Black Spring refers to the 2003 crackdown on

Cuban dissidents The Cuban dissident movement is a political movement in Cuba whose aim is to replace the current government with a liberal democracy. According to Human Rights Watch, the Cuban government represses nearly all forms of political dissent. Backgrou ...

. The government imprisoned 75 dissidents, including 29 journalists, as well as librarians, human rights activists, and democracy activists, on the basis that they were acting as agents of the United States by accepting aid from the US government. Although Amnesty International adopted 75 Cubans as prisoners of conscience, according to Cuba "the 75 individuals arrested, tried and sentenced in March/April 2003 ... who were jailed are demonstrably not independent thinkers, writers or human rights activists, but persons directly in the pay of the US government ... those who were arrested and tried were charged not with criticizing the government, but for receiving American government funds and collaborating with U.S diplomats." The crackdown on grassroots activists began on 18 March and lasted two days, coordinated with the

US invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

for minimum publicity. The crackdown received sharp international condemnation, with critical statements coming from the

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic i ...

, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

and various human rights groups, including Amnesty International. Responding to the crackdown, the

imposed sanctions on Cuba in 2003, that were lifted in January 2008. The European Union declared that the arrests "constituted a breach of the most elementary human rights, especially as regards freedom of expression and political association". All of the dissidents were eventually released, most of whom were exiled to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

starting in 2010.

Imprisoned people

Manuel Vázquez Portal received the International Press Freedom Award in 2003.

Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez Héctor Fernando Maseda Gutiérrez is a Cuban nuclear engineer and a journalist. The Fidel Castro regime arrested him during the 2003 "Black Spring" and sentenced him to 20 years in jail. He was released in February, 2011. Amnesty Internationa ...

received the same prize in 2008, while locked up in a maximum-security prison. List of 75 jailed dissidents and their prison sentences: * Nelson Aguiar Ramírez 13 years *

Osvaldo Alfonso Valdés Osvaldo may refer to the following people: Given name * Osvaldo Alonso, Cuban football player * Osvaldo Ardiles (born 1952), an Argentine football player and coach *Osvaldo Bagnoli, an Italian football coach *Osvaldo Brandão, a Brazilian football ...

18 years *

Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for '' Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meani ...

25 years * Pedro Argüelles Morán 20 years *

Víctor Rolando Arroyo Carmona Víctor Rolando Arroyo Carmona is a Cuban geographer and journalist who was imprisoned on March 18, 2003 and sentenced to 26 years in prison, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Carmona ended a 25 hunger strike on October 4, 2005 wh ...

26 years * Mijail Barzaga Lugo 15 years * Oscar Elías Biscet González 25 years *

Margarito Broche Espinosa Margaritus of Brindisi (also Margarito; Italian ''Margaritone'' or Greek ''Megareites'' or ''Margaritoni'' �αργαριτώνη c. 1149 – 1197), called "the new Neptune", was the last great '' ammiratus ammiratorum'' (Grand Admiral) of S ...

25 years *

Marcelo Cano Rodríguez Marcelo Cano Rodríguez is a Cuban physician and a member of the Comisión Cubana de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional (CCDHRN, English: Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation). Marcelo Cano Rodríguez was impriso ...

18 years * Roberto de Miranda Hernández 20 years * Carmelo Díaz Fernández 15 years * Eduardo Díaz Fleitas 21 years *

Antonio Díaz Sánchez Antonio Ramon Díaz Sánchez (born July 14, 1962) is a Cuban dissident. He participated in the gathering of signatures for the Varela project and was a member of the Christian Liberation Movement. Antonio Díaz Sánchez was imprisoned during the ...

20 years * Alfredo Domínguez Batista 14 years *

Oscar Espinosa Chepe Óscar Manuel Espinosa Chepe (November 29, 1940 – September 23, 2013) was a Cuban economist and dissident. He was one of approximately 75 dissidents arrested, tried and convicted in 2003 as part of a crackdown by the Cuban government nickna ...

20 years * Alfredo Felipe Fuentes 26 years * Efrén Fernández Fernández 12 years *

Adolfo Fernández Sainz Juan Adolfo Fernández Saínz (born in 1947) is a Cuban journalist. Before his imprisonment, he was an independent journalist with the Patria news agency. Adolfo Fernández Sainz also contributed to foreign publications, particularly in Sweden. H ...

15 years *

José Daniel Ferrer García José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

25 years *

Luis Enrique Ferrer García Luis Enrique Ferrer García is a Cuban dissident. He was arrested during the Black Spring in 2003 and received a 28-year sentence for his work with the Varela project, a civic initiative calling for democratic reforms in Cuba. Upon leaving t ...

