ACTION ALERT: Christmas Day Raid on Religious Library
On Christmas Day, 2001, the inaugural ceremony of a Christian library in
Camaguey Province, Cuba, was halted by a police raid. A number of people at
the opening ceremony of the Emmanuel Library were beaten and arrested,
including Pastor Lazaro Iglesias. All of the Emmanuel Library's books were
then confiscated by the local prosecutor.
This attack on an Evangelical library is just one incident in the Cuban
government's ongoing campaign to suppress a movement in Cuba to open
uncensored, independent libraries, free of government control. The
persecution of independent libraries in Cuba has been documented and
condemned by numerous human rights organizations, including Amnesty
International and Organization of American States.
As the Cuban authorities are sensitive to adverse publicity, we invite
members of the international community to join with the Friends of Cuban
Libraries in protesting this latest outrage against intellectual freedom.
Please be assured that your protest to Cuban officials WILL have an impact.
For details on what you can do to protest the attack on the Emmanuel
Library, please see the "Campaigns" section of the Friends of Cuban Libraries
website (http://www.friendsofcubanlibraries.org).
Thank You,
Friends of Cuban Libraries
BACKGROUND: The Friends of Cuban Libraries, founded in June, 1999, is an
independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit support group for Cuba's independent
library movement. We oppose censorship and all other violations of
intellectual freedom, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, regardless of whatever government may be in office in Cuba. We are
funded entirely by our members and do not seek or accept funding from other
sources. For more information, send e-mail to: ([log in to unmask]).
Telephone: (USA) 718-340-8494. Mailing address: 4-74 48th Avenue, #3-C, Long
Island City, NY 11109. WEBSITE: ( www.friendsofcubanlibraries.org ).
