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In Solidarity with Pedro
Pablo Alvarez
Statement from the attendees at the twenty-fifth anniversary
Solidarity conference
American Enterprise Institute,
September 13, 2005.
August 31, 2005
As participants at the conference commemorating the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the Solidarity Movement, we find it reprehensible
that the prisoner of conscience, Pedro Pablo Alvarez, faces harassment
and threats at the hands of Cuban state security due to his daughter's
presentation at this event.
Here today, a diverse group of individuals involved with the struggle
for democracy throughout the world, have gathered in the spirit
of Solidarity. We salute the work of Pedro Pablo Alvarez, secretary
general of the United Council of Cuban Workers (CUTC).
Pedro Pablo is serving an unjust prison term of twenty-five years
at El Combinado del Este Prison. His only crime was to defend the
rights of the Cuban worker based on the very rights the government
has written into law but denies indiscriminately from eery worker
in this supposed "worker's paradise."
Like Lech Walesa, Pedro Pablo Alvarez is simply a working man who
believes in the ideals of truth and justice, and lived out that
commitment by helping defend his fellow workers.
Therefore, we demand:
The immediate and unconditional release of Pedro Pablo Alvarez
and the six other independent labor union leaders that were arbitrarily
arrested during Cuba's Black Spring of 2003;
That the Cuban State allow free and independent labor unions to
form and organize without interference from the government;
That the 300+ prisoners of conscience on the island of Cuba be
released and exonerated of their charges.
In solidarity with Pedro Pablo Alvarez,
Akbar Atri, executive committee member, Takhim Vahdat, Iran
Donald Jensen, director of communications, Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, U.S.A.
Mart Laar, former prime minister, Estonia
Carl Gershman, president, National Endowment for Democracy, U.S.A.
Maung Maung, general secretary, Federation of Trade Unions, Burma
Heba F. El-Shazli, regional program director, Solidarity Center,
U.S.A.
Marko Djurisic, member, Serbian Parliament, Serbia
Adrian Karatnycky, counselor and senior scholar, Freedom House,
U.S.A.
Pavol Demes, regional director, German Marshall Fund of the United
States, Slovakia
Pavel V. Isayev, chairman of the board, Center for Social Partnership,
Russia
Omar Lopez Montenegro, founding member, Cuban Democratic Coalition,
Cuba
Blanca Reyes, founder, Damas de Blanco, Cuba
Susana Alvarez, member of executive board, Consejo Unitario de Trabajadores
Cubanos, Cuba
Sandy Acosta, program officer, Freedom House, U.S.A.
Nguyen Van Tran, Alliance pour la Democratie au Vietnam, Vietnam
Joshua Muravchik, scholar, American Enterprise Institute, U.S.A.
David Pryce-Jones, senior editor, National Review, U.S.A.
Agnieszka Gratkiewicz, Lech Walesa Institute, Poland
Gneyan Scdowski, journalist, WProst Weekly, Poland
Manuel Scherer, University of Vienna, Austria
Zdislaw Krasnodebski, director, Forschungstelle Ostmitteleuropa,
University of Bremen, Germany
Michael Rubin, resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute,
U.S.A.
Sonja Licht, Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, Serbia &
Montenegro
Peter Ackerman, chairman, Freedom House, U.S.A.
David Hawk, human rights advocate, U.S.A.
Andrei Sannikov, Charter 97, Belarus
Ida Garibaldi, program officer, New Atlantic Initiative, U.S.A.
Radek Sikorski, executive director, New Atlantic Initiative, U.S.A.
Christopher DeMuth, president, American Enterprise Institute, U.S.A.
Vincuk Viacorka, chairman, Belaursian Popular Front, Belarus
Julian Lewis, member of Parliament, United Kingdom
Lord Salisbury, former member of Parliament, United Kingdom
Lorne W. Craner, president, International Republican Institute,
U.S.A.
Hafez Albukari, chairman, Yemeni Center for Polling & Communications
Research, Yemen
Alexandre Milinkevich, founder, Ratusha, Belarus
Anatol Liabedzka, chair, National Committee of the Civic Union Party,
Belarus
Kang Cheol Hwan, dissident, North Korea
Bogda Zukowska, Bank Pelao SA, Poland
Jessica Barnes, program officer, Freedom House, U.S.A.
Robert Pernetta, Visions for Central Europe
Jan McLaughlin, journalist
Wiesaw Szczepinski, Poland
Bartlomiej Michalowski, Poland
John Kubinec, U.S.A.
Sue Koffel, U.S.A.
Hossein Namdar, Iran
Lhsula Domoszewska, Poland
Marcin A. Rotwesko, Poland
Patrick LaCombe
Kim Hedge
Stephen Morris
Nadisa Aztyk
Adam Mroczek-Karp
Jery M. Nouvakouwski
David Edward Muchler
James Thomas Snyder
©2005 American Enterprise Institute
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