Although the axis of the international political agenda has shifted to other regions of the world, in our case, while in other countries we face every day the ultra-right governments that have emerged, we do not forget the complex panorama in Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.
By Mariano Rosa
In these three countries, with governments and regimes that present themselves to the world with a certain leftist, anti-imperialist narrative, sometimes even talking about socialism, the reality experienced by their peoples is far from having anything to do with the left or socialism. Beyond nuances or differences among the three countries, even among their governments and regimes, the reality is that the Nicaraguan, Venezuelan and Cuban peoples suffer not only a calamitous situation from the social and economic point of view, but also censorship, repression, prison, authoritarianism, forced exile, as a consequence of the orientation of the governments of those countries.
And it is not a question, as their shameful defenders justify, of self-defense measures against elements and activism functional to the imperialist right wing, to the interference of the United States or its variants. In reality, the authoritarian and dictatorial drift of these regimes has as its explanation and purpose the preservation of economic privileges accumulated under the protection of monopoly control of power, the development of emerging bourgeoisies parasitic on power and to cover up with impunity their crimes of repression and persecution. Therefore, from a critical, anti-capitalist left-wing position, independent of all the imperialist interference that we always denounce, we cannot but raise as a banner the freedom of all political prisoners, as well as the demand for elementary democratic freedoms in the three countries.
They are not leftists, they are executioners of their people.
Beyond the fact that we have always vindicated the processes of revolution of different depth and scope in the three countries, always from an independent position, today the task that we have necessarily set as a challenge from a critical, anti-imperialist, internationalist and independent left position, is very clear: to fight to put an end in Venezuela, in Nicaragua and in Cuba, to the situation of censorship, persecution, forced exile and crimes committed in these three countries. The revolutionary past of the late 70’s and early 80’s in Nicaragua, which were a breath of oxygen for the entire continent crossed by dictatorships and which at the time we defended as a just cause of that people against the Somoza dictatorship, intervening and defending that process beyond its limits. The revolution in Cuba in the late 50’s, which went through the whole decade of the 60’s, inspiring entire generations in the struggle against imperialism, against capitalism, and in transition to socialism, which was also a reference and we defended as a worthy cause of that people against imperial arrogance, valuing its successes and not hiding its problems or mistakes. Or even closer in time, the beginnings of the Bolivarian revolution that beyond its limits had a very deep impulse from below against the neoliberal version of capitalism in our continent, gives us even more authority to denounce what we currently denounce, together with Human Rights collectives, critical intellectuals, relatives of prisoners, murdered and exiled, and all conscience and activism in defense of Human Rights that want to raise these banners.
That is why we are issuing a public call for an international movement in defense of human rights, for the freedom of all political prisoners in the three countries, and for the respect of the most basic democratic rights of organization, protest, thought, and press, in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba.
This Saturday, May 31, from the International Socialist League, but in a broad, unitary, plural and democratic way, we call all those who want to be part of the launch of this initiative that is called to become a far-reaching campaign not only declarative but activist mobilization and in order to achieve not only to make this situation visible, but through solving together with all the participants, initiatives and solidarity measures, with the practical effect of contributing to the struggle for their own emancipation of the Nicaraguan, Venezuelan and Cuban peoples. And as we always do, from an anti-capitalist, independent and confrontational position against any imperialist or foreign power and its political and economic plans in those countries.
A successful precedent: the International Commission for the Freedom and Life of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua.
This initiative that we are calling for now, which encompasses an elementary democratic cause, beyond Nicaragua, also in claim for the situation in Venezuela and Cuba, is the result of a resolution adopted by the Regional Conference of Central America and the Caribbean of the International Socialist League held in Bogota last November. And it has as a point of reference the initiative carried out two years ago, in 2022, as was the so-called International Commission for the Life and Freedom of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua. The same coordinated by our International Socialist League and in coordination with the main groups of exiles, relatives of Nicaraguan exiles in Costa Rica, relatives and friends of political prisoners, expatriates and persecuted, and even murdered and disappeared by the Ortega-Murillo regime, which had a high impact and a regional percussion at that time and a concrete effect as it was to help force the release of more than 200 political prisoners a few months later, in early 2023, by the sinister regime that controls power in Nicaragua.
That Commission that also elaborated a Manifesto, that collected hundreds of adhesions from the most varied in the world, that also raised a unitary, democratic, anti-imperialist position, from the critical left against the regime, that carried out mobilization initiatives in consulates and embassies, that requested the regime to enter the country to certify the living and health conditions of the prisoners and that was, of course, rejected. Not content with that, she traveled to Costa Rica and organized together with a wide range of collectives and democratic forces, human rights organizations, political forces, the so-called Caravan for the Life and Freedom of the political prisoners, which by land traveled the kilometers that separate the capital San José of Costa Rica to the border post in Peñas Blancas with Nicaragua, defying a huge police operation, a military and intimidating para-police operation, orchestrated by the Ortega Murillo regime at the border post. The media repercussion of that initiative, the incentive to the unitary organization, the mobilization of exiled relatives, was positively valued by all those involved and also left important conclusions on how to continue, together with testimonies of those involved in the so-called Report of the International Commission which was published in due course.
Finally, then, we call upon human rights organizations, personalities from the field of culture, intellectuals, youth, social, trade union and political groups who wish to take part and join this new initiative. In the first place, the dissemination of a manifesto, which we will surely be circulating from next Monday, after the Forum of Saturday 31 and a series of initiatives of mobilization and solidarity that we will surely carry forward to join forces in the construction of this true international movement for the freedom of political prisoners and against the repression in Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba.
No matter where you are, the important thing is that you want to activate and be part of it.
To join us, please write to the following contact: +54 9 11 6815-5615
