From One Prison to Another

Being a refugee is a traumatic experience in itself, but some asylum seekers living in Member States of the UE are facing an even more precarious situation due to the exceptional conditions of their immigration status. This is the case of some Cuban dissidents, most of them journalists, who arrived in Spain in the summer of 2010. These asylum seekers were allowed to leave Cuba as a result of an agreement signed by the government of Castro, the Catholic Church and the Spanish government. In this agreement 11 political prisoners were offered to be released from jail if they accepted to exile to Spain for good. All 11 detainees were captured by the Castrist government in what was called ‘La Primavera Negra’ (Black Spring) in 2003, where dozens of objectors to the regime were sentenced to a minimum of 20 years of prison. This is the last group of journalists detained by the Cuban government but this does not mean that the regime is now more tolerant than before, or that the situation in Cuba is improving for those who do not follow the Castrist rules. As a matter of fact, and as Journalist without Borders denounce: “As other dissident journalists told us on arriving in Spain in 2010, being released from prison was not the same as recovering their freedom. The ‘definitive exit’ stamp in their passports was the final humiliation by regime that tolerates no dissident opinions, indulges in crude propaganda and disowns its own citizens.” (RSF, 2012).

This agreement was indeed a way to expulse these dissenters to Castro’s regime by offering freedom in exchange of forced exile. The situation of these Cuban dissidents differs to that of other immigrants in Spain. Firstly, these refugees came here after years of living in prison, alienated of what was going on in Cuba and the world and without access to cell phones or the internet, which meant that they could not assess the grave economic and social situation that Spain is currently facing. Moreover, they were living in infrahuman conditions, in tiny little cells, being phsychologically and physically mistreated. Secondly, they had no other choice if they wanted to be freed from prison. Some of the dissidents saw the opportunity to travel to Spain as a way to jump to the US afterwards, the desired final destination for most. Finally, the Spanish government offered to take in these prisoners with the promise of helping them through subsidies during 18 months. The idea was that after that, the deported would have been able to find a job and sustain their own life and their families. However, the big economic crisis that Spain is dealing with, (21% of its population do not have a job, making it the developed country with a highest rate of unemployment), has not allowed to continue helping those Cuban asylum seekers who arrived 2 years ago. The main reason is that these refugees have not been able to find employment, and because of their diplomatic condition, even if they would, their extra communitary status requires that they renew their work permit every four months, which makes all prospective employers more reticent to hire them. As Hipólito Román Robaina Guerra, Cuban lawyer who emigrated to Spain voluntarily explained during an interview held last month with us: ‘ These compatriots did not get here illegally, they did not come to Spain, they were brought to Spain by the authorities, who welcomed them saying ‘ Welcome to freedom’’. This makes both Cuban dissidents and the Spanish authorities difer in their views on who has the responsibility to take care of these refugees in an extraordinary situation. According to Mr. Robaina Guerra, there are two sides of the story that should be taken into account: ‘On the one hand, the Spanish government committed to help these refugees by bringing them here and this has consequences, just participating in making them free is not enough, because freedom does not stop at being taken out of the Cuban prisons’ but he also points out that: ’it is important that those who arrived here in 2010 not only claim their rights, but that they accept their responsabilities as individuals. They should not adopt a victimist postion, and expect that the government of Spain, which has done things right and wrong, takes all the responsibility of their well-being. After all, the Cuban regime is the one to blame for the situation they are living’.

That being said, the most important task for the government of Spain is including Cuban dissidents in the Spanish society in order to help them integrate and being able to take charge of their own lives on their own. This is not an easy task due to the situation that Spain is facing currently, but as a Member State of the European Union, is there any way to help these Cuban refugees through any of the fundings that the EU has for these special cases?

The EU has a common view of the Castrist government and admits and denounces its constant violations of Human Rights. Therefore, a program of inclusion for those exiled individuals with no choice to return to their homecountry, should be created. This would certify that asylum seekers would be taken care of in case of emergency, as it is now happening in Spain. As Mr. Robaina suggests: ‘The solution to this problem is not only providing financial help. The new land that takes them in, needs to provide other means of help in order to include them in the new society, so that they can take care of themselves and their families on the long term’. Therefore, what the EU needs to provide in colaboration with all its Member states, is a general programe of inclusion for those who like Cuban dissidents, arrive to Europe in extraordinary circumstances. This programe should offer legal, psychological and social support, so that the newly arrived can adapt to the sheltering country in a less traumatic way.

Arriving as an immigrant to a new country is already painful enough, so measures should be taken to guarantee the well-being of individuals who have suffered years of persecution, oppression and denial of a decent human life. Only by providing them with tools to integrate and live in their new home, they will be completely free.