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An inflamed mob of thugs, most probably members of Revolutionary Committees (Comites de Defensa de la Revolucion or CDR), attacked writer Reinaldo Escobar yesterday in Havana, Cuba. Reinaldo, who is Yoani Sanchez's husband, had publicly challenged, to a verbal duel, those who gave a beating to Yoani recently. But it wasn't the official security apparatus that dealt with a disarmed and harmless Reinaldo. No. This time they sent an enraged mob, to carry on a repudiation act (acto de repudio) against Reinaldo. The attack comes merely two days after Human Rights Watch published an extensive report on the brutality and systematic violation of human rights that takes place in Cuba, Fidel at the helm or not. To be certain, in order to repudiate something, or someone, one must have the capacity to think critically and independently. That's not the case of CDR members. They are just following orders, and that's that. For failure to show up upon being summoned to an "acto de repudio" is taken, literally, as demonstration of 'counter-revolutionary' behaviour, the consequences of which Reinaldo can tell us about.
So before actually forgiving their assaulters, a few words of gratitude to the Castros' dictatorship, from both Yoani and Reinaldo, should be in order. Firstly, for having proven, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the attack on Yoani did happen, as related, and wasn't a flight of her imagination as argued by Castros' many apologists around the world. Secondly, for patently demonstrating that the Cuban dictatorship is absolutely deprived of arguments. For a man that challenges his wife's official attackers to a verbal duel, only to be dealt with more State-sanctioned violence, is testament that everything critics have said about that regime is, in fact, true.
Yoani said to me once that the Castro regime just didn't know how to deal with her. By repeatedly prohibiting Yoani to travel and upping violence against her, the totalitarian thugs that run Cuba have demonstrated, time and again, a pathetic lack of imagination and creativity at dealing with a citizen, who's intelligent and brave enough to expose their turpitude and barbarism. Now Reinaldo has, forcefully, joined the fray, only to cause reactions that provide even more evidence that civilised debate, human, civil and political rights are simply non existent in Cuba.
With their actions, Reinaldo and Yoani have demonstrated, in a matter of days, the amorality of Fidel Castro, his regime and his legion of sycophants around the world. That would include the UN representatives of 187 nations, that voted recently against the embargo, while not daring to utter a peep about the atrocious human rights situation in Cuba. Their silence is deafening.