28 years *

Orlando Fundora Alvarez Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rel ...

18 years * Próspero Gaínza Agüero 25 years *

Miguel Galván Gutiérrez --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands *São Miguel (disambi ...

26 years *

Julio César Gálvez Rodríguez Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: * Julio (given name) * Julio (surname) * Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation a ...

15 years *

Edel José García Díaz Edel is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Abraham Edel (1908–2007), North American philosopher and ethicist * Alfred William Edel (c. 1930–2005), American television news presenter * Apoula Edel ...

15 years *

José Luis García Paneque José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernac ...

24 years *

Ricardo Gonzales Alfonso Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

20 years *

Diosdado González Marrero Diosdado González Marrero is a Cuban dissident. Diosdado was a member of the ''Peace, Democracy and Liberty Party''. He was imprisoned during the Black Spring crackdown on dissidents in 2003, and named a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty Intern ...

20 years * Léster González Pentón 20 years *

Alejandro González Raga Alejandro González Raga is a Cuban journalist. He was jailed from 2003 until released to exile in Spain in 2008. Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience. González Raga signed the '' Madrid Charter'', a document drafte ...

14 years * Jorge Luis González Tanquero 20 years *

Leonel Grave de Peralta Leonel Grave de Peralta (born May 30, 1976) is a Cuban activist and dissident. He was an active member of the Christian Liberation Movement, Varela Project, and Director of the Independent Bartolomé Massó Library. He was one of the approximatel ...

20 years *

Iván Hernández Carrillo Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgar ...

25 years *

Normando Hernández González Normando Hernández González (born Camagüey, October 21, 1969) is a Cuban writer and journalist who now lives in the United States. He was the youngest of 75 persons rounded up by Cuban authorities on March 18, 2003, a day that is now commonly ...

25 years * Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta 20 years *

Regis Iglesias Ramírez Regis or Régis may refer to: People * Regis (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Regis (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Regis (musician), full name Karl O'Connor, an English ...

18 years * José Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernandez 16 years *

Reinaldo Labrada Peña Reinaldo is a Spanish and Portuguese language given name for males (the English form is Reynold). It may refer to: Football * Reinaldo Merlo (born 1950), Argentine former footballer and manager *Reinaldo Gomes (born 1954), Portuguese football stri ...

6 years * Librado Linares García 20 years *

Marcelo López Bañobre Marcelo is a given name, the Spanish and Portuguese form of Marcellus. The Italian version of the name is Marcello, differing in having an additional "l". Marcelo may refer to: *Marcelo Costa de Andrade (born 1967), Brazilian serial killer, rapi ...

15 years *

José Miguel Martínez Hernández José Miguel Martínez Hernández is Cuban dissident. He was a representative of Movimiento 24 de Febrero and was involved in Varela project The Varela Project ( es, Proyecto Varela) is a project that was started in 1998 by Oswaldo Payá of the C ...

13 years *

20 years *

Mario Enrique Mayo Hernández is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...

20 years *

Luis Milán Fernández Luis Milán Fernández (born 21 February 1970) is a Cuban physician from Santiago de Cuba. In 2001, he and his wife, a dentist named Lisandra Lafitta Hernández, signed "Manifiesto 2001", which called for basic freedoms to be respected in Cuba. ...

13 years *

Nelson Moliné Espino Nelson Moliné Espino is a Cuban dissident who was declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, ...

20 years *

Angel Moya Acosta Angel Moya Acosta (born 20 September 1964) is a Cuban construction worker and the founder of the Alternative Option Movement. Moya fought for one-and-a-half years in the Cuban intervention in Angola in the late 1980s. In the following decade, ...

20 years * Jesús Mustafá Felipe 25 years *

Felix Navarro Rodríguez Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...

25 years *

Jorge Olivera Castillo Jorge Olivera Castillo (b. Havana, Cuba, 1961) is a Cuban poet and dissident. He worked as a journalist for the Cuban state-run television station ICRT for 10 years. He was briefly detained in 1992 for trying to leave the country on a raft; i ...

18 years *

Pablo Pacheco Avila Pablo Pacheco Avila is a Cuban journalist who has contributed to the Ciego de Ávila Independent Journalists Cooperative (CAPI). He has been exiled from Cuba since 2010. Information Pablo Pacheco Avila was about 35 years old when he was put in p ...

20 years *

Héctor Palacios Ruíz Hector () is an English, French, Scottish, and Spanish given name. The name is derived from the name of Hektor, a legendary Trojan champion who was killed by the Greek Achilles. The name ''Hektor'' is probably derived from the Greek ''ékhein'' ...

