Please consult the April 1996 and June 1996 Amnesty International reports, Cuba: Government Crackdown on Dissent and Cuba: Dissidents Imprisoned or Forced into Exile which provide detailed information on the above-mentioned topics and are available at Regional Documentation Centres.

Attached please find media reports and Amnesty International Urgent Actions which provide additional information about the treatment of individuals and organizations that are members of Concilio Cubano (Cuban Council). Please consult the 27 February 1996 Congressional Record article for a list of the names of individuals and organizations that were members of Concilio Cubano at this point in time.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Amnesty International. 10 February 1997. Urgent Action: Cuba: Medical Concern/Prisoner of Conscience. (AI Index: AMR 25/05/97). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 29 January 1997. Cuba: Prisoner of Conscience - Héctor Palacio Ruiz. (AI Index: AMR 25/02/97). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 25 October 1996. Urgent Action: Cuba: Medical Concern/ Prisoner of Conscience. (AI Index: AMR 25/41/96). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 1 October 1996. Urgent Action: Cuba: Medical Concern/ Prisoners of Conscience. (AI Index: AMR 25/40/96). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 23 August 1996. Urgent Action: Cuba: Arbitrary Detention/ Harassment/ Possible Prisoners of Conscience. (AI Index: AMR 25/35/96). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 19 August 1996. Urgent Action: Cuba: Arbitrary Detention/ Harassment/ Possible Prisoners of Conscience. (AI Index: AMR 25/34/96). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 24 May 1996. Urgent Action: Cuba: Medical Concern/ Prisoners of Conscience. (AI Index: AMR 25/26/96). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 16 May 1996. Urgent Action: Cuba: Arbitrary Detention/ Harassment. (AI Index: AMR 25/25/96). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 10 April 1996. Urgent Action: Cuba: Arbitrary Detention/ Harassment. (AI Index: AMR 25/22/96). London: Amnesty International.

The Boston Globe. 12 November 1996. City Edition. Steve Fainaru. "Nine Months Later, Cuba Dissidents Still in Disarray." (NEXIS)

Buro de Prensa Independiente de Cuba (BPIC, Cuban Independent Press Bureau). 11 October 1996. Andres Duran. "New Members of Concilio Cubano." [Internet] [Accessed 24 Apr. 1997]

_____. 6 September 1996. Lazaro Lazo. "Concilio Cubano Matures." [Internet] [Accessed 24 Apr. 1997]

_____. 14 August 1996. Manuel David Orrio. "Between the Tyrians and the Troyans." [Internet] [Accessed 24 Apr. 1997]

_____. August 1996. Rufelio Sanchez Salazar. "Coordinators of Concilio Cubano Arrested." [Internet] [Accessed 24 Apr. 1997]

_____. 27 June 1996. Yndamiro Restano. "Breaking News." [Internet] [Accessed 24 Apr. 1997]

Congressional Press Releases. 3 December 1996. "Para Premio Nobel de Paz." (NEXIS)

_____. 30 May 1996. "Prize." (NEXIS)

Congressional Record. 27 February 1996. "Condemnation of the Cold-Blooded Murder of United States Citizens by the Cuban Dictator." (Global NewsBank)

The Cuba Freedom Pages. 1996. Juan M. Bilbao. "Editor's Comments: Concilio Cubano ... Still A Dream." [Internet] [Accessed 24 Apr. 1997]

The Dallas Morning News. 24 September 1996. Home Final Edition. David L. Marcus. "Unending Struggle; Cuban Dissidents Active Despite Little Hope of Ousting Castro." (NEXIS)

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). 14 February 1997. BC Cycle. Klaus Blume. "Cuban Opposition Weak, Isolated and Repressed." (NEXIS)

The Ottawa Citizen. 9 December 1996. Final Edition. Juliet O'Neill. "The Rights Agenda: The Route to Freedom in Cuba Goes Around the American Embargo." (NEXIS)

Reuters. 4 February 1997. BC Cycle. "U.S. Deplores Arrest of Leading Dissident in Cuba." (NEXIS)

The Sun-Sentinel [Fort Lauderdale]. 5 May 1996. Deborah Ramirez. "Cuban Dissenters Try to Unite After Crackdown Fractured Opposition Movement Still Fighting for Reforms." (Global NewsBank)

The Vancouver Sun. 4 April 1996. Final Edition. Julian Beltrame. "Castro Keeps Dissidents on Tight Leash in Cuba." (NEXIS)

The Washington Post. 4 February 1997. Final Edition. "Cuba Holds Dissident." (NEXIS)

The Washington Times. 4 March 1997. Final Edition. Tom Carter. "Castro Increases Repression of Critics; Regine Cuts Phone Lines, Spies on Foes." (NEXIS)

Information on the above-mentioned topic could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB. For information on Cuban exit visas, you may consult Responses to Information Requests CUB22292.E of 24 November 1995, CUB21801.E of 19 September 1995, CUB21402.E of 3 August 1995, CUB19749.E of 9 June 1995, CUB17171.E of 10 May 1994, CUB16962.E of 5 April 1994, CUB15907.E of 3O November 1993 and CUB14063.F of 7 June 1993.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport no be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Central America Newspak [Austin, Tx]. 1995-96.

Central America Report [Guatemala City]. 1995-96.

Central America Update [Toronto]. 1995-96.

Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook. 1995.

Current History [Philadelphia]. 1994-96.

Documentation-Réfugiés [Paris]. 1995-96.
Inter-Church Committee on Human Rights in Latin America (ICCHRLA). Yearly.

Annual Reports: General Concerns and Brief Country Reports.

Keesing's Record of World Events. 1995-96. Edited by Roger East. London: Longman.

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1995-96.

Latin America Update [Washington]. 1995-96.

Latin American Newsletters [London]. 1995-96.

Latin American Regional Reports: Central America and Caribbean Report [London]. 1995-96.

NACLA Report on the Americas.

Political Handbook of the World. 1995.

Problèmes d'Amérique latine. 1995.