We must go from mere pronouncements to effective actions to end dictatorial impunity

(Interamerican Institute for Democracy) Violations of human rights and crimes against humanity committed by power holders from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Bolivia with the practice of State terrorism, can be read in countless reports and investigations that offer proof of a criminal recurrence that goes unpunished and subjects the peoples to a state of defenselessness. Albeit, the dictatorships’ blatant disregard to reiterated requests of, and pronouncements by, institutions and governments discredits the international system and strengthens these dictatorships, it also bestows democracies with the urgency of going beyond pronouncements to effective actions.

The 52nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) has just issued a “Resolution on the political and human rights’ crisis in Nicaragua” approved by acclamation, in which it calls on Daniel Ortega’s regime to “stop all violent actions against the population and to fully restore all civic and political rights, religious freedoms and the Rule of Law. . . to immediately release all political prisoners in order to meet and comply with the decisions and recommendations of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights”.

Also, from the 52nd OAS’ General Assembly, nine member States; Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, the United States, Paraguay, and Uruguay “demanded Nicolas Maduro’s regime to free all political prisoners” in existence in Venezuela, expressing their concern due to the “systematic violations of human rights that continues to occur in Venezuela . . .”.

Those in civil resistance to Cuba’s dictatorship and its satellites, organized and partook in events around the General Assembly highlighting the crimes of 21st Century Socialism, or Castrochavism, the existence of thousands of political prisoners and the on-going humanitarian crises. Activists, Non-Governmental Organizations, and relatives of victims, advocating for freedom and human rights sought contact with chancellors and authorities in attendance to remind them of the current reality in the region with political prisoners, torture, and political exile.

Remembering one year after 11 July 2021, when Cuban people took to the streets to peacefully ask for freedom, “Homeland and Life”, the UN Rapporteur for Cuba from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights certified that “six repressive waves” of the dictatorship against the population had occurred, stating that; “The patterns of human rights violations observed in Cuba, in each of the different repressive actions aimed at repressing dissident cries and citizens’ demands for political and social changes, are seen as part of a structural situation that has as its root-cause the absence of democracy in the country”.

This past September the report from the “Independent International Mission of the United Nations to determine the facts on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” was published and said report provides details on the responsibilities for the commission of crimes against humanity to repress the dissidence through State Intelligence Organizations with the involvement of the dictator and people of higher authority. The institutionalization of State terrorism, torture, and assassinations, all with brazen impunity.

Under the classification of “confidential” for nine months, the report identified as 394/21 from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights “was leaked”. On 21 December of 2021 it was released and the Commission’s findings in Case 13.546 “concludes the Bolivian State is responsible for the violation of the rights to; life, personal integrity, personal freedom, and legal safeguards. . .” in the case dealing with the April of 2009 massacre that occurred at the Las Americas Hotel under the direct orders of Evo Morales. Torture, assassinations, impunity.

Due to their periodic repetition and ineffectiveness, demands to liberate political prisoners in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua, become a sort of complicity of democracies and democratic leaders who, in the aftermath of making such demands, continue to cohabitate, trade, help and legitimize dictatorial regimes. Political prisoners are criminal exchange tokens that dictatorships use to negotiate and to continue in power because democracies allow it.

There is effective foreign policy, individual, economic, judicial actions available. Foreign policy actions, ranging from the withdrawal of ambassadors to the breaking of diplomatic ties. Individual actions such as sanctions that pressure the political, economic, and operational support of the regimes; economic actions to reduce the funding and sustainment of dictatorships ranging from the prohibition of financial assets and reserve transactions of their central banks, to the exclusion of banks or banking institutions from the Secure Messaging System (SWIFT in English); judicial actions available are the diligent application of existing international standards such as The Statute of Rome, the Interamerican Democratic Charter, the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR in Spanish), the Palermo Convention against organized crime, and much more.

*Attorney & Political Scientist. Director of the Interamerican Institute for Democracy

Translation from Spanish by Edgar L. Terrazas