25 years *

Arturo Pérez de Alejo Rodríguez Arturo Pérez de Alejo Rodríguez (1951 – 25 January 2017) was a Cuban dissident and had been declared as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. He was president of the human rights organization ''Frente Escambray'' and activi ...

20 years *

Omar Pernet Hernández Omar Pernet Hernández is a Cuban librarian, human rights activist, and a former political prisoner. He was imprisoned during the Black Spring in 2003 and released to exile in Spain in 2008. Amnesty International Amnesty International (al ...

25 years *

Horacio Piña Borrego The name Horacio is found sporadically throughout all Latinamerica. Historical Figures * Horacio Quiroga, an Uruguayan author and writer. *Horacio Carochi, an Italian Jesuit priest and grammarian * Horacio Pagani (auto executive) (born 1955), Arg ...

20 years *

Fabio Prieto Llorente Fabio is a given name descended from Latin ''Fabius'' and very popular in Italy and Latin America (due to Italian migration). Its English equivalent is Fabian. The name is written without an accent in Italian and Spanish, but is usually accented ...

20 years * Alfredo Pulido López 14 years *

José Gabriel Ramón Castillo José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...

20 years *

Arnaldo Ramos Lauzerique Arnaldo Ramos Lauzerique is a Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is ...

18 years * Blas Giraldo Reyes Rodríguez 25 years * Raúl Rivero Castañeda 20 years *

Alexis Rodríguez Fernández Alexis may refer to: People Mononym * Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet * Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC * Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer * Alexis (comics) (1946–197 ...

15 years *

Omar Rodríguez Saludes Omar Rodriguez Saludes is a well known Cuban dissent journalist. He was sentenced to 27 years in jail. According to his wife, his cell conditions are very bad. There is no light in his cell and he has to suffer from mosquitoes. References ...

27 years *

Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello (born May 16, 1945) is a Cuban political dissident. She is an economist by training, and the founder as well as director of the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists. Agence France-Presse described her in 2007 as Cu ...

20 years * Omar Moisés Ruiz Hernández 18 years * Claro Sánchez Altarriba 18 years *

Ariel Sigler Amaya Ariel may refer to: Film and television * Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

20 years *

Guido Sigler Amaya Guido is a given name Latinised from the Old High German name Wido. It originated in Medieval Italy. Guido later became a male first name in Austria, Germany, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and Switzerland. The mea ...

20 years * Ricardo Enrique Silva 10 years *

Fidel Suárez Cruz Fidel Suárez Cruz is a Cuban farmer from Pinar del Río. He became an independent librarian and a member of the pro-democracy '' Party for Human Rights in Cuba''. He was arrested during the 2003 crackdown on dissidents and summarily sentenced t ...

20 years * Manuel Ubals González 20 years *

Julio Antonio Valdés Guevara Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: * Julio (given name) * Julio (surname) * Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation a ...

20 years * Miguel Valdés Tamayo 15 years *

Héctor Raúl Valle Hernández Hector () is an English, French, Scottish, and Spanish given name. The name is derived from the name of Hektor, a legendary Trojan champion who was killed by the Greek Achilles. The name ''Hektor'' is probably derived from the Greek ''ékhein'' ...

12 years * Manuel Vázquez Portal 18 years *

Antonio Augusto Villareal Acosta Antonio Augusto Villarreal Acosta (born 1 September 1950, Morón, Cuba) is an economist, librarian, and Varela project coordinator. He published reports about problems of the transport facilities, the food supply and the housing shortage. He was a ...

15 years

Related movements

The wives of imprisoned activists, led by

Laura Pollán Laura Inés Pollán Toledo (February 13, 1948 in Manzanillo, Cuba – October 14, 2011) was a prominent Cuban protest, opposition leader. Pollan founded the dissident group Ladies in White, which holds pacific protest marches with the wives and sp ...

, formed a movement called

Ladies in White Ladies in White ( es, italics=no, Damas de Blanco) is an opposition movement in Cuba founded in 2003 by wives and other female relatives of jailed dissidents and those who have been made to disappear by the government. The women protest the impri ...

. The movement received the

Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as the Sakharov Prize, is an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. Named after Russian scientis ...

from the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...

in 2005.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cuba's Long Black Spring
- A report by the committee to Protect Journalists
Interviews (video)
with imprisoned dissidents who were released to Spain
Spring Nightmare
- Manuel Vázquez Portal, an imprisoned Cuban writer, poet, and journalist, describes the prison conditions. Censorship in Cuba Political repression in Cuba History of Cuba 2003 in Cuba

Imprisoned people

Related movements

See also

References

External links