Cubans petition for human rights online

Repression of human rights has been a long standing issue in Cuba. Activist Yordis García Fournier is a member of the Cuban Youth Movement for Democracy (CYMD), an organization of students and young professionals that advocates for academic freedom, university autonomy and respect for human rights. He is also director of the independent newsletter, Porvenir. He joined young people from all over Cuba, along with opposition activists from various pro-democracy organizations, to publicly present the first 5,000 signed petitions of the University Students without Borders initiative, which calls for university autonomy, to an audience of diplomats and the media. Because of his activism on various issues, he has been in prison since Oct. 11, where he has been on a hunger strike. Now Cuban activists are rising to the occasion to help Fournier.

Raices de Esperanza is asking Internet users to use their emails to take action. On their website, there is a sample letter (in Spanish), addressing key Cuban officials about Fournier’s plight and seeking his expedient release. Email addresses of these officials are also listed with instructions on how to email them.