Document #1359048
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
The attached reports from the CubaNet web
site name Raul Rivero Castañeda as the president of
CubaPress, and Jose Rivero Garcia as the group's vice-president,
providing the same address and telephone number for both of them
and a brief biography of Raul Rivero (CubaNet 25 Apr. 1997).
The attached reports from the CubaPress
internet web site, although in Spanish, are attached for your
reference, as they list the names of CubaPress members and the
works of Raul Rivero and Jose Rivero Garcia.
Also attached, please find some news
articles that refer to Jose Rivero Garcia and to Raul Rivero. The
latter is named as the president of the "independent Cuba Press
agency" [sic] in one report (Congressional Record 23 Jan.
1996), and as director of the "Independent Press Agency of Cuba
(APIC) and Cuba Press" in another (AFP 24 Apr. 1996). Another
attachment refers to Jose Rivero Garcia as a contributing writer of
the CubaNet internet web site (Sun-Sentinel 29 Apr. 1996).
The article from the Congressional Record lists some
reporters arrested in January 1996, including Raul Rivero.
A CubaPress article found in the CubaPress
web site reports that on 10 and 11 February 1997 Raul Rivero, two
female journalists of CubaPress and another reporter from
HabanaPress were subjected to "repudiation acts" by organized mobs
(11 Feb. 1997). Information on "repudiation acts" (actos de
repudio) can be found in previous Responses to Information
Requests, available through the IRB SHARENET database.
Another news article, found in the CubaNet
web site and reportedly originating from the Associated Press,
refers to the Cuban government's position towards independent
journalists, and mentions the repeated arrest of a particular
journalist being subject to six arrests within 11 months (15 Apr.
1997).
As per your specific request, additional
details on Jose Rivero Garcia, including his nickname and his role
in the organization of the Concilio Cubano, could not be found
among the sources consulted by the DIRB. Please note that the DIRB
was unable to interview the Miami representative of CubaPress
within the time constraints of this Information Request.
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.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 24 April
1996. Antonio Raluy. "A Handful of Journalists Defy Cuba's Press
Monopoly." (Global NewsBank)
Associated Press (AP). 15 April 1997.
Anita Snow. "Havana vs. Independent Journalism." [Internet]
[Accessed 25 Apr. 1997]
Congressional Recorder
[Washington, DC]. 23 January 1996. "Castro's Crackdown on
Dissidents and Independent Journalists During January Congressional
Visits to Cuba." (Global NewsBank)
CubaNet [Miami]. 25 April 1997.
"CubaPress Independent Press Agency." [Internet] [Accessed 25 Apr.
1997]
CubaPress [Havana]. 11 February 1997.
"Acto de repudio contra Raul Rivero, director de CubaPress."
[Internet] [Accessed 25 Apr. 1997]
Sun-Sentinel [Chicago]. 29
April 1996. Charles Strouse. "WorldWide Web Takes a Byte Out of
Cuba." (Global NewsBank)
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP). 24 April
1996. Antonio Raluy. "A Handful of Journalists Defy Cuba's Press
Monopoly." (Global NewsBank)
Associated Press (AP). 15 April 1997.
Anita Snow. "Havana vs. Independent Journalism." [Internet]
[Accessed 25 Apr. 1997]
Congressional Recorder
[Washington, DC]. 23 January 1996. "Castro's Crackdown on
Dissidents and Independent Journalists During January Congressional
Visits to Cuba." (Global NewsBank)
CubaNet [Miami]. 25 April 1997.
"CubaPress Independent Press Agency." [Internet] [Accessed 25 Apr.
1997]
CubaPress [Havana]. 11 February 1997. "A
los lectores de CubaPress Internet." [Internet] [Accessed 25 Apr.
1997]
Sun-Sentinel [Chicago]. 29
April 1996. Charles Strouse. "WorldWide Web Takes a Byte Out of
Cuba." (Global NewsBank)