tug, used high pressure water hoses on the victims, and sank the =
ship killing at least 41 men, women, and children seven miles off the =
coast of Havana, Cuba.=20
Nearly two years later on October 16, 1996 the Inter-American Commission =
on Human Rights concluded that the Cuban government was responsible for =
the deaths of the 41 people shipwrecked on the tug "13 de Marzo", the =
emotional trauma of the relatives of the victims and survivors who lost =
loved ones. The Commission also noted that the Cuban government had =
refused to recover the bodies or allow others to recover them for proper =
burial by their families.=20
The Victims of the 13 de Marzo Tugboat Massacre must have justice ! =
Print this form to add your name, join the ICDJV today, and e-mail us =
with your name and mailing address including your profession=20
-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
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The Victims: What do the survivors have to say?
The survivors of the "13 de Marzo" massacre bravely spoke up inside and =
outside of Cuba to recount their experiences. Their testimony appeared =
on an official report of the Organization of American States condemning =
the actions of the Cuban government, and then on January 20, 1998 they =
spoke again on Nightline. MARIA VICTORIA GARCIA (through translators) =
Our tugboat started taking on water. We shouted to the crewmen on the =
boat, "Look at the children! You're going to kill them!" And he said, =
"Let them die. Let them die." [continue]=20
Putting the "13 de Marzo Into Context
The sinking of the "13 de Marzo" was not the first nor sadly will it be =
the last incident of agents of the Cuban government brutally killing =
Cubans trying to flee the island. More than a year before the July 13 =
massacre the US filed a complaint reported on July 7, 1993 in the Miami =
Herald:=20
The attacks on swimmers in Guantanamo Bay drew especially sharp =
criticism because the refugees might easily have been detained without =
violence, U.S. officials said. "The idea of blowing people up when they =
are vulnerable underwater is appalling," Gelbard said. A State =
Department aide called the use of gaffs, usually used to pull gamefish =
into boats, to pull bodies from the water an act of extreme cruelty." =
[continue]=20
What Else Can You do?
Please contact both the Cuban government and international agencies as =
well as civic organizations to request that the Cuban government hold a =
proper investigation and bring those responsible to justice, recover the =
bodies of the victims, and provide compensation to the surviving victims =
and families of the dead.[continue] =
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The above is distributed by
Chachi Novellas-Bengochea
Delray Beach, Florida U.S.A.
FOR FREEDOM & JUSTICE GROUP
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ForFreedomandJustice
"IN GOD WE TRUST"=20
=20
lavozdecubalibre.com
